Charlotte Mason encourages reading fairy tales that include both good and evil magic. It’s true that as parents we need to teach our children the difference between fairy tales and the occult. Harry Potter is just a modern day fairy tale. I’m excited to read it with my daughter (and other children) as she (they) grows up!
Hi Abby. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I wrestled with this one for a while and it was a useful exercise in examining my own faith. The magic in fairy tales asks children to recognise good and evil, to choose sides, to understand that power without virtue is ruin. That's what fairy tale magic is for.
I am a young Christian (3 years). I am 46. I was witch for 30+ years. And I have SCORES of baptists and KJV-only types tell me incoherently that Harry Potter is BAD and they have not read it. They tell me the magic is REAL.
Uhh. Well it isn't. NONE of it is real. And I was witch and sorcerer for 30 years, so I think I can tell the difference, thanks. Better off being worried about some modern day Christians who misuse the word apostle. Or V for Vendetta, which is a sigil created by a chaos magician, which activates every time you read it. And the ones who cry STAY AWAY xant tell me why Potter is no good but The Hobbit is fine.
Harry Potter follows a hero's journey, which is derived from the Bible.
So... thankyou for writing this. It is just fantasy, and ought to be enjoyed as such.
One of the other commenter pointed out that these works are vital for discipleship. If you exclude them, you have no basis for teaching what is occult and what is not. The Bible is exceedingly clear on the matter in my view, but also I have direct, lived experience where many do not.
Hi Leticia. Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. Regarding your past life, it takes a great deal of courage to speak out about something so private, so publicly.
Your Christian discipleship point is very valid, certainly here in the UK. In 2007, the Church of England arrived at the same conclusion. Church House Publishing – the Church's own official publisher – brought out 'Mixing It Up with Harry Potter', twelve sessions on faith for nine to thirteen-year-olds. The book used scenes from the Harry Potter books where the characters face hard moral choices, and used these as an aid to Christian teaching. The book was commissioned, printed, and sold by the Church itself. Dr George Carey, who was Archbishop of Canterbury for eleven years, described the film as great fun and a serious examination of good and evil. Blessings and best wishes from Sussex.
That's such a positive outcome. I feel that those of us outside the US have a more nuanced view of these things; and that isn't to judge, is simply a cultural difference between us.
I really enjoyed how you connected Harry Potter’s magic with the Bible’s own treatment of miracles, divination and witchcraft. Your point about fear leading people to reject stories without understanding them first was especially thought provoking
This is so well done. Everyone should read this. I was the right age to participate in the original Pottermania, which was its own brand of magic. Can’t wait to read the series with my boys, like I’ve always said, once they’re Harry’s age.
Hi Kali. Thank you for reading and your kind words. I was in my mid thirties when Pottemania was at it’s height, and even now, I look at old documentaries about it and can imagine how wonderful it would have been to have been swept up in the magic of it. Big wave from Sussex, UK.
Growing up as a teen in a evangelical Christian church in the early 2000s we were not allowed to read/ watch Harry Potter but we were allowed to read/ watch The Lord of the Rings. I’m glad, but go figure! I’ve still never read/ watched the former, but mean to when my son’s old enough to appreciate it with me.
It is such a very difficult call for so many parents, and not just over books or films like Harry Potter. Ultimately I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer. It has to come down to a parent’s conscience and how they can best assess the material.
How pertinent to our conversation on your “From King Arthur to Hogwarts” post! It seems my comment would have been even better suited here.
I don’t begrudge the seemingly puritan strain that cautioned me and others against these books, but I do agree with your sentiment that Christ is reflected in this series in a powerful way. The literary depth is surprising as well (or at least it was for me!)
I would still urge caution to parents: make sure your children understand the difference between Harry Potter fairy tale magic and real life evil occult practices before reading, and if your child is drawn to darkness the imagery and culture of Harry Potter could lead to an interest in something darker (like occult) that Harry Potter isn’t intentionally pointing to but does share some aesthetics with.
But with those cautions I would heartily recommend this series as a charming and worthwhile read!
Hi Austin. Yes, this essay is really an extension of the thoughts behind that one. Thanks for reading and sharing it (I see you've restacked already), and for taking the time to comment. You've read the essay in exactly the spirit I hoped it might be received. There's a surprising amount of depth to the books and you pick up more with each reading. I think JK Rowling, intentionally or not, put a great deal in there for adults as well as children. I've actually just adjusted the ending, to do with the snake Nagini, which you may not have read yet.
