Harry Potter...Good or Evil???

I’m sure the hype is just about ready to explode over the 7th and final installment of the Harry Potter Series. I myself am a huge fan and can’t wait until it comes out. But it will be somewhat bittersweet. Regardless of what happens I want to know, but after it is over I’m sure I will be sad. Thinking about Harry Potter, I also think about all the controversy that surrounds it.

It seems like every time one of these books comes out there are people that get attention on the media speaking out against the books on ‘witchcraft’ and ‘sorcery’. I’ve never really liked watching all this. I have opinions on the whole situation…and it doesn’t JUST involve Harry.

Some people forbid their children from reading Harry Potter because they are afraid it will pervert their mind. I think this is the wrong approach. First of all, there are much worse things out there that are REAL that can also pervert minds (and with much greater consequence). So when I hear this argument I can’t help but chuckle inside. I think that all the parent is doing if they forbid their child from reading this is to deny them their right to understand popular culture. And in addition, I think it can actually be damaging to the person. In fact, instead of embracing the fact that they will get exposed to ‘fantasy’ these parents try to isolate their children from it. The way I feel about it is this: If you are ignorant of things that are happening around you, you will not have any defense against those things if they are untrue. In addition, these people get so caught up in keeping people away from this fictional writing that it almost makes them believe that it IS true. I mean, think about it…usually when you avoid telling somebody something, it is because you don’t want them to find out some “hidden truth.” I think this sends the wrong message. It is much more effective to embrace something and go at it from the start by saying that it is fiction and purely for entertainment.

So I said all that to get down to this. It always comes back to parental responsibility. If you think that hiding something from people will keep them from being exposed to it in the world then I think you are just wrong. It is much better to discuss things and fully understand them in order to be able to distinguish between truth and fiction. Also, God gave us all free will. Therefore, parents should try to influence their children in a way they their free decisions are made with the right ideas in mind and sound defenses against things that are false. Ignorance is no way to accomplish this.

One thing that always amazes me is that labels often affect the way people react to situations. For instance, Harry Potter is sometimes thought of as Taboo because it deals directly with sorcery and witchcraft. However, the same people that disapprove of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings do not have any problem with Star Wars or The Chronicles of Narnia (I am a BIG fan of all these). The problem is this: Star Wars does not call their supernatural powers magic, they call is the Force. But there is no philosophical difference between the two. C.S. Lewis writes about magic, witches, and talking animals…yet he is thought of as a Christian writer. So yes, there seems to be a double standard. If the idea of fictional supernatural forces is what scares you, then at least be consistent in your standards of judgment. But as I said earlier, I don’t think forbidding these things is the answer. If you want to be a good influence then teach that these things are simply fiction and not real, and then go on with life. If not, you are setting up for a hard road when real issues that do need a good defense come about…