A fascinating article on Harry Potter
I am always happy to encounter a Christian (and intellectual at that!) reader and enjoyer of Harry Potter. The most recent example is Alan Jacobs, professor English at Wheaton. He writes in the Nov/Dec issue of Christianity Today a piece entitled "Opportunity Costs: What does it profit a man to defeat the Dark Lord but lose his soul?"
Tags: Harry Potter, Christianity Today, Alan Jacobs, Wheaton
This post is written mostly for Doug andMusic Nazi Ben--the two guys from T-town who occasionally check this site--and I trust they will pass it on to the other HP fanatics:
Pureblood Prince
C Mang
Prince of Spades
Drama (and grammar) Queen
...and everybody else...
My favorite paragraph (only relevant if you've read the preceeding paragraphs):
Tags: Harry Potter, Christianity Today, Alan Jacobs, Wheaton
This post is written mostly for Doug and
Pureblood Prince
C Mang
Prince of Spades
Drama (and grammar) Queen
...and everybody else...
My favorite paragraph (only relevant if you've read the preceeding paragraphs):
But I do not think that Joanne Rowling wants to say that adulthood consists in foregoing all delight, all leisure and playfulness, and that young people had better get used to it. Rather, she is showing that there are times when some people, at least, must forgo such pleasures so that they may be retained, or regained, by others. And it is at this point that the comparisons between Rowling's books and The Lord of the Rings—comparisons that I have tended to dismiss— begin to ring true. Reading the last pages of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I found myself hearing in my head some of the last words Frodo utters to Sam: "I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them." Harry has indeed given up many things: all the delights of Rowling's imaginative world that I have mentioned, and many more. We are left to wonder whether he must give them up permanently, or whether, his quest complete, he will remain whole enough to reclaim them.Harry Potter, Christianity Today, Alan Jacobs, Wheaton
posted by Seth at 11:44 AM
3 Comments:
I have only read the first book, so perhaps I do not have the standing to comment. With this in mind, I will do so anyway.
It seems to me that the Harry Potter books are at best, morally ambiguous. This should not be problematic for an adult to sort through, but I do not know how wise it is for children to read such things. In fact, I would hesitate to let my kids read Lord of the Rings too early. Perhaps my kids will dislike me. ;)
Revelation 3:16 tells us, "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."
I think if a Christian decides to read these books, he or she will do so with a healthy skepticism.
Although I'd prefer you read all the books before making a judgement, you're ahead of the curve--most Christians skeptical of HP haven't read any of them.
I've mentioned briefly before that I agree with the thesis of this book: J.K. Rowling is writing great literature in the Inkling tradition of Tolkien and Lewis, smuggling the gospel into her books, and "baptising the imagination" in Christian themes, symbolism, and theology. For more details, check out the author's website.
I know, it sound absolutely crazy...Until you read Granger's book. Wow.
*gasps* You read the books too?! I was beginning to think I was the only one. Maybe it's cause I was raised on Star Trek, Star Wars, fantasy, and a plethora of other novels.. but I just can't view HP books as evil.
I run a Anime Christian Forum, and I have people bash HP all the time. I say my piece, but it doesn't seem to get through to them. They all seem to think that HP *literally* teaches witchcraft! o_O;
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