My Apologetic for the Boy Who Lived

Harry Potter is the fictional character created by JK Rowling. He is famous in the wizarding world as "the boy who lived." When Harry was just a baby, his parents died protecting him against the evil, Lord Voldemort. The Dark Lord Voldemort then tried to kill Harry, but was unable to do this. You see, his parents' sacrifice protected young Harry. Their love for their only son stopped the Dark Lord and rid him of his powers.

But Harry hadn't a clue that he was a wizard until the age of 11. Since then Harry's life has drastically changed. He has attended Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he is trained to use his magical abilities.

It is this simple story that I hope to defend against two common concerns Christians have about the fantasy world of Harry Potter.

Before I begin with my defense, I want to talk about consistency. Many Christians who oppose Harry Potter do so because it includes a fantasy form of witchcraft. I would ask the one opposing Harry Potter for this reason if they also oppose Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, or even Snow White? Because if he is consistently against fantasy including witchcraft, would he not also oppose these other stories? Lord of the Rings has magic scattered throughout. Star Wars is even worse by its display of Buddhism. Yes, even Snow White has a witch in the story =). I am certainly not suggesting that we shouldn't watch these wonderful movies. I am only pointing out that if one opposes Harry Potter because of witchcraft, he should be consistent with that argument and not watch other movies that also include forms of fantasy witchcraft.

Now onto the arguments...

Argument #1: "Harry Potter promotes true witchcraft."

Fair enough. I think this is a genuine concern. In fact, this was a concern of mine years ago. But I wonder how the objector defines "witchcraft"? Witchcraft is a pagan religion which involves the denunciation of all Christian truth, and even calling upon the Devil for power. Witchcraft can also refer to divination, or one who communicates with evil spirits.

With this simple definition in mind, the witchcraft and wizardry in Harry Potter in no way reflects true witchcraft. Yes, Rowling's fantasy world has spells. There are good and evil spells. The good spells are always portrayed as good. Evil spells are always portrayed as evil. Furthermore, the protagonists are seen to be truly good, while the villains are seen to be truly wicked. The only "dark" magic seen in the movie is performed by dark wizards, and is understood to be ... evil =). To my knowledge, none of the spells in the Harry Potter fantasy world are real spells.

Argument #2: "The Harry Potter story continues to get "darker" - especially year four."

I've heard this from many people over the past weeks. Assuming that by "darker" they mean the bad guys do more bad things, then this is certainly true. In JK Rowling's storyline, Lord Voldemort returns to power, and does some not-so-nice things. This leads to the good guys fighting against the Dark Lord. Slowly but surely Voldemort will be defeated. Good will triumph in the end - and it will be viewed as good =).

In the end I believe that Christians need to understand that Harry Potter is a fantasy just like Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars, or Snow White. Rowling is not promoting true witchcraft. In fact, Rowling is a member of the Anglican Church.

I should also mention that the Harry Potter universe supports the Christian worldview in more ways than one: developing friendships, the nuclear family, facing social pressures, fighting evil, defending the truth, doing the right thing, loving one another, self-sacrifice, and the list goes on. Having read all six books and watching the four films, I feel apart of Harry's life. Rowling has written an amazing story that draws you in and forces you to care about her characters. I cannot wait for year 7.

Now, if you have gotten to this point and still aren't convinced, I would recommend reading the Harry Potter series, then watching the four movies, and let me know what you think then.

I think some w00tage is in order,
The Rusted One