Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Keith Miller
Professor Medina
11 October, 2009
In 1990, a single mother on welfare was struck with an idea while waiting for a
delayed train; the story of a “scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn’t know
he was a wizard” (Rowling 5). Her name was J.K. Rowling and in that incident, the
Harry Potter series was born, the works which would propel her from her dire straights to
fame and fortune as the author of one of the best-loved and controversial fantasy series of
all time. Since the publication of the first book in 1998, critics, especially conservative
Christians, have unleashed a flood of accusations against Rowling and her novels
claiming that they indoctrinate children and teenagers into the practice of witchcraft and
lead them away from sound Christian doctrine. In the words of Christian activist and
ordained pastor Laura Mallory, “Never before has there been a children’s book series
portraying witchcraft and sorcery as good, fun, and normal for children” (qtd. In
Swanepoel par 17). Some have even gone so far as to accuse Rowling of being inspired
by the devil himself. Though some, like Mallory, decry the books as the devil’s work,
other Christians not only deem it as acceptable, but also as fine literature with themes that
echo Christian values and ideals. Despite the accusations, the Harry Potter series
provides not only harmless fantasy and entertainment, but also contains themes and
This audience has been rather uneven throughout history in regards to literature,
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especially regarding tales of myth and fantasy. It was Christian monks in the Middle Ages
who copied and preserved the mythologies of ancient Greece and Rome, yet at the same
time, the missionaries of this faith came close to completely wiping out the oral and
early records, the traditions, the songs and stories, were obliterated by the priests of
Christianity, who felt bitter hatred for the Paganism they had come to destroy. It is
On the contrary, in more recent times, the genre-defining fantasy novel The Lord
of the Rings, written by devout Christian J.R.R. Tolkien, drew from the same mythologies
which his forbearers sought to eradicate, not to mention the praise the tale garnered from
both Christians and non-Christians alike. This monumental work inspired many other
writers, creating a boom in fantasy literature and led to the creation of role-playing games
such as Dungeons and Dragons in the 1970s and 80s. Again, fantasy and Christianity
came into conflict as some Christians sounded warning bells. Critics claimed that the
game’s use of fantasy elements that contained “authentic magical rituals” would corrupt
players, leading them into the occult (Schnoebelen par. 2). This argument is almost
perfectly mirrored in the later debate on Harry Potter, so it is safe to argue that the
controversy which sprung from Dungeons and Dragons was an incubator for the ideology
The novels in question chronicle the heroic journey of an orphan boy named
Harry Potter as he completes his magical education at Hogwarts, an academy for the
training of wizards. Over the course of his training, Harry rises from a poor child
neglected by his cruel relatives to the messianic savior of the Wizarding World,
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Rowling’s fantasy universe which exists alongside ours. He is assisted along his journey
by a colorful cast of friends and mentor figures including his best friends Ron and
Sirius Black. Poised to conquer the Wizarding World and opposing Harry and company is
the evil sorcerer Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters. Voldemort, believed
dead after his curse meant to assassinate an infant Harry (to prevent the fulfillment of a
prophecy foretelling the Dark Lord’s doom) backfires, spends the majority of the books
rising from the ashes of his defeat and consolidating his power, eventually acquiring
enough strength to initiate an all-out war on the good wizards of Hogwarts and the
Ministry of Magic, the Wizarding World’s governing body. This story is told over the
course of seven books: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-
and telling them to her younger sister Di. “I told her a lot of stories,” she remembers,
“and sometimes I didn’t have to sit on her to make her stay and listen” (Rowling 2). After
an unsuccessful marriage, she was left almost at poverty level with a daughter, struggling
to meet ends meet. After her epiphany at the train station, she gained worldwide fame as
the author of the Harry Potter series. Needless to say, the books became a pop-culture
phenomenon, earning the formerly poor woman over a billion dollars, becoming the first
author to do so (Imbornoni par 13). Approximately 300 million of all seven books have
been sold worldwide and the film adaptations of the first four books rank among the top
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twenty highest-grossing movies in history (Inbornoni par. 12). Both the books and the
films have also spawned a devoted fan base across the world. Many fan communities
have sprung up all over the internet and fans regularly met to celebrate book and movie
releases. Some even went as far as attempting to replicate the magical games exhibited in
broomsticks, and life-sized Wizard’s Chess, in which the chess pieces themselves do
battle (Spellbound).
