Enough About Harry Already
Many Christians who cite reasons to beware the Harry Potter craze cite the dangers of making the occult appealing, an argument defenders (some of them Christian) dismiss handily: "Lots of ‘good’ stories have magic."
But is the problem that Harry makes magic? Or is it that Harry makes things go the way he wants them to and answers mainly to himself? Potter defenders point out the magic in the Chronicles of Narnia. But Narnia also has the great Aslan, with whom all power resides and against whom all actions are measured. There’s the difference.
One of the functions of fantasy is to remove life’s problems from their normal setting and thereby throw their causes and solutions into relief, making them easier to recognize and remember.
In the Chronicles of Narnia, for example, the reader enters a world far different from his own, where he encounters treachery and deception and fear—as well as great compassion, Truth, and courage. He learns there a Christian worldview: authority must reside in powers higher than himself, and that when power is wrested from authority, it always results in disaster.
The Harry Potter books do not use fantasy this way. In them, power resides with the child; he is, in short, his own god. And while he may be a likable kid who is loyal to friends, the fact remains that he takes charge of his own life and metes out what he deems justice. This subtle skewing of authority must give the Christian pause. What habit of mind is being taught here?
J. K. Rowling has said, "The idea that we could have a child who escapes from the confines of the adult world and goes somewhere where he has power, both literally and metaphorically, really appealed to me." And that notion really appeals to everyone else as well. No one likes to be accountable; our human nature is drawn to the idea of complete personal power.
When the reader leaves a Potter book, he goes not with a clearer view of his own world but rather with a wistful longing that he could solve all his problems by being like Harry.
Post-modern philosophy holds that there are no universals of right and wrong; each person chooses truth for himself, and he cannot tell another what is right or wrong for him (unless, of course, that other person runs afoul of society’s collective norm). The Potter books derive their bent from this philosophy. And the defenders of the books rest their case on it: who are these overly cautious Christians to tell us what is good and what is not?
" Nowehere in the [Potter] series is there any reference to a system of moral absolutes against which actions can be measured. In a word, this is materialistic magic, magic as naturalized as human power" —Michael D. O’Brien
Certainly Christians cannot hold non-Christians to their own standards. But Christians do have a duty to protect those under their authority. Mature readers may not find any harm to themselves in Potter books; they may easily recognize any problems and counter them for themselves. But inexperienced readers are not so able. Thus, teachers and principals and parents must make informed choices for their students and children, based on what they know of those young people—of their strengths and susceptibilities—and on what they believe the Bible says about what is good and what is not.
Still, there is a danger in focusing too much on Harry Potter. At the least, the continuous spotlight makes mediocre books look more important than they are. At the worst, it keeps everyone looking one way while far deadlier fare may be quietly slipping into student hands another way. (Have you heard of Phillip Pullman? Next to him, J. K. Rowling looks like Laura Ingalls Wilder.)
We must, of course, always be vigilant about what students are reading. But rather than providing more publicity to each ensuing power volume, we might better think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. Books with such qualities are the real stars that will long outshine any (however popular) flashes in the pan.
"Best-Sellerism is the star system of the book world. A ‘best-seller’ is a celebrity among books. It is known primarily (sometimes exlusively for its well-knownness." —Daniel J. Boorstin
Dawn Watkins is Director of Marketing Communications for BJU Press.