Religion and Harry

[Aberforth's Goat]

No: HPFGUIDX 9032

I just found an interesting critical essay about magic in Harry Potter as
compared with its role in fantasy by overtly Christian authors like Lewis
and Tolkein. The author is a RC apologist and develops a respectful and
relatively balanced critique.

Get it at his own site:
http://members.tripod.com/Snyder_AMDG/SDG.html

Mirrored here:
http://www.christianfantasy.net/sdg1.html

[The latter site--also RC--has a number of other Harry Potter reviews. The
Webmistress doesn't think much of him.]

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A few comments on Magic, Middle Earth, Merlin Muggles and Meaning

Premise:

Of course, the essay starts from the premise that young people shouldn't
experiment with the occult. Obviously, many members of this group don't
agree with that premise, which will short circuit the whole essay. In
particular, I don't think Wiccans (of whom the author makes explicit
mention) will particularly appreciate being what the essay presumes children
should never become.

Content:

I think Graydanus takes a heck of a long time to make a rather small point:
the HP books are all about becoming a magician. Tolkein's and Lewis's books
aren't. So *of course,* the heroes of the HP books could more directly role
model future careers in wizardry or witchcraft. Fine.  Point taken. (Whether
that means anything is another question altogether; but it doesn't take
several pages of literary analysis to prove the difference.)

OTOH, if he really wants to obsess about the role of magic in books, he
might take a closer look at the function of magic in Narnia. Narnian magic
isn't just a curious extension to the normal Narnian physical laws; it's
bound up in the basic parameters of reality. As opposed to Hogwarts magic,
it's not just a sort physical force; it also has deep moral implications.

For instance: When Aslan comes back to life after being killed by the White
Witch, it is through "deep magic from before the dawn of time." Hence, magic
in Narnia isn't just quidditch and special FX; it's a philosophical
quantity--in fact, it's what makes redemption possible. So if anything,
Narnia is actually more "pro-magic" than HP.

True, the "magic" in the Narnia stories is embedded in an explicitly
Christian worldview. However, it happens to be a Christian world view that
integrates a panoply of pagan elements. And that's not just incidental to
the story. C.S. Lewis was a Christian apologete--but one with deep respect
toward many other religions. (BTW, his stance is challenging, complicated,
and perhaps not entirely consistent.)

In any case, if people really really want their children to fear any
non-Christian approach to the supernatural, it would be consistent to keep
both HP *and* Narnia locked up with the roach killer.

Baaaaaa!

Aberforth's Goat (a.k.a. Mike Gray)