Your point about knowing the difference between fictional magic and real world occult practice is a good one. Abhorrent real world black magic, is genuinely dangerous and to be avoided at all costs, and when you read between the lines that is exactly Rowling's point. And you're right about the aesthetics too. But in my view, the themes of truth, loyalty and love shine through so strongly that they throw a bright light on the darker aestheitc, and show it up for what it really is. Nothing more than Halloween dress up that we can all enjoy. Blessings and best wishes Vincent.
Hi Leah. Thank you so much for restacking. I’ve adjusted the end of the essay since you read it and added in a comment about Nagini which you might find interesting. Blessings and best wishes Vincent.
People are prejudiced about what they fear. They won’t even look at it or touch it. Just look at how easily people turned on non-compliant individuals during Covid because of the media’s narrative and fearmongering. Not just that but it became okay to have the police become involved. And even though the threat of the disease was real, it’s also true that much was exaggerated as well. There’s big parallelisms with witch hunting. This is just the modern version. Human reactions are still very much the same. What is deemed “politically correct” is gospel in our day and age, with people forgoing critical thinking. We’ve started thinking in absolutes rather than seeing that there’s nuance in all things. One must judge things on a case-by-case basis.
Circling back to Harry Potter. People see witchcraft and automatically think the worst, instead of seeing that Harry Potter is a fight of good versus evil, it’s just done in a fantasy world, but it teaches us that our choices matter. Throughout the whole series it is always remarked how many similarities Harry has to Voldemort, but his choices were different. He chose to be good and to fight to defend the people he loved. He was sorted into Griffindor because he chose not to be in Slytherin. He also holds the most powerful protection of all: his mother’s love. Love is the ultimate message of these books. Love and friendship triumph over all evils.
Charlotte Mason encourages reading fairy tales that include both good and evil magic. It’s true that as parents we need to teach our children the difference between fairy tales and the occult. Harry Potter is just a modern day fairy tale. I’m excited to read it with my daughter (and other children) as she (they) grows up!
Hi Abby. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I wrestled with this one for a while and it was a useful exercise in examining my own faith. The magic in fairy tales asks children to recognise good and evil, to choose sides, to understand that power without virtue is ruin. That's what fairy tale magic is for.
So.
I am a young Christian (3 years). I am 46. I was witch for 30+ years. And I have SCORES of baptists and KJV-only types tell me incoherently that Harry Potter is BAD and they have not read it. They tell me the magic is REAL.
Uhh. Well it isn't. NONE of it is real. And I was witch and sorcerer for 30 years, so I think I can tell the difference, thanks. Better off being worried about some modern day Christians who misuse the word apostle. Or V for Vendetta, which is a sigil created by a chaos magician, which activates every time you read it. And the ones who cry STAY AWAY xant tell me why Potter is no good but The Hobbit is fine.
Harry Potter follows a hero's journey, which is derived from the Bible.
So... thankyou for writing this. It is just fantasy, and ought to be enjoyed as such.
One of the other commenter pointed out that these works are vital for discipleship. If you exclude them, you have no basis for teaching what is occult and what is not. The Bible is exceedingly clear on the matter in my view, but also I have direct, lived experience where many do not.
Hi Leticia. Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. Regarding your past life, it takes a great deal of courage to speak out about something so private, so publicly.
Your Christian discipleship point is very valid, certainly here in the UK. In 2007, the Church of England arrived at the same conclusion. Church House Publishing – the Church's own official publisher – brought out 'Mixing It Up with Harry Potter', twelve sessions on faith for nine to thirteen-year-olds. The book used scenes from the Harry Potter books where the characters face hard moral choices, and used these as an aid to Christian teaching. The book was commissioned, printed, and sold by the Church itself. Dr George Carey, who was Archbishop of Canterbury for eleven years, described the film as great fun and a serious examination of good and evil. Blessings and best wishes from Sussex.
That's such a positive outcome. I feel that those of us outside the US have a more nuanced view of these things; and that isn't to judge, is simply a cultural difference between us.
I really enjoyed how you connected Harry Potter’s magic with the Bible’s own treatment of miracles, divination and witchcraft. Your point about fear leading people to reject stories without understanding them first was especially thought provoking
Hi Betty. Thank you so much for taking the time to read the essay and your thoughtful comment. Best wisehs from Sussex.
