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Jaime Hillegonds

Harry Potter and Christianity

EN381

4 November 2014

When Good Wins, God Wins: Harry Potter Novels Tell the Christian Story

In recent and present discussions of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, Christians

argue whether or not reading the controversial novels benefits Christians’ faith. On the one hand,

some argue that the books contain Satanic or occult implications. From this perspective, people

of different religions believe that the books should be boycotted. On the other hand, however,

others argue the books allude to the story of Christ. In the words of John Granger, one of this

view’s main proponents, “I am convinced that the fundamental reason for the astonishing

popularity of the Harry Potter novels is their ability to meet a spiritual longing for some

experience of the truths of life, love, and death taught by Christianity but denied by secular

culture” (2). According to this view, the series follows the story of Christ, attempting to fulfill

the need every human has of desiring Christ. In this essay, I will examine how Rowling’s good

versus evil story causes controversy by discussing the Harry Potter series in the context of other

magical book series; what witchcraft is and how Rowling uses it; how good versus evil stories

are controversial and healthy; and finally the enormity of living with love, a main concept of

Christianity and the Harry Potter novels. In sum, then, the issue is whether the J.K. Rowling

children’s series is sinful for religious people, specifically Christians, to read or beneficial and

meaningful for Christians to read.

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My own view is that the Harry Potter books are beneficial and meaningful for Christians

to read. Though I concede the series contains magical elements that may be classified as

witchcraft by some Christians, I still maintain the story contains elements that help satisfy

people’s longing for Christian ideas about life, love, and death. For example, this essay

examines, in depth, the differences between Voldemort’s character and Harry Potter’s character.

It analyzes each character’s motives, and it gives evidence to support why a good versus evil

story is beneficial for Christians to read. Although some might object that the magical elements

in the books go directly against what the Bible says about not engaging in witchcraft, I would

reply that reading about magic does not equate to practicing witchcraft. I would also reply that

the magic used in the Harry Potter books is not the sorcery the Bible teaches against. The issue is

important because the Harry Potter series is the most popular book series in the world, and

children and adults everywhere want to read it, but religious people struggle with whether it is

moral to read or not.

Harry Potter and other magical classics

The backlash and conflict that J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series receives is

surprising, considering two magical series that follow similar themes and promote symbolism are

held so highly in the Christian community. Both J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and

C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series contain elements of magic and Christian symbolism, just

like Rowling’s books do. What is the difference between J.K. Rowling’s works and J.R.R.

Tolkien’s and C.S. Lewis’?

One argument as to why the Harry Potter series differs from the Lord of the Rings series

or the Chronicles of Narnia, presented by an article from ChristianAnswers.net, stated that in the

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Narnia and Lord of the Rings series, the line between good and evil is black and white, while in

Harry Potter, the author claimed, “the line is not so clear” (“Is the ‘Harry Potter’ series truly

harmless?”). I, however, disagree. I can see where the author is coming from when he or she

implies that the Harry Potter series leaves a little more gray area when it comes to right and

wrong than the other two series, but those gray areas are good because they are realistic. The

gray areas, the muddy moments, are what make the Harry Potter books even more relatable and

beneficial to the Christian walk and to sharing the Great Story; they do not make the Harry Potter

books less relatable and beneficial. Good and evil and right and wrong are not black and white in

real life; good and evil and right and wrong overlap and blend into gray, so why is gray area in

books bad? I am of the opinion that gray area is not bad. It is realistic and relatable.

Some say that J.K. Rowling’s books and C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien’s books differ

when examining the intentions of the authors. Danielle Tumminio, author of God and Harry

Potter at Yale, is quoted in Marrapodi’s blog as saying, “‘It feels to me that (Rowling) is not a

Christian writer in the style of C.S. Lewis, showing them how great Christianity is, to get them to

convert….’ The books are, ‘not for the purpose of creating other Christians’” (“Harry Potter was

a Good Christian?”). While I think that even though J.K. Rowling’s main goal of the Harry

Potter Books was not necessarily to convert people to Christianity, it does not mean certain

Christian aspects of the stories were unintentional. Nor does it mean that the good versus evil

story cannot be used to further the kingdom of God.

In “The Trouble with Harry,” John Andrew Murray suggested:

“Despite superficial similarities, Rowling’s and Lewis’ worlds are as far apart as east is

from the west. Rowling’s work invites children to a world where witchcraft is ‘neutral’

and where authority is determined solely by one’s cleverness. Lewis invites readers to a

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world where God’s authority is not only recognized, but celebrated – a world that

resounds with His goodness and care.”