All this attention has caught the eye of conservative Christian groups, a major
cultural force in contemporary America. As the first books were being released,
Christians expressed concerns that though the spells, curses, and other magical elements
of the book are fictional and impossible to carry out, they could still familiarize readers
with the terminology and mechanics of occult practice, noting the blatantly anti Christian
and occult literature sometimes associated with the books (Euteneuer). These fears gave
rise to many movements in the United States to have the books taken from school and
perfect example of the movement. She engaged the Gwinnett County School Board in a
two-year battle to have the books removed from the district’s school libraries after
teachers at her children’s school attempted to use the series as part of the curriculum
(Swaneopel par 7). When asked about what led her to the conclusion to campaign against
I began to research the books and study their effects on today’s children
par 8)
Sharon Swaneopel, a journalist for the Loganville Tribune, reported an incident in the
same school district in which an instructional book in witchcraft was sold alongside the
Harry Potter series in a school book fair. She received an email from a teacher claiming
she saw students in a classroom reading the book and attempting to cast spells
While these concerns may be valid, the Harry Potter series is part of a
longstanding tradition of mythic stories stretching back centuries and include authors
which most Christians hold in high esteem. “If we throw out Rowling’s works for using
mythological references and magic,” argues columnist Mike Hertenstien, “we must throw
out Lewis and Tolkien as well.” (par. 17) The works of J.R.R. Tolkien, in particular his
works dealing with the fantasy world of Middle Earth: The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The
Lord of the Rings, and The Children of Hurin, exhibit many fantasy elements which are
with the dead, materiel which would have caused an uproar in Christian circles had they
not been used by Tolkien, an author long-cherished by believers. In the third volume of
The Lord of the Rings, titled The Return of the King, the hero Aragorn must enlist the help
of the spirits who dell in the haunted mountain of Dwimorberg to help him defeat the
“For that is my errand!” [Aragorn] cried, turning back and speaking to the
hidden in the Accursed Years! Speed only we ask. Let us pass and then
Here, a clear summoning of the dead is performed, a practice expressly forbidden in the
the living and the dead in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is condemned for using
this same idea. The scene in question comes from the book’s climax in which Harry is
locked in mortal combat with Lord Voldemort, whose wands, being of the same material,
violently react, causing them to connect and the ghostly forms of those Voldemort had
killed over the years to appear, including Harry’s late parents. Rowling writes:
…Harry, his arms shaking madly now, looked back into the ghostly face of
his mother. “Your father’s coming.” she said quietly, “hold on for your
echoing voice…
will give you time. You must get to the Portkey, it will return you
Like in Tolkien’s work, the spirits of the dead are providing help to the living. The dead
are summoned, though accidentally, in Harry’s case, and provide the hero with assistance
Also, like with Tolkien, many prominent Christians have come to Harry Potter’s
support. Some Christian authorities have not only approved of them, but have praised
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their espousal of themes which are complementary to Christian values. Alan Jacobs, a
professor at the prestigious Christian university Wheaton College, endorsed the books,
saying that they firmly support the idea of good vs. evil as well as provide excellent food
for thought on the morality of magic’s use. (Olsen, par. 12) Several major Christian
publications have also gotten in on the act. British magazine Christianity praises Harry’s
virtuous character, calling him a “fine lad.” (qtd in Olsen par. 11). Stateside, Harry Potter
won the endorsement of The Christian Century, which also commented on the rough time
many fantasy writers have had with Christianity. (Olsen par. 12) Another Christian
Charles Colson, praised the series’ protagonists who “develop courage, loyalty, and a
willingness to sacrifice for one another—even at the risk of their lives. Not bad lessons in
Potter. This virtue is highly valued within Christianity; Jesus Himself once said, as
recorded in the book of John, that “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his
life for his friends.” (15:13) The series is chock-full of this heroic act, from the initial
sacrifice of his mother which helped him not only survive Voldemort’s attack, but
afforded him substantial magical protection, to Harry’s ultimate sacrifice near the end of
The Deathly Hallows. After learning that his sacrifice is necessary to conquer Voldemort
and put a end to his reign of terror, Harry bravely overcomes his fear of death, marching
straight to the Dark Lord himself. After he is killed by Voldemort, Harry travels to the
afterlife, where he speaks with Dumbledore, who reveals everything about Harry’s
purpose and quest. When informed by his mentor that he may continue in the afterlife or
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return to finish Voldemort off for good, he bravely volunteers to give up the eternal peace
he found there:
“That is up to you.”
good…If that seems to you a worthy goal, then we say good-bye for
the present.”
