Some weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me what I thought about Harry Potter. I know this is not new territory for the blogosphere but I still thought some folks might find this helpful or at least thought provoking. The way the typical conversation goes is like this: “Daryl, I appreciate Tolkien and Lewis, but as a Christian, all this witchcraft in Harry Potter bothers me. Is there a difference?” The simple answer is, of course there is a difference, but not in the ways you might guess at first… and the ways in which the Harry Potter series is similar to the writings of Tolkien and Lewis might surprise you.The obvious concern for many Christians (particularly Christian parents who have children reading J.K. Rowling) is the use of witchcraft and sorcery, which are clearly forbidden by scripture. Many Christians have worked through the mention and use of magic in other literature. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia make repeated reference to magic, used even by Aslan, the Narnian incarnation of the Son of God. Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings also makes wide reference to magic. Yet these works enjoy great popularity among Bible-believing Christians.
With Lewis, I think there are at least two reasons Christians are more willing to look past references to magic: first, the depiction of magic is vague. It does not include incantations but simply describes the results: a faun turning to stone, a boy transforming into a dragon or a prince enchanted to forget who he is. In fact, what might be referred to as the supernatural acts of God also seem to fall under the description of “magic” in Narnia. Second, the clear and overriding Christian imagery in the Narnia stories overshadows any concerns about magic.
With Tolkien there is a greater skepticism among Protestant Christians, as his works seem to reference a Catholic sacerdotalism (which many Protestants would critique as Christian superstition) and the magic is described in greater detail than in Lewis. However, the magic of Tolkien’s world also includes the technological advances of Saruman (Treebeard describes Saruman a having a “mind of metal”), and the magic of Tolkien’s stories are so clearly not what those tales are about. They are about courage, friendship and providence among other things. There are deep and powerful Christian themes in Tolkien’s works and indeed Tolkien wrote them in honor of God’s majesty and creativity.
Many would argue that magic figures so prominently in Harry Potter that this is what the stories are about. They describe the specific incantations used in magic as well as the substances used in concocting potions or constructing magical objects (wands for instance). J.K. Rowling seems to have researched the occult to bring greater detail and depth to her depiction of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This, along with the absence of overt Christian themes, seems too much for Christian parents too tolerate.
I concede that there is a greater description of magic and the occult in Harry Potter. However, much like Lewis’ and Tolkien’s work, we have a sure sense that this is fantasy literature. The comedic handling of the interactions between the magical and “non-magical” worlds re-enforces the idea that this is not presented as “real.” The fantasy of the magical world simply serves as a device to get at more important themes: courage, integrity, loyalty, and belonging. Many Christian authors have used fantasy as a construct to illuminate important truths (Lewis has a great chapter in his book, An Experiment in Criticism, where he talks about fantasy literature and how it is more difficult for authors to “tell lies” with an imaginary world than having the a story told in a real world context which gives the sense of being “true to life”). In many ways, the works of J.K. Rowling mirror the works of Tolkien and Lewis. In fact, Rowling seems self-
conscious of her literary inspirations and reflects that in things like the choices of names for her characters. One interesting example of this is Cedric Diggory (pictured at the left from the movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), the Tri-Wizard Tournament champion from Hogwarts and rival to Harry for the affections of Cho Chang. Diggory Kirke, who appears as the boy with an ailing mother and nephew to “the magician” in The Magician’s Nephew and as the professor who gives the Pevensie children refuge during World War II in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has long been thought of as Lewis himself appearing in his stories. Many critics believe that Cedric Diggory was named in honor of Lewis. John Granger, in his book How Harry Cast His Spell, details many more interesting names in Harry Potter that make other allusions and reference deeper themes (Granger also has a chapter on the tradition of using fantasy literature to communicate Christian themes).Granger’s book also examines something else: the consistent Christian themes found throughout the Harry Potter series. The struggle between good and evil, the path of purification the journey of the hero through life… and death… to life again; these are all themes with which Christians… that all people… can relate. In fact, a former professor of mine at Covenant Seminary is convinced that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a contemplation on the resurrection of Christ (John Granger is of a similar opinion).
So, do if think there is a difference between the works of J.K. Rowling and those of Lewis and Tolkien? Yes. Rowling chronicles the maturing of a boy into a many through fantasy while Tolkien creates a complex world of myths and tells the story of a man (hobbit) who sacrifices all he loves to save the world. I would even say that Lewis and Tolkien are explicitly Christian while Rowling is perhaps more inspired by her Christian background. But the similarities are greater than the differences. Should your children read Rowling? That’s your decision, the same as it is your decision to let them read Tolkien and Lewis... or not. All I can tell you is that I have read the first three books to my oldest son (being just nine, his mother feels uncomfortable with the murder of Cedric Diggory in the fourth book, so we are waiting)… and we have had wonderful conversations about growing into a mature and godly man because of it.
Posts
