Harry Potter and Religion
Controversy Around Witchcraft in Children's Literature
Many see the Harry Potter books as promoting friendship and courage, but some church groups fear they glamorise the occult.
The enormous succes of J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter series has brought mixed reactions from church groups all over the world. The potent combination of the books' runaway popularity with children and the topic of witchcraft and wizardry has caused anxiety in several quarters, with some schools banning the books from their library or cancelling events celebrating Harry Potter because of fears it may lead children towards the occult.
A debate has sprung up as to the pros and cons of Harry Potter, and some pretty strong views have been expressed. Articles and videos with titles such as Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged and Harry Potter: Seduction Into the Dark World of the Occult suggest that the books are in fact an accurate portrayal of occult practices and can lead their readers into witchcraft.
On the other hand, some churches have emphasized the positive elements of the Harry Potter stories, such as their emphasis on self-sacrifice, friendship and the triumph of love and hope over despair and fear. A report from the Vatican has suggested that the novels of Harry's adventures at Hogwarts could encourage children to see "the difference between good and evil.", and commends J.K.Rowling's Christian way of living and writing. Though their statements have been less widely publicised, scholars of witchcraft also tend to downplay the connection between the novels and the world of the occult. In conversation, Dr. Diane Purkiss of Oxford University said that J.K.Rowling tended to "miss the point" of the elements she borrowed from folktales, witchcraft and mythology.
The differing reactions to Harry Potter amongst Christian groups, though striking, are not terribly surprising. Catholic groups have always seemed more comfortable with the elements of non-scriptural stories which shed light on to Christian virtues such as self-sacrifice. The Italian theologian Massimo Intovigne stressed that it was important to understand the stories within the context of their genre: "Magic is the main metaphor for life in fairy tales...[Harry Potter] wins because he's more intelligent and brave, and more human than his opponents."
For Evangelical groups, however, seeing a wizardly character fighting for good could seem a twisting of the moral landscape, insinuating that it is possible to perform magic and still be on God's side. For groups like Focus on the Family, a "good wizard" is not only a contradiction in terms, but a dangerous confusion. Past fantasy writers have been criticised on the same grounds. Even C.S.Lewis, famous in both Anglican and Evangelical circles for his public conversion and works of Christian apologetics, was pilloried by some because of the parallels he and J.R.R.Tolkien drew between ancient myths and Christianity. Despite Lewis' obvious commitment to the truth of Christianity, the idea that narratives of Christ were "true myth" proved unpalatable to many Evangelicals.
It might seem ridiculous for such a fuss to be made over what are essentially very popular children's books. Especially when they promote positive values of friendship and courage, and have coaxed many children into reading the increasingly lengthy novels at the end of the series. But, as we see in other cases, the combination of religion and education always tends to produce explosive controversy.