…It was warm and light and peaceful here, and he knew he was heading
Nevertheless, he returned, leading the good wizards in battle against the Dark Lord,
ultimately destroying him and ushering in a period of peace and tranquility in the
Wizarding World, and fulfilling an ancient prophecy about a wizard who would conquer
death, wielding the powerful artifacts for whom the final book is named. This heroic act
clearly echoes the life of Christ, who forsook the wonders of Heaven to travel to earth
and live as a human in order to redeem mankind by a gristly death. An excellent example
warning against wrongly judging others. As the story progresses, those who misjudge
others do so to their detriment. One of the most memorable misjudged characters in the
saga is Severus Snape, the gloomy, curmudgeonly potions master. Lord Voldemort. From
the very first book, Harry and company consistently blame the strange events at
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Hogwarts on Snape, this notion born out of the mutual dislike between the two of them.
Yet for all their accusations, Snape is usually actively working to keep Harry protected
and the agents of the Dark Lord usually are the most unlikely suspects. Though he does
defect to the Death Eaters late in the series, all is not as it seems, as revealed in The
Deathly Hallows. There, he is revealed for who he truly is, a troubled man who once
strayed to the dark side, a childhood friend of Harry’s mother who harbored feelings for
her which would haunt him for the rest of his life, and in fact Dumbledore’s spy within
the Death Eaters. He also emerges as one of Harry’s greatest protectors, motivated by
love for his mother, his antagonism towards Harry borne out of hatred for his father who
not only stole away the love of his life, but also bullied a young Snape throughout his
Hogwarts career. This character reinforces Jesus’ adage “Do not judge, or you too will be
Perhaps the same can be said about the series as a whole and the arguments
arrayed against it. One common argument, as exemplified by Pastor Mallory, is that the
books present the occult and witchcraft in an appealing light, making magic the norm
when it ought to be a despised and taboo practice. This belief is drawn from several
passages in the Bible, including Exodus 22:18 and Galatians 5: 19-20. The Exodus
passage reads: “Do not allow a sorceress to live.” The original Hebrew word, m’khaseph,
referred to a very specific kind of magical practitioner, one who uses spells to inflict evil
avoided, also specifically references an exact form of sorcery. The Greek word used here,
weapons (Robinson). These forms of magic are indeed present in the books, but they are
performed by the villains, casting the most evil forms of the occult in an unfavorable
light. One of the series’ most intense moments combines the evil of both pharmakia and
m’khaseph as Lord Voldemort directs his servant Wormtail in a black ritual that will
completely restore his body, which was destroyed after his debacle with the infant Harry
dagger from inside his cloak. His voice broke into petrified sobs.
He stretched out his right hand in front of him--the hand with the missing
finger. He gripped the dagger very tightly in his hand and swung it
but he could not block the scream that pierced the night…He heard…a
of Fire 641)
Clearly, the dark magic expressly forbidden in the Bible is not portrayed as something
desirable or charming. In fact, the magic used by the protagonists is far more benign and
any spells used for combat are non-lethal as well as being purely fantastical in nature.
