whenharrymetsatan

When Harry Met...Satan?

A look at the use of magic in the Harry Potter series.

By Anthony

      "Harry Potter is filled with Satanic magic." "Harry Potter is exactly like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia." If you're at all familiar with the Harry Potter books/movies, the odds are you've probably heard something to the effect of both of the two preceding statements. The Harry Potter series has stirred up quite a lot of attention both in its favor and against it. Many Christian parents are concerned about the treatment of magic in the books and movies. Some consider the series to be a giant "We want you!" ad for the occult. Others say that the series is no different from the fantasy books by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, both writers whose faith influenced their writing and whose works are generally considered by most Christians to be more than acceptable. So which view does this film critic take, you ask? Neither actually. After reading article after article after article on the subject and hearing both sides of the story, I will now set forth the way I see the Harry Potter series for your consideration.
       First of all, I do not think that the Harry Potter books and movies are Satanic. Nor do I think they are a giant "We want you!" ad for the occult. My reason for this is that the magic in the books/movies is not real-deal occult magic. It is a fantasy magic akin (though not identical) to the magic of The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. Compare this to something like Final Fantasy:The Spirits Within, for example, which advocates real New Age beliefs. In Harry Potter, there is no spirit-conjuring or soul-possession or anything like that. In fact, the only time something that is directly associated with the occult is introduced is in the third book which shows a fortune-teller who is portayed as rather ridiculous. It's also worth mentioning that curses used to torture, kill, or control the actions of others are expressly forbidden in the books (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, namely) and will be severely punished (this applies to all wizards and witches, not just the students).
       One article that I read said that The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia are about the small and humble overcoming the powerful and that the Harry Potter series are instead about the good guys trying to achieve power. I respect the man who wrote this article, but I'm afraid I disagree. Consider the climactic scene in the first book/movie, Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone.
The evil Lord Voldemort tempts Harry with the words, "There is no good and evil. There is only power and those too week to seize it." Harry's response: "I'll never join you!"
       Another article I read about witchcraft stated that real witches have said that the Harry Potter books do not have "a whiff of Wicca" in them and that The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia are among their most highly regarded books. Allow me to say at this point that this is in no way to disparage the works of Tolkien and Lewis; I'm actually a big fan of both and would sooner recommend them than the Harry Potter books. I mention this point just for people to consider before passing judgment on Harry.
       As much as I do not believe that Harry Potter is evil, I also do not think that the books' use of magic is exactly like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. Of the articles I have read on this subject, no one was able to logically present a clear difference between these books; that is until I read the article "There's Something About Harry" by Steven D. Greydanus, webmaster of decentfilms.com (this article was later expanded and re-titled "Harry Potter vs. Gandalf"). In his article, by far the best I've ever read on Harry, Mr. Greydanus shows seven "hedges" that restrict the use of magic in the books by Tolkien and Lewis but are absent from the Harry Potter books. I won't go through them all, but I will mention the ones that I think are the most note-worthy.
       Firstly, Tolkien and Lewis restrict the use of magic to fantasy lands in which magic is permissible, not in our own world. But the Harry Potter books on the other hand take place in England. Admittedly, this is an England that only exists in the world of fiction; but it is still an England where the use of magic is not common knowledge and that has a history of burning witches in the past (this latter point also implies that the view of witchcraft as contrary to Christianity is still present in this England).
       Secondly, the characters who practice magic in the works of Tolkien and Lewis are not human.
In The Lord of the Rings, wizards are regarded as a race altogether separate and distinct from the race of men. In The Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan is a lion; and the wizard Coriakin is said to be a star in human form. Then in both works you may see elves or dwarves practicing magic. The only exception is Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings who seems to have a healing ability, but it may be argued that he has some elvish blood in him.
       Lastly, a young reader is more likely to respond to the story of a boy their age with problems and situations similar to theirs who pursues magic than to stories in which users of magic are portrayed as old men with a classical wizard appearance who aren't their age, don't have their problems and situations, and aren't even the leading protagonists. This last point isn't as much concerned with the suitability of who can pursue magic and when it is appropriate to do so as is the two previous points, but it is still important to consider how a child reading a fantasy book is likely to see and be attracted to the characters.
       These points are not to disregard everything I said in the first half of this article and say that the Harry Potter books and movies shouldn't be read or seen. I refer to these points to provide aspects of Harry Potter worth considering and to show that Harry Potter is not the exact same thing as The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia.
       In conclusion, I do not believe that Harry Potter is an evil means to lure children into the occult. Level-headed kids who are well-grounded in their faith can enjoy Harry Potter without it posing a threat to their spiritual life. Such kids who are mature enough to know the difference between fantasy and reality will not grow up to be witches solely because they read or saw Harry Potter. However, there may also be kids who are easily influenced by what they read and see or have in the past shown an unhealthy interest in the occult; in such cases, Harry Potter may not be suitable for these kids. My advice to parents would be to read (or see) the Harry Potter books (or movies) for yourselves and to decide whether or not they would be suitable for your kids. (And allow me to add that should you decide in the negative, The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia are superb alternatives.)