Simply defining and explaining witchcraft and the type of magic Rowling uses in her books can

refute this claim. Also, I acknowledge there are differences between the intentions of Lewis and

Rowling in their purposes for their stories. That, however, does not take away the fact that

Rowling’s books allude to Christianity in many ways that will be addressed in the following

pages. The Salt Lake Tribune printed an article entitled “Harry Potter Readers Say Christian

Right is Wrong,” and the article presented the idea that “Rowling’s books are not so much anti-

Christian as they are fully Christian, drawing on the legacy of fellow British writers C.S. Lewis

and J.R.R. Tolkien, whose popular children’s tales about the magical lands of Narnia and Middle

Earth were written as Christian allegory.”

Invocational and incantational magic

In discussions of whether or not Harry Potter is okay, or even beneficial, for Christians to

read, one controversial issue is the presence of witchcraft in the stories. On the one hand, Berit

Kjos, in his article “Bewitched by Harry Potter,” argues that reading the Harry Potter books

opens the door to practicing witchcraft and other occult traditions. One woman who wrote for

LifeSiteNews.com agreed, even going as far as saying, “The supernatural is entirely demonic.”

The author of the ChristianAnswers.net article claimed, “God is clear in Scripture that any

practice of magic is an ‘abomination’ to him” (“Is the ‘Harry Potter’ series truly harmless?”).

The people who believe these claims use verses from the Bible to back up their argument, like

Galations 5:19-21: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity,

sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions,

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divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before,

that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

To refute these arguments, John Granger, in Looking for God in Harry Potter, clarifies

between the magic that God warns against in the Bible and magic that can be used to enlighten

human’s materialistic, limited minds. Along with these differences in magic by definition,

Rowling said, CNN reported:

“‘I absolutely did not start writing these books to encourage any child into witchcraft,’

she says with an uncomfortable chuckle. ‘I’m laughing slightly because to me, the idea is

absurd…. I have met thousands of children now, and not even one time has a child come

up to me and said, ‘Ms. Rowling, I’m so glad I’ve read these books because now I want

to be a witch.’ They see it for what it is,’ she emphasized. ‘It is a fantasy world and they

understand that completely’” (“Success of Harry Potter bowls author over”).

She even added, “I don’t believe in magic, either,” she said, according to the same article. If

Rowling does not believe in magic and she did not intend to bring children to witchcraft, it is a

stretch to jump to the conclusion that children are misreading her intentions without

overanalyzing the books or taking the magic out of context.

Granger contends that, because of the difference between “invocational” magic and

“incantational” magic, Rowling only writes about incantational magic, not the witchcraft magic

of calling down demons that the Bible forbids (4). Invocational magic, or the magic of calling

down spirits, can also be referred to as “sorcery” (4). Many pieces of literature, specifically the

Bible and Dr. Faustus, indicate that messing with sorcery typically ends badly for the one

wanting the power sorcery promises to give. This type of magic is not present in any of the Harry

Potter books.

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Incantational magic, however, is the type of magic Rowling writes about in her novels.

This magic, according to Granger, “is about harmonizing with God’s Word by imitation” (7). He

came to that conclusion by looking at the Harry Potter world in a non-naturalistic way. He said,

“The magic by spells and wands requires that we understand our world as a created world

dependent for its existence on God’s creative Word” (9). This means, at least to Granger, that

because incantational magic forces readers to look at the world in a new, non-materialistic way,

“the books lay the foundation not for occult practices but for a traditional understanding of the

spiritual life” (9).

Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware, talking about J.R.R. Tolkien in their book “Finding God in

the Lord of the Rings” said, “Fantasy, as [Tolkien] understood it, is, in its highest and purest

form, a place where art, theology, and primal human desire meet and intersect…. For the

Christian this can mean only one thing: Fantasy is a place where we can come face to face with

Christ” (Neal xiii). With fantasy, Christians can look at the world outside of their own

materialistic minds. This allows them to better understand God as a God of Love outside of the

limitations the materialistic, worldly minds they are often limited by. Granger also points out that

the Bible says nothing against reading literature that contains occult elements (3).

A final criticism of the magical elements in the Harry Potter series is mentioned in

McAvan’s essay. She suggested the Harry Potter series is not necessarily an occult, “but…it

opens the way for the occult” (105). This criticism, however, is invalid because the series does

just the opposite of opening the way for the occult. The series, if anything, hinders the growth of

the occult by making children and adult readers aware of the temptations and enforces the idea of

consistently choosing good over evil no matter the cost.

