Harry Potter, Part Two

Okay, so here's what we think about the Harry Potter books.

First, that there is a good deal of magic that specifically references witches and wizards, although it is highly fantastical and not, in my opinion, likely to be confused with the real thing. A more insidious danger is that because of the fantastical and sometimes comical nature of it, less discerning readers may be lulled into forgetting the seriousness of the real thing. It's not a handbook for witchcraft, so there's no danger that children will accidentally find themselves practicing it, and there is an attempt to differentiate between magic for good and the "Dark Arts" (but yes, of course I know that Christians know that even witchcraft for "good" is still a sin).  So on the one hand, I don't consider this "witchcraft" in the truest sense. But on the other, I would still be uncomfortable with children spending time imagining and acting out the Harry Potter world, which is why those of my children who still like to immerse themselves in fantasy worlds won't be reading it, but why I felt comfortable with my decision to let an older, more mature child do so.

Second, the best thing I got out of reading Harry Potter was that it did make me think about what's really in a name. As I read, I thought, "It really is good storytelling - I wonder what it would be like if the wizardry was removed and replaced with something else less obvious. It would still be a good story. It would something like...I don't know, the Percy Jackson series. Fantasy, beyond-human powers...the magic is just not so overt. I guess." Except is it really all that different, when fantastical powers are called magic, and in another case are pretty much the same thing, just not called the same thing? And what if a thing is called the same thing - a wizard in Harry Potter, versus the wizards in Lord of the Rings? Do different qualities change the meaning enough so that the form is more acceptable in one case but not in the other. And the answer, for me, is...yes and no. One the one hand, it really doesn't matter what something is called. If it is a practice to be avoided, it doesn't matter what it's called and whether it's named or not. So it is highly inconsistent for believers to shun Harry Potter with vehemence, but thoughtlessly allow or even embrace books, movies, and events (sorry, but Halloween? with roots in actual witchcraft and pagan practices?) that contain very similar themes that just don't have the same labels. On the other hand, how a subject matter is treated and presented does make a difference. In the Percy Jackson series, for instance, the worship of false gods isn't being promoted, the "gods" themselves are highly caricatured, and the whole idea of gods and demigods really just serves as a backdrop for a larger story, in which fairly noble character traits are explored and achieved. (Please note - I'm not suggestion that the Percy Jackson books are examples and great literature with only noble themes. It is mostly just a fun fantasy series.)

Now, I'm not a fan of making every story and every character a morality lesson, but the nature of characters in a story does matter to me in evaluating the whole of book or a series of books. And I will say that character is something that bothers me more than the use of the words "witchcraft" and "spells" in the Harry Potter series. There's not much integrity among the main characters. They regularly lie and cheat, usually in "little" ways, but there's hardly any internal struggle to do that which is right and good simply for the sake of goodness itself. There is a stark difference between characters who are "mean" versus ones who are "nice" - eg Draco Malfoy versus pretty much anyone else. Bullying and name-calling is clearly represented as "bad," but even the "good" characters react to this meanness with bitterness and vengefulness, rather than in attempts to combat it with actual truth and goodness. And if they lose tempers and strike out at the bullies, they don't regret their own actions, but rather the fact that ends proved not worth the means. And nearly every adult is virtually useless in this  rather ruthless schoolyard atmosphere. Hardly any of them champion or mete out justice. And in most, if not all, of the situations, the internal struggle in the characters between what it is right and wrong is related to how it affects the success of a particular adventure or quest. That, to me, is the biggest strike against the Harry Potter books.

Is it a collection of well-crafted stories? Yes, I think so. It's intriguing, the characters are interesting and have some depth, and while the first book seems most heavily concentrated with terms of magic and the world of training wizards, subsequent books are more about the journey of the characters through adventure and mystery. Is it worth all the controversy that has surrounded it since its beginning? I don't know. It's important to make good decisions in faith on anything and everything we do, read, watch, and enjoy. Just because something has a particular label doesn't automatically make it worse than other things that may be just slightly watered-down versions of the same thing. On that note, just because "it gets kids to read," or is fun, or is something "everyone" else is reading - or NOT reading, on the flip side - isn't a reason to read, or not read, it. Read it. Don't read it. But use discernment in your choice, as you should in every situation, and then let it be.



