[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Christians and HP revisited

[Richelle Votaw]

I've been thinking on this topic a good bit.  First, what exactly defines an "obsessed Pentecostal Christian?"  I could easily be described as just that, and here I am, crazy about Harry just the same.  All the same, there are Christians who are completely against anything that involves the words "witch" or anything relating to witchcraft.  That said, they are few and far between.  Most (not all, but most) Christians still allow (and frequently encourage) their children to watch/read/etc all fairy tales involving witches and witchcraft.  If a Christian is going to use the Biblical scriptures that speak out against witchcraft, then they shouldn't be watching or reading *anything* relating to witchcraft.  Otherwise their reasoning is flawed.

Now, the first line of defense for Harry Potter (as I've used in the past) is to point out to the people who allow their children to watch Disney fairy tales, that they all involve witchcraft in one way, shape, or form.  Cinderella has the Fairy Godmother (glorified witch), Sword in the Stone has Merlin (a wizard, obviously), Beauty & the Beast had a beautiful enchantress (witch), and the list goes on. 

Next line of defense (if they buy that one) is to bring up LOTR.  If they like it, no *reason* not to like HP.  Of course, some people don't need a "reason."  Some people say LOTR has Christian symbolism.  Maybe, though if I'm not mistaken, Tolkien denied it.  I can't find much, but I'm rather dense at that sort of thing.  Still, it blows my mind that there are people (and there are) who watch, and allow their children to watch LOTR but not HP.  Don't get me wrong, I like both.  But it's not hard to see which is more gruesome, violent, and so on.  Not to mention they both have witchcraft.  

Third line of defense is to point out Christian symbolisms in HP.  I never saw any (except Lily's sacrifice) until I read Connie Neal's "The Gospel According to Harry Potter."  She begins by explaining that you generally will find in anything what you're determined to find.  So sure, perhaps members of the occult can find what they're looking for, but as Christians, we shouldn't look for that.  She then proceeds to point out (with both HP book references and Bible references) about 50 different instances of Christian symbolism.  I'm NOT saying JKR has intended to draw from the Bible.  However, some of them did make my jaw drop.  Okay, so my jaw drops easily. :)  But this line of reasoning has won over at least one person who was raised very "anti witchcraft" and thus "anti Potter" in recent times, until she saw the light.

Now, the unfortunate thing about Connie Neal's book is that unless you've already read HP it's hard to keep up.  I'm currently working on a more abbreviated list of HP Christian symbolisms for just such a purpose.  Starting on the ones pointed out in Neal's book, and continuing with a few of my own.

Richelle


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