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Controversy in good versus evil

Besides the differences between incantational magic and invocational magic, it is

important to realize that, just because a presumably immoral or unsafe concept goes against

someone’s beliefs, it does not mean books about those topics need to be boycotted. In fact,

writing about controversial and deep topics is necessary and beneficial for people, particularly

Christians, to grow academically, emotionally, and spiritually. Em McAvan, in “Harry Potter

and the Occult,” added, “There is no real Harry potter engaged in witchcraft, no children casting

spells or engaging necromancers. One could, perhaps, just as easily call for the banning of

Hamlet on the grounds of his consulting with spirits. Or, to take it to its logical conclusion, call

for the ban of any text representing murder, given the obvious ‘though shalt not kill’ prohibition

in Exodus 20:13” (101).

The standard way of thinking about the Harry Potter series is it is a story about good

versus evil. At its very core, according to Granger, the series is about Gryffindor, which means

golden griffin – sometimes used as a Christ symbol, triumphing over Slytherin, which is

represented by a snake – usually used as a symbol of the Devil, in each individual Harry Potter

book. The two houses’ descendants continue on the battle of good (Gryffindor) verses evil

(Slytherin) until Harry Potter ultimately defeats Slytherin’s most powerful descendent,

Voldemort. Granger said this “conflict…is consistent with the Christian view of the world as a

battleground in the cosmic war between good and evil” (22). This type of good versus evil story

is beneficial for Christians to read. In fact, Baylor University’s Perry Glazer goes even further to

say that this type of good versus evil story is necessary for people, particularly Christians, to

read. He said, “Children need more than a set of virtues to emulate, values to choose, rules to

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obey, or even some higher form of reasoning to attain. They long to be part of a cosmic struggle

between good and evil, and that’s why children want to read Harry Potter” (Granger 22).

Granger added, “The books satisfy and support our [adults and children alike] God-implanted

longing to resist evil and serve the good” (22).

Going along with the idea of a “God-implanted longing,” Granger said the Harry Potter

books fulfill a deep desire inside of all humans for the redeeming story of Christ. He states,

“These stories resonate with the Great Story for which we all are designed…. As images of God

designed for life in Christ, all humans naturally resonate with stories that reflect the greatest

story ever told – the story of God who became man” (xix). Reading the Harry Potter novels is,

according to Granger, “spiritual nourishment” for Christians and, I think, non-Christians “in the

form of edifying, imaginative experience of life in Christ” (xix). Not only is the Harry Potter

series nourishing for souls, it is entertaining to read, as long as readers understand the difference

between reality and fantasy. Even further, as Connie Neal suggested in The Gospel According to

Harry Potter, “Not only can we enjoy the story itself, we can go on to share what it means to us,

what it reminds us of, and what that makes us think about in other stories and in real life” (viii).

Reading Harry Potter enhances Christians’ faith, and non-Christians’ souls, because it leads to

thoughts about satisfaction through Jesus’ perfect story of redemption in a way that is unforceful

and entertaining.

J.K. Rowling clearly advocates for good rather than evil, but she does acknowledge that

evil can be an enticing choice for characters in the books to make. For example, in Harry Potter

and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Voldemort says to Harry, “See what I have become?” the face said.

“Mere shadow and vapor…I have form only when I can share another’s body…but there have

always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds” (293). For Harry and the rest of

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the wizards in the wizard world, choosing between good and evil – Gryffindor and Slytherin,

love and selfishness, Harry Potter and Voldemort – becomes a battle for the heart and mind, Neal

proposed (47). Quirrell was one of the characters who chose evil over good because of the power

temptation. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, he said:

“‘[Voldemort] is with me wherever I go; I met him when I traveled around the world. A

foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord

Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is not good and evil, there is only power,

and those too weak to seek it…. Since then, I have served him faithfully’” (291).

Just as the Bible instructs Christians to keep away from the Devil, the wizards, especially

Harry, need to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). One reason people may

be tempted to choose evil or Slytherin or Voldemort over good or Gryffindor or Harry Potter is

the power and success that seemingly comes with evil. For example, as Voldemort rises to

power, people choose to return to him because of the power they think he will attain as he

defeats good wizards. On a more basic level, one reason Slytherin is tempting to students, as it

was offered to Harry, is because of the power that Slytherin members gain. Specifically, in Harry

Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, throughout most of the book, Slytherin is on top in house points,

but after Harry and his friends fought against evil, Gryffindor rose victorious at the last minute

(306). The Bible teaches this as well. Neal observed, “[Christians are called to act like Harry and

his friends did and to keep focused on fighting evil, even if it seems like evil is winning” (49).

Harry emerges as a leader of this battle because of his survival to Voldemort’s direct attack.

Hagrid tells Harry that his survival is due to “the strange power that saved his life” as Kjos

described. The “powerful, evil curse” that touched Harry “didn’t work on” the young wizard,

“and that’s why [he is] famous…. No one ever lived after [Voldemort] decided ter kill ‘em, no

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one except” Harry (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 55). Harry’s seeming immunity, or at

least resistance, to Voldemort’s influence makes him an ideal candidate for leading the battle.

