Call me when Harry Potter can take on a Balrog.
Posted on 11/29/2001 4:10:16 AM PST by Aquinasfan
In the last two months of this year, two of the most eagerly anticipted movies of 2001 will hit theaters. Both are the first in a projected series of films, adapted from the first volumes of two popular series of books written by British authors who go by their initials. Both series, and both films, deal with magic and wizardry. The authors, of course, are J. K. Rowling and J. R. R. Tolkien; and the films are Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and The Fellowship of the Ring. The former, due in November, is the first of what will surely be a number of films based upon Rowling’s projected series of seven Harry Potter books; and the latter, coming Christmas, is the first of Peter Jackson’s series of three films based on Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, slated for consecutive Christmas releases from 2001 to 2003.
Among many Christians, the coming of these two films is a herald of renewed debate. On the one hand, the works of Tolkien have been almost universally embraced by literate Christians, who have long recognized the richness and beauty of Tolkien’s Middle-earth as well as the profound influence of Tolkien’s Christian and Catholic faith upon the shape of his imaginary world. Christian fans of Tolkien also tend to be fans of C. S. Lewis, whose seven-volume series The Chronicles of Narnia is also a work of Christian imagination that involves magic and wizardry. The Harry Potter books, on the other hand, have met with decidedly mixed reactions among Christian readers. In both Catholic and Protestant circles, some have enthusiastically embraced Rowling’s popular series, at times even explicitly making comparisons to Tolkien and Lewis (at least as regards the use of magic and wizardry). Others, however, have attacked the young hero of Rowling’s series as a veritable poster child for the occult.
The quality of the discussion hit its lowest point with the advent of an ever-spreading email campaign based on facetious statements in a satirical essay in the Onion.com, a humor website. That essay, complete with made-up “quotes” from Rowling and her young readers (advocating the Church of Satan and mocking the death of Christ), has been mistakenly distributed as genuine reportage by innumerable Christians, achieving urban legend status. But even relatively sober arguments on the subject have too often been superficial, relying on guilt — or innocence — by association.
There’s something about Harry
Before plunging into the moral debate over the magic of Harry Potter, it’s worth noting that, in general terms, the Harry Potter stories have real merit as literature and entertainment, and perhaps social and moral merits as well (along with some moral drawbacks). They are well-written, lively, exciting, and quite funny, with vividly imagined creations and engaging characterizations. Moreover, although highly fantastical and imaginative, Rowling’s narratives are packed with knowledgable allusions and references to historical myths, legends, superstitions, and so forth, so seamlessly woven into the fabric of the narratives that even literate adults may not catch them all. Tie-in books with names like The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter offer readers insight into the cultural backgrounds of many elements in Rowling’s stories, potentially turning an exercise in entertainment and diversion into a genuine learning experience.
On a moral level, the Harry Potter books offer villains who are utterly odious and despicable, and protagonists who are, if not quite charitable or forbearing, at least brave and loyal. Courage and loyalty are, in fact, significant themes in the books, along with the evils of prejudice and oppression. Best of all, there are wise and competent adult authority-figures, especially brilliant and commanding Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, who inspires boundless confidence as being always in control of the situation, who virtually never makes a mistake, and whom no one can for long have at a disadvantage. (On the other hand, the series takes too long for my taste to get around to pointing out the problem of Harry’s repeated failures to avert potential disasters by not seeking help from Dumbledore as soon as possible.) And what of Harry himself? He’s a decent enough and likable fellow, with nothing of the bully or troublemaker in him. He’s not one to make an enemy — though, should someone make an enemy of him, Harry will make war on that person with every weapon at his disposal. The notion of turning the other cheek or using a soft answer to turn away wrath is completely foreign here; and even the more sober voices, such as that of his friend Hermione (whom Rowling has said of all her characters most resembles herself), generally caution Harry on purely prudential grounds, not moral ones. One aspect of the Harry Potter books that has raised some moral concern is the recurring theme of rule-breaking. Like many young children, Harry and his friends break a lot of rules (“about fifty,” Hermione figures at one point, and Dumbledore elsewhere reckons their transgressions at twice that number). Sometimes Harry is legitimately driven by necessity to break a rule; other times it’s only because he feels like it. Sometimes he is