Thank you! Btw I have an idea about it that I wanted to share, can we connect on any social platform like Discord or Insta? where we could chat??
Hi Betty apologies for my late reply, I've only just seen your comment. I've DM'd you via chat. Best wishes Vincent.
This is so well done. Everyone should read this. I was the right age to participate in the original Pottermania, which was its own brand of magic. Can’t wait to read the series with my boys, like I’ve always said, once they’re Harry’s age.
Hi Kali. Thank you for reading and your kind words. I was in my mid thirties when Pottemania was at it’s height, and even now, I look at old documentaries about it and can imagine how wonderful it would have been to have been swept up in the magic of it. Big wave from Sussex, UK.
Growing up as a teen in a evangelical Christian church in the early 2000s we were not allowed to read/ watch Harry Potter but we were allowed to read/ watch The Lord of the Rings. I’m glad, but go figure! I’ve still never read/ watched the former, but mean to when my son’s old enough to appreciate it with me.
It is such a very difficult call for so many parents, and not just over books or films like Harry Potter. Ultimately I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer. It has to come down to a parent’s conscience and how they can best assess the material.
I appreciated every line of this, but was particularly fond of the inclusion of your own personal journey to faith. Such a lovely piece!
Hi Micah. Thank you for your kind words and I am so glad you enjoyed the piece. Best wishes fro Sussex UK.
How pertinent to our conversation on your “From King Arthur to Hogwarts” post! It seems my comment would have been even better suited here.
I don’t begrudge the seemingly puritan strain that cautioned me and others against these books, but I do agree with your sentiment that Christ is reflected in this series in a powerful way. The literary depth is surprising as well (or at least it was for me!)
I would still urge caution to parents: make sure your children understand the difference between Harry Potter fairy tale magic and real life evil occult practices before reading, and if your child is drawn to darkness the imagery and culture of Harry Potter could lead to an interest in something darker (like occult) that Harry Potter isn’t intentionally pointing to but does share some aesthetics with.
But with those cautions I would heartily recommend this series as a charming and worthwhile read!
Hi Austin. Yes, this essay is really an extension of the thoughts behind that one. Thanks for reading and sharing it (I see you've restacked already), and for taking the time to comment. You've read the essay in exactly the spirit I hoped it might be received. There's a surprising amount of depth to the books and you pick up more with each reading. I think JK Rowling, intentionally or not, put a great deal in there for adults as well as children. I've actually just adjusted the ending, to do with the snake Nagini, which you may not have read yet.
Your point about knowing the difference between fictional magic and real world occult practice is a good one. Abhorrent real world black magic, is genuinely dangerous and to be avoided at all costs, and when you read between the lines that is exactly Rowling's point. And you're right about the aesthetics too. But in my view, the themes of truth, loyalty and love shine through so strongly that they throw a bright light on the darker aestheitc, and show it up for what it really is. Nothing more than Halloween dress up that we can all enjoy. Blessings and best wishes Vincent.
Hi Mark. Thank you so much for restacking. Best wishes from Sussex, UK.
Hi Leah. Thank you so much for restacking. I’ve adjusted the end of the essay since you read it and added in a comment about Nagini which you might find interesting. Blessings and best wishes Vincent.
People are prejudiced about what they fear. They won’t even look at it or touch it. Just look at how easily people turned on non-compliant individuals during Covid because of the media’s narrative and fearmongering. Not just that but it became okay to have the police become involved. And even though the threat of the disease was real, it’s also true that much was exaggerated as well. There’s big parallelisms with witch hunting. This is just the modern version. Human reactions are still very much the same. What is deemed “politically correct” is gospel in our day and age, with people forgoing critical thinking. We’ve started thinking in absolutes rather than seeing that there’s nuance in all things. One must judge things on a case-by-case basis.
Circling back to Harry Potter. People see witchcraft and automatically think the worst, instead of seeing that Harry Potter is a fight of good versus evil, it’s just done in a fantasy world, but it teaches us that our choices matter. Throughout the whole series it is always remarked how many similarities Harry has to Voldemort, but his choices were different. He chose to be good and to fight to defend the people he loved. He was sorted into Griffindor because he chose not to be in Slytherin. He also holds the most powerful protection of all: his mother’s love. Love is the ultimate message of these books. Love and friendship triumph over all evils.