The Harry Potter books are not any different than most novels written. They follow the

same format within the series as well as with other noted novels, and the books focus on the

global theme of the search for victorious love.

The Harry Potter books are laid out according to a formula repeated in each story. This

formula, used in stories from ancient epics to modern adventure novels, is known by

many different names and has been attributed many different meanings. As it is used in

the Harry Potter books, the formula is a snapshot of the innate human hope that love

conquers death and that we will rise from the dead in a resurrection made possible by and

in Christ (Granger 23).

Granger continued on, pointing out a pattern he noticed in the first six books of the series.

This pattern or formula is similar to the structure Odysseus, Aeneas, and Dante used in their

works of literature that have stood the test of time (Granger 25). “The Harry Potter formula”

begins with Harry suffering at the Dursley’s house. It moves to him escaping from the Dursley’s

to a magical place of safety. Then the mystery is introduced, closely followed by the crisis. After

the crisis, comes the descent Harry takes in an attempt to defeat the crisis. In the combat, Harry

encounters darkness whether in facing Voldemort himself or one of his servants. Then appears a

Christ symbol – for example, the phoenix and his song – that saves Harry from the figurative

death he is about to die and returns him to “normalcy.” Finally, Harry experiences a revelation

concerning what side of good and evil people in his life truly are on. The first five books finish

with Harry on Platform 9 ¾, and the sixth book ends with him at Dumbledore’s funeral (24-25).

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While most of the series follows this formula, that does not mean the books are any less

meaningful or well written. In fact, Granger mentioned a key difference that separates the books

from even the noted works they are similar to: in books such as Dante’s Inferno, the heroes face

trials, overcome them, and return home. In Harry Potter, however, Harry continuously “dies…

figurative death[s]” (26). Granger gave a complete list on pages 26-27 of his book Looking for

God in Harry Potter, but a notable example would be when a dementor kisses Harry in Prisoner

of Azkaban. “A pair of strong, clammy hands suddenly attached themselves around Harry’s neck.

They were forcing his face upward….He could feel its putrid breath….His mother was

screaming in his ears….She was going to be the last thing he ever heard…. [After the dementor

released him, Harry] felt the last of his strength leave him, and his head hit the ground” (Rowling

384-385).

Following suit, an additional example of one of Harry’s figurative deaths in the first six

books is when Voldemort uses Harry’s scar to communicate with Harry to the point of almost

destroying Harry. Order of the Phoenix words it like this, “And then Harry’s scar burst open. He

knew he was dead: it was pain beyond imagining, pain past endurance” (Rowling 815).

Life with and without love

Rowling then, after figuratively killing Harry in the first six books, resurrects him, every

time. These resurrections, however, cannot be explained by luck or by Harry’s courage or skill.

Harry, as Granger said, “never saves himself but is always saved by a symbol of Christ or by

love” (Granger 27). In the first example mentioned above, the white stag Patronus saves Harry.

In the second example, his own love for his godfather, Sirius Black, saves him. Granger summed

up the structure of the Harry Potter stories with two points. One, he mentioned that Harry’s

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movement through death and then resurrection represents hope for Christians: “death is followed

by resurrection in Christ” (27). The second point Granger said is an answer to human’s main

problem, which is death. He pointed out, “The answer these stories offer to the ultimate human

problem – death – is always love or a symbol of Love himself, Jesus Christ” (27).

Along with the themes of death and resurrection, the books also examine the idea of

searching for victorious love. In each novel, Harry learns a little bit more about what successful

love is supposed to look like. He also learns a little bit more in each novel how far Voldemort is

from understanding love and its power (Granger 64). The main theme running through each

individual book and through the series as a whole is, as Granger insisted, “love triumphing

death” (64). In the very first novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry learns that love

is what saved him and love is what will always save him. Dumbledore said to him,

“Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand it is

love. He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own

mark. Not a scar, no visible sign…to have been loved so deeply, even though the person

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who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever…. It was agony to touch a

person marked by something so good” (Chapter 17).

This emphasis of love, specifically sacrificial love, having so much power stems from J.K.

