Today is the release of the sixt Harry Potter book, and my friends and I are going to the midnight party to pick up our books. Because of the timeliness of it, I thought it might be a good topic of conversation for the day.
Now, I know some people will not agree with me on this particular matter and that is fine. I just want to throw it out there.
I have, for my entire life as a Christian (5 years), heard people demonize the Harry Potter series. I've even heard it referred to by some as "Satan's work." However, the same Christians enjoy the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings series, both of which also touch on topics of witchcraft, magic, and mythical creatures. I have not read the Lord of the Rings series, though I have read The Hobbit so I am basing my information on that on the movies and the word of other people I know who have read the series. At any rate, what I want to know is, why is it acceptable for children to read books about magic and such as long as they were written by a Christian. The children will not be able to tell the difference. They don't know what an allegory is, and if they are old enough to know that, or have someone explain it to them, then they are also old enough to have someone explain to them that Harry Potter is not reality, that witchcraft is not Biblical, just as parents would have to explain about the Narnia and LOTR series.
I have personally been able to use things in Harry Potter to connect to people and explain to them Biblical things that they may not grasp any other way. I enjoy reading the books as an adult, and my faith in God is not in any way affected by reading them. I am taking my niece, who is 13, to the party, and I have no qualms about it because I know that her faith is also strong. I would say, if one has a history of being involved in witchcraft, and may be tempted to go back to it because of reading these books, then they probably shouldn't. If it is something that they struggle with, if they know it will cause them to sin, then they should avoid reading these books. But personally, I have no struggle in that area. I have never in my life believed in any other God, even before I was actually a Christian. Let's be honest, I have my own things that I need to stay away from. Most of the time I avoid romantic comedies because I know that doing so will cause me to fantasize about a life that is not mine. In the same way, people who struggle with their loyalty to God, like to dapple in other beliefs, or have previously been involved in witchcraft, would be safe to stay away. But it is up to us as individuals to listen to God and hear Him tell us what areas we have problems in. It is up to us to assess what things in our lives are drawing us away from God, and for me, Harry Potter is not one of them. I am tired of being ridiculed (obviously not by anyone here, or I might not be saying this) by Christians who think that their interpretation is the only one and everyone else should follow. Unless it says specifically in the Bible, "Thou shalt not read Harry Potter" then everything beyond that is a matter of interpretation and should be prayerfully considered by each of us individually.
P.S. I think a blog is an amazing thing. I would be too afraid to bring this up with most people face to face. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of a sissy and don't generally initiate face to face conversations unless I am INCREDIBLY comfortable with you. I am working on this.
P.S.S. Sorry to anyone who already tried to comment. That was an accident!
2 comments:
how was the party, jeni? hope you had a good time. my copy of harry potter is coming today from amazon.com. i think that you make a good point in comparing harry potter to narnia or lord of the rings in the sense that it is obviously a fantasy story that takes place in imaginary places and that allegory goes over most kids' heads. the type of things that bother me worse are shows/movies about witches/pwers that take place in regular settings that aren't fantastic (e.g. sabrina the teenage witch, that's so raven, practical magic, the craft) because, while fantastic in some regards, these shows portray a much more realistic picture of the power that is available out there for kids to take advantage of.
mostly it depends on some good since of whether you or the kid in question are capable of handling the balance between fantasy and reality and are smart enough to not buy into a sanitized version of magic used to sell books and movies.
The party was great! There were 11 of us wearing S.P.E.W. shirts! It was crazy.
I agree with what you are saying about the dangers of magic in a more realistic setting, however, of the two children's shows you mention (Sabrina & Raven) they seem to be more focused on the ways the magic/psychic goes wrong, rather than glorifying the powers themselves. However, that is the perspective of an adult, and as we know, children are more likely to buy into these sorts of things that might SEEM like a good thing at the time. So while I do not take issues with these shows for myself, and in fact I rather enjoy Raven, I can see where there would be concern for your children.
Thanks for commenting on this!
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