PS As to the question of whether it is just the same thing as reading about wizards in books like Lord of the Rings...well, that's just rubbish. It's not even in the same category. The subject of wizards in books like that could fill volumes, of course (and has), but the fact is that books like that are in an entirely different league, in the first place. In the second place, personally, I think wizards like Gandalf are types that represent far more than the label placed on them. And third, it is quite true that magic in Lord of the Rings and others like it, is highly downplayed, and far more attention placed on "ordinary" characters who must act in noble and extraordinary ways. But again, whether one can read and enjoy them as a Christian should still be subject to discernment and decisions that came from faith, not simply from what one is told.

Harry Potter, Part One

Well, we did it. We read Harry Potter.

Some of you are wondering what in the world took so long. Others of you are frowning in disapproval. Yes, I know you are. I know exactly what you're thinking. And it's okay. I wonder if it would appease you just a bit if I assured you that only some of us actually took the plunge and read the series. Others are still not allowed, and won't be for some time yet.

But why would we even break the "No Harry Potter" barrier and bring it into the house at all? Have we started down a slippery slope of compromise? Actually, Aimee and I have just been discussing how we generally have never banned most things outright in our family. Of course, there are obvious rules, and things we wouldn't go anywhere near, but I hope you understand that I'm not talking about those things - more about things that would fall into the "gray" areas. In those areas, we have always adopted the "everything is permissible, but not every everything is beneficial" attitude. In this case, the actual practice of witchcraft is, of course, specifically forbidden, but reading a book series in which witchcraft takes place is a less certain practice. After all, unless Christians restrict themselves to purely Christian books with carefully sanitized stories, they will encounter stories and characters who aren't Christian and who practice things which Christians don't do. There's much that could be said, and which has been said, on that topic, so I don't really need to delve into all that. Suffice it say that we all understand that we consider a number of factors in deciding what we can read, watch, and enjoy, without compromising our values. And we find that there are stories we can appreciate and enjoy, if we are able to pass everything through a mature biblical worldview.

I hardly need to emphasize that Harry Potter, however, has been a particularly controversial book series among Christians, and many have determined that it most certainly crosses a line of appropriate reading for believers. It is, after all, about witches and wizards. "Ah", said others, "but you read the Chronicles and Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, don't you? What's the difference? Ha! Got you there!" And then the first crowd posted blogs and articles about how Harry Potter glorifies witchcraft, and among children at that, and how the wizards or other practitioners in the other series serve a different purpose in those stories, and that any magic displayed is downplayed rather than glorified.

And while we chose to steer clear of Harry Potter (until now), we tried (I hope) to reserve final judgement either way, as we hadn't read it, so couldn't really compare. But of course every time Aimee(in particular asked a friend or librarian for a new fantasy series to read, she heard, "What about Harry Potter?", and she found it exasperating that it seemed to be the only option. As I've mentioned, we've never had a blanket ban on the series, but we've steered clear in general, and the kids have never really expressed a desire to read it. She just wasn't interested in getting into something she knew we had reasons for avoiding. But recently she's heard more about it, and so she asked politely about the possibility of reading the first book. I pondered her request, but didn't have to think too long on it, because she's always had a strong moral compass, and, at thirteen, is gaining more maturity and logical thinking to bolster that compass. I know I can trust her to spot things that oppose a biblical worldview, and to follow the Spirit's leading in how to approach, process, or, if necessary, put aside those things. And she has done just that before, as she's explained that she just didn't feel comfortable watching or reading particular things. And others, she has discussed with me freely. So I trust her judgement in a number of areas already, and I knew that if I gave her permission to read it, but requested that she stop if she just felt it was too much, she would do just that.

So she got it and read it. And then I read it, to see how our thoughts and opinions lined up. We're actually working on the series. We haven't been struck by lightning or tempted to abandon convictions. We haven't felt a book burning has been in order, but neither have we jumped with both feet on the Harry Potter train. For what we have discovered....see Part Two, coming your way shortly. :-)