Rowling’s past – the loss of her mother and her belief that “the love of those departed…

continues to protect us even in their absence” (Granger 65). Connie Neal reaffirmed by saying,

“As Lily potter’s act of self-sacrificial love saved Harry from the curse of death and made it so

that the evil one could not touch him, the Bible says that those who are born of God through faith

in the self-sacrificial death of Christ have a special protection” (48). 1 John 5 acknowledges that

the world is under the control of the Devil, but “the one who was born of God protects them, and

the evil one does not touch them” (1 John 5:18-19). This reoccurring theme in the Harry Potter

books points readers to the same reoccurring theme in the Great Story. This same idea is

reaffirmed in Prisoner of Azkaban when Dumbledore tells Harry that those loved ones who die

before us do not ever leave us completely. This, as Granger observed, correlates with Hebrews

12:1 when Paul mentions the saints as “a ‘cloud of witnesses’ ever encompassing those joined

with him in his church” (66). Dumbledore, in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, dies a

noble death, demonstrating sacrificial love even in loss. Granger agreed. He said, “Albus

Dumbledore’s death is a loving, fearless, sacrificial death that testifies to life” (69). This

demonstration of how to die gracefully and sacrificially gives Harry an example of how to

evaluate his own coming choice of life or death that comes to a head in the final chapters of the

series. Dumbledore’s death demonstrates that “death is not the end, that a soulless existence is

worth than death, and that death can be transcended by love and the bond of blood” (69).

This leads in to a core difference between Harry and Voldemort. Harry’s conviction that

worse things can happen than dying differs strongly from Voldemort’s fear of death. Voldemort

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is so afraid of death that he does everything he can to stop death from happening, but he ends up

missing on the best things of living, including love. This fear of Voldemort’s actually stems from

J.K. Rowling’s fear of death, Pamela Ingleton suggested in her “‘Neither Can Live while the

Other Survives’: Harry Potter and the Extratextual (After)life of J.K. Rowling” essay (176). The

main example of Voldemort’s, and Rowling’s, fear is put into text in the fourth novel. Voldemort

said in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, “You know my goal – to conquer death” (Chapter

33). He added, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, an intense call to Dumbledore in

chapter 36, “There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!” Dumbledore responds with,

“Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been

your greatest weakness – ” (814).

Voldemort even further demonstrates his intense fear of dying by creating the Horcruxes.

This splitting of his soul, however, prohibits Voldemort from ever acquiring love. This fear of

death is Voldemort’s downfall because it prevented him from ever truly living and accepting and

giving love. Granger supported the idea of Voldemort’s fear of death being his downfall by

saying, “Such a self-focused, unloving existence ironically separates him from the love of others

and ultimately from love himself, who is our life and hope of a genuine immortality. Fleeing a

human death, Voldmort becomes its nonliving, inhuman incarnation” (70). Rowling, however,

contradicts this belief, despite her own fear of physical death. Em McAvan, in her essay entitled

“Harry Potter and the Origins of the Occult” asserted, “Rowling consistently underlines the

immortality of Voldemort’s magic, which extends his life and power at the expense of

innumerable others, and which instrumentalizes people free of love and kindness” (101).

More evidence from Rowling that life without love is worse than physical death is given

through the dementors present mostly in the fourth book but play roles in the following books as

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well. The dementors are described “as soulless and evil creatures that [suck] every good feeling

and happy memory out of those they came near, leaving those under their influence too long with

nothing but memories of the worst experiences of their lives” (Neal 145). While experiencing

that sucking is horrible, getting “kissed” by a dementor is worse. When a dementor kisses

someone, the person is still physically alive, but his or her soul has been removed. After a

dementor kisses Barty Crouch in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry realizes that the kiss

of a dementor is worse than physical death. He says, “He knew what the dementor must have

done. It had administered its fatal kiss to Barty Crouch. It had sucked his soul out through his

mouth. He was worse than dead” (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 145). This correlates with

the Bible’s teaching that the soul is of utmost importance. In fact, Mark 8:36-37 says, “What

good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in

exchange for his soul?” Jesus also said that losing the soul is worse than physically dying. He

said in Matthew 10:28, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”

Harry, however, is different. He knows worse things can happen than death. Granger

answered the question of “What can be worse than death?” with this answer: “A selfish life

without truth, love, and beauty – a life on the Dark Side, chosen in fear of physical death, a life

that is not really life at all” (71). This fight between life as being physically alive and life as

being loved and loving comes to a head in the seventh book of the series. Rowling portrays the

people who believe that life is simply having a heartbeat as evil, and she portrays the people who

believe that life is love as good. This supports Romans 8:6 which says, “For to be carnally

minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Harry and his followers, by

focusing on love, are being spiritually minded and, therefore, are demonstrating a spiritual

mindset is the best way to live. Granger agreed, “Harry (like Saint Paul) knows that physical

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death is not the greatest evil; living a soulless existence in fear of death is the truth death of the

human spirit and the greater evil” (71).

Rowling does not deny that the absence of love is worse than the absence of life. She

exemplifies this through Dumbledore’s words to Harry in Harry Potter and the Order of the

Phoenix.