The Goblet of Fire also lays out the three spells which the Ministry of magic forbids their
citizens to use; the Imperius Curse, which controls the mind of the opponent, rendering
him a puppet to the will of the caster, the Cruciatus Curse, which causes torturous pain,
and Avada Kedavra, which causes instant death. All three exhibit the spirit of an
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m’khaseph and are looked down upon and condemned by the civilized society which
Another occult practice which is a point of contention for some is the practice of
divination, which Harry begins to learn his third year, as chronicled in Harry Potter and
the Prisoner of Azkaban, yet even a quick read of the novel suggests that divination is not
looked upon too highly in the Wizarding World. Harry’s Divination teacher, Professor
relief. She’s rarely taken seriously by any of the other teachers. On the first day of class,
Trelawney dramatically predicts Harry’s death after seeing an ominous pattern in the tea
leaves he was reading. After class, Professor Mc Gonagall assures Harry he has nothing
to fear, saying that “Sibyll Trelawney has predicted the death of one student every year
since she arrived…,” adding that “none of them has died yet.” She also says that
“Divination is one of the most inprecise branches of magic.” (109) Although Trelawney
makes the prophecy which set the series’ plot in motion by motivating Voldemort to
attempt to kill Harry, Professor Dumbledore challenges Harry about the prophecy’s true
authority, asking, “If Voldemort had never heard the prophecy, would it have been
fulfilled? Would it have meant anything?” (Half-Blood Prince 510) In other words, had
Voldemort not acted to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy, it would not have been
fulfilled by his ultimate defeat by Harry at the end of the final book. In the Wizarding
World, divination only has whatever power the hearer of its predictions gives it, which is
a great caution against a practice which Christians are clearly opposed to.
the level of violence present in the books. Every book contains an often frightening,
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dark magic, such as in The Goblet of Fire and the climax of The Chamber of Secrets
where Fawkes the Phoenix, sent by Dumbledore to aid Harry in his fight against Lord
Voldemort’s basilisk: “Fawkes dived, his long golden beak sank out of sight and a sudden
shower of dark blood spattered the floor…its eyes had been punctured by the phoenix;
blood was streaming to the floor, and the snake was spitting in agony.” (319) Though
these scenes may be too intense for younger children, many other fantasy authors,
including Lewis and Tolkien, utilize scenes of sometimes graphic violence to drive their
stories home. In Return of the King, for instance, Tolkien describes the siege of Minas
Tirith in shocking detail as the orcs of Mordor employ an old medieval siege technique:
Then among the greater casts there fell another hail, less ruinous but more
horrible. All about the streets and lanes behind the gates it tumbled
down…the enemy was flinging into the City all the heads
of those who had fallen…They were grim to look on; for though some
were crushed and shapeless, and some had been cruelly hewn, yet many had
features that could be told, and it seemed that they had died in pain; and
Such disquieting imagery stands on par, if not above that which is present in the Harry
Potter series, yet again Tolkien is excused. But this imagery serves a purpose in both
stories; it serves to show the full depths of the antagonists’ evil, spelling out why the
heroes are fighting them in the first place. It encourages the reader to cheer all the more
for the protagonists. Though it is true that this imagery may be too much for some
readers, especially the very young, the merits of both Harry Potter and The Lord of the
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Rings justify its use. Therefore, common sense should be exercised and parents should be
involved with what their children are reading, knowing what they can and cannot handle.
Though some may take issue with the novels, the Harry Potter series is in fact a
morally uplifting tale presenting values which echo the morals of Christianity such as
Equally popular and controversial author Stephen King summed up this entertainment the
best: “…The Harry Potter novels are just fun, pure story from beginning to end,” (225)
This combination of fun, thrills, and escape is the true heart of fantasy literature, a genre
Works Cited
Euteneuer, Thomas J. “HLI Says Harry Potter Indoctrinates Young Souls into the
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1942. Print.
Hertenstien, Mike. “Harry Potter vs. the Muggles: Myth, Magic, and Joy.”
Inbornoni, Anne-Marie. “J.K. Rowling: The Story of Harry Potter’s Creator.” Fact
King, Stephen. On Writing, a Memoir of the Craft. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc,
2000. Print.
Mugglenet.com. “Harry Potter Fans Spellbound by Release of Half Blood Prince.” N.p.
Rowling, J.K. “Biography.” J.K. Rowling Official Website. jkrowling.com. Web. 12 Oct.
2009.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. New York: Scholastic Press,
1999. Print.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. New York: Scholastic Press,
1999. Print.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. New York: Scholastic Press, 2000.
Print.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. New York: Scholastic Press,
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Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Scholastic Press,
2007. Print.
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The Holy Bible: New International Version. International Bible Society, Colorado
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1966.
Print.