“’There is a room in the Department of Mysteries,’ interrupted Dumbledore, ‘that is kept

locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible

than death, than human intelligence, than forces of nature. It is also, perhaps, the most

mysterious of the many subjects for study that reside there. It is the power held within

that room that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has not at all. That

power took you to save Sirius tonight. That power saved you from possession by

Voldemort, because he could not bear to reside in a body o full of the force that he

detests. In the end, it mattered not that you could not close your mind. It was your heart

that saved you” (Chapter 37).

This idea of love conquering death goes back to the Great Story that Granger talked about. “The

purpose of the incarnation of God was to destroy death by death” (Granger 74). Jesus came to

earth to die and tear the temple veil, which correlates with the veil in the Ministry of Magic that

Sirius falls through. Granger mentioned Matthew 27:51. He said, “With [Jesus’] death ‘the veil

of the temple was rent,’ literally speaking.., and he opened for us passage to eternal life with him

in God’s eternal glory (also called his love and his mercy)” (74).

This veil is not only linked to the veil torn in the temple when Jesus died, but also to

insinuating that Rowling believes there is, in fact, an afterlife. Luna and Harry, when in the room

with the black veil, see the veil flutter as though it had just been touched, and they hear voices

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coming from behind the veil, even though they do not see anyone. As often stated, usually by

Dumbledore, death is final. The movement and voices that come from behind the veil, however,

give hope to Harry and readers that an afterlife exists (Granger 70).

Living without love is worse than dying a physical death because no love means no hope.

This same concept can be found in the Bible. To successfully live a Christian life, one needs to

love like the love demonstrated in 1 Corinthians 13. “To use Rowling’s language, when we ‘take

refuge in the bond of blood’ – which Christians know as the sacrificial blood of Christ on the

cross – we are fortified in Love himself against death” (Granger 74). Living with love is how we

celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, not by any heroic or good deeds done. Living without love, is

how people earn a separation from God, the God of love. As Granger believed, “This [pseudo

life] apart from God is a death worse than a physical death because it promises an eternity in

darkness outside the glory of God” (74). The only way to avoid hell is to fight against selfishness

and fight for selflessness in love, as demonstrated in the Harry Potter series.

As Granger emphasized, “Harry Potter doesn’t lay out Christian doctrine explicitly, but

Dumbledore comes close” with his words: death, “to the well organized mind is just the next

great adventure” (74). The true death, according to Rowling through Dumbledore, is living

without love, not dying. Death is not the worst thing to happen because death is not the end.

Death is not the end because love conquered death. The Harry Potter books allow readers to be

involved with the Great Story being retold – a story of death losing to love (75).

Motives behind good and bad choices

Harry’s sometimes blatant disregard for rules causes debate as well. Critics are concerned

children will determine that breaking the rules is okay, simply because Harry Potter breaks the

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rules. To combat this argument, I assert that Harry breaks rules when he thinks it is necessary.

Sometimes his judgment is wrong, but he does not break rules intentionally unless he has what

he thinks is a valid reason. WORLD posted an article entitled “More clay than Potter,” and the

author suggested that “Scripture teaches that we as humans are totally depraved but yet, by

God’s sanctifying or common grace, we sometimes choose to do good. Harry, the hero, has

many good qualities. Yet, he is not always a shining example of virtue.” Harry Potter is not

perfect, and he is typically disciplined for his rule-breaking episodes. His rule-breaking can also

be considered part of making good, or bad, choices.

Eric Marrapodi, in his CNN blog post, quoted Georgetown University’s Lauve

Steenhuisen:

“‘The Christian paradigm is that you implore the divine – you await the grace of the

divine – God is in total control. It’s dueling kingdoms,’ she said. ‘In conservative

Christianity there’s two kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. If

(Harry’s) not one side, he’s on the other’” (“Harry Potter was a good Christian?”).

Marrapodi refutes this argument with Danielle Tumminio’s words. Tumminio is the author of

God and Harry Potter at Yale, and she said, “‘I think that Harry lives a life that is in line with the

values Christians line up with. What he grows to be good at is loving others – the fact that he

gives his life for his community, the fact that over and over he makes decisions that are better for

others,’” (“Harry Potter was a good Christian?”).

This is where the theme and Christian idea of choice comes in. The choices people make

define who they are. It’s no different in literature, so it’s no different for Harry. Harry needs to

make two types of choices in each novel. He needs to make choices that identify what kind of

person he is, and he needs to make choices that determine how to get out of the predicaments

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Rowling puts him in (Granger 77). Up until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry

consistently chooses loyalty to those he loves and to what he believes is good over personal gain

(78). For example, as Granger pointed out, Harry chooses to deny the power Slytherin could

bring him when he asks the Sorting Hat to keep him out of that particular house. All he had to do

was communicate his desire:

“Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.

‘Not Slytherin, eh?’ said the small voice. “Are you sure? … Well, if you’re sure – better

be GRYFFINDOR!” (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 121).

Harry also, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, risks his life to Tom Riddle by deciding

to stay loyal to Dumbledore, a man of good. Harry, however, is not perfect, and his wrong

choices do have consequences. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry refuses to

study Occlumency with Severus Snape because of Harry’s own personal dislike for the

professor, and that choice eventually is what leads to Sirius’ death (78).

These choices are choices Harry makes internally, but they go right along with the

outward life and death choices Harry makes in each book. As Granger put it, “Each choice

occurs as the result of a crisis in which Harry must choose between what is safe and easy for him

versus resisting evil at the risk of his life” (78-79). The choices are very matter of fact in the first

books, but as the series goes on, the internal and life or death choices become more entangled

and complicated. Paula Marantz Cohen claims that this format is intentional to the characters’

personalities, age, and maturity. She said, “Being children, the characters were not called upon to

analyze complex moral issues. Even toward the end of the series, when Harry learns things about

people he thought he knew, moral complexity is a revelation rather than a given.” For example,

in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry chooses to go past Fluffy, the three-headed dog,

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because he knows he needs to keep the Stone from evil. In the next book, Harry knows the good

thing to do would be to find Ginny in the chamber of secrets, and he stays to fight Tom Riddle

there as well. It gets more complicated in later books like Harry Potter and the Order of the

Phoenix when Harry sees, through the connection with his scar to Voldemort, that Sirius is being

tortured, and Harry goes to him even though Sirius is captured by Death Eaters. Harry, most of

the time, chooses what is “right over what is easy,” which is exactly what Dumbledore tells him

to do (Granger 80).

It seems as though Harry, as he grows older, finds the choices he encounters to become

more complicated, and it’s easier to choose the wrong thing because right and wrong isn’t as

clear anymore. His choices, however, are overall good, and this can be seen in the way his good

choices implement good changes in his character. First, Harry goes from an abused, seemingly

unknown orphan in the first book to the hero of the darkest battle to ever grace wizard history in

the seventh book. This happens “through his heroic choices, in which he chooses the good over

his personal gain” (Granger 83). A more specific example, as Granger mentioned, takes place in

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Harry, at the beginning of the book, is literally locked

into his room at the Dursley’s, making him a prisoner. Throughout the book, he chooses to shed

the pity he has for himself and chooses instead to save Ginny from her captivity by Voldemort

and the Chamber of Secrets (83). The most noted example, however, takes place in the following

book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Harry, at the start of the novel, blows up

his Aunt Marge because he does not have the self-control he needs to keep his anger in check.

By the end of the novel though, Harry not only abstains from resorting to violence with

Pettigrew, but he also puts himself in the risk of peril in order to save Wormtail’s life (84). He

also learns to choose to ignore gossip about himself in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by

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eventually accepting that he is not who some people say he is (84-85). Harry, as the novels

continue and as he grows older, continues to make hard choices like choosing to remain loyal to

Dumbledore despite rumors about the man (85).

Harry, however, is not the only character in the books making choices. Neal points out

growth and good choices in characters such as Ron and Dobby transforming throughout the

books, choosing selflessness and bravery over safety. Even in the first novel, eleven-year-old

Ron sacrifices himself to save the stone from Voldemort:

“Yes…” said Ron softly, “it’s the only way…I have got to be taken.”

“NO!” Harry and Hermione shouted.

“That’s chess!” snapped Ron. “You’ve got to make some sacrifices!” (Harry Potter and

the Sorcerer’s Stone 283).

In the following novel, Dobby the House Elf tries over and over to get Harry to leave

Hogwarts, but eventually Dobby comprehends that “Harry Potter risks his own life for his

friends,” as Dobby “moans” on page 179 of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. As the

books go on, both Ron and Dobby grow into even stronger choice-makers. Ron’s most

prominent change comes in the seventh and final book. He, acting selfishly, leaves Hermione

and Harry in their search for Horcruxes because he is jealous. Eventually though, after he has

time to realize his misunderstanding and selfishness, he returns to the search. As discipline for

his selfishness, Ron missed out on Harry and Hermione’s growing heroism and their deepening

friendship, but after all is reconciled, he gains Hermione’s passion and love as well as delivers

Harry to the sword of Gryffindor.

Dobby, starting as a timid and obedient house elf in book two, through encouragement

from his friends and a series of independent, good choices transforms into a brave hero. In Harry

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Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Dobby once again proves his loyalty to those he loves and his

small concern for himself by throwing himself in front of Harry, taking a knife in the chest.

Dobby demonstrates one of the most selfless and courageous acts in the entire series.

While making good choices is an important part of Christianity, good deeds and heroic

actions are not the core of what Christianity teaches. The same goes for the Harry Potter books.

While making good choices is an important part of a person’s character in the series, making

good choices is not the core of what J.K. Rowling wants to drive home. This is shown in the way

that Harry sometimes makes the wrong or the selfish choice – choosing his hatred of Snape over

taking Occlumency lessons, which is a choice that results in Sirius’ death. Rowling sets the

example that bad choices result in bad consequences, but she does not stop there. She keeps

going to say that bad choices result in bad consequences yet people’s mistakes can be, and are,

forgiven. Rowling teaches redemption, and redemption is at the core of the love of Jesus Christ’s

sacrifice.

In conclusion, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series delivers a strong advocacy for the Great

Story all people long to know and understand, and every human, Christian or non, benefits from

becoming immersed in this story of good versus evil and love continuously vanquishing evil.

While she differs from J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis in her main intention for writing

her books, Rowling does successfully write a series that positively portrays main ideas of

Christianity. Readers cannot comprehensively observe or understand these Christian ideas and

themes until the main argument against the books is refuted. Witchcraft and the occult is what

causes most religious people to turn their backs on the Harry Potter books, but once they

understand that the magic in Harry Potter is not the sorcery they assume it is, readers can begin

to comprehensively observe and understand the Christian themes in the stories.

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One of these themes, in fact, stems from the magic present in the stories. With

incantational magic, readers are able to look with a different perspective at reality, which is

helpful in escaping from humans’ often-materialistic worldviews.

More themes, once readers understand that the magic is not satanic, begin to appear, as

readers understand that the stereotypical sorcery magic is nonexistent in the books. This allows

readers to pick up on a few of the overall themes in the series. For example, the battle between

good and evil drives the entire series from the first page of the first book to the last page of the

last book. Reading the Harry Potter series is beneficial for people, including Christians, to read

in regard to good versus evil because the theme sets an example for first, how tough finding the

good can be and how easy it sometimes is to choose evil and second, how the books help fulfill a

desire every person has to see good triumph over evil.

Also, because the good triumphing over evil plot is one that humans need, the Harry

Potter books can nourish souls and, even further, act as a witness for what a successful Christian

life is supposed to look like. Even just examining the character of Harry Potter, readers learn that

even those with the best intentions and the purest of hearts fail sometimes. Readers learn that

love and good always win, despite sometimes looking like the weaklings. Readers learn that

choices are what define a person, and sometimes the wrong choice will be made, resulting in

consequences. These wrong choices are always redeemable though – just like through Jesus

Christ redeemed us on the cross and through his resurrection. Readers learn that no one has to be

good on their own because help will always come to those who ask for it, as Albus Dumbldore is

known for saying. Readers learn that leadership requires bravery and humility. Overall, readers

learn that good wins, and that, once the allegory is interpreted, God wins.

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Works Cited

Elliott, Belinda. "Harry Potter: Harmless Christian Novel or Doorway to the Occult?" CBN.com.

Christian Broadcasting Network, n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.

Granger, John. Looking for God in Harry Potter. Wheaton, IL: SaltRiver, 2004. Print.

Hallett, Cynthia J., and Peggy J. Huey. J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter. Houndmills, Basingstoke,

Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print.

"The Harry Potter Controversy: Research Resources." Apologetics Index. N.p., 21 June 2003. Web. 30

Sept. 2014.

"Is the "Harry Potter..." Series Truly Harmless?" ChristianAnswers.net. Christian Answers Network,

n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2014.

Kim, Marion. "Finding God in Harry Potter." The Christian Post. The Christian Post, 16 July 2005.

Web. 29 Sept. 2014.

Kjos, Berit. "Bewitched by Harry Potter." Kjos Ministries. N.p., 1999. Web. 9 Sept. 2014.

Marrapodi, Eric. "Harry Potter Was a Good Christian?" CNN Belief Blog. CNN, 28 Dec. 2010. Web.

30 Sept. 2014.

"More Clay than Potter." WORLD. World News Group, 30 Oct. 1999. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.

Neal, C. W. What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter? Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook, 2001.

Print.

Oprah. "Oprah Interviews J.K. Rowling Full Video." YouTube. Rowling Archives, 24 July 2013. Web.

18 Sept. 2014.

Prinzi, Travis, John Granger, Colin Manlove, Amy H. Sturgis, James W. Thomas, Danielle Tumminio,

Karen Kebarle, David Jones, and Gwendolyn Limbach. Hog's Head Conversations: Essays on

Harry Potter. Allentown, PA: Zossima, 2009. Print.

Tumminio, Danielle Elizabeth. God and Harry Potter at Yale: Teaching Faith and Fantasy Fiction in

an Ivy League Classroom. S.l.: Unlocking, 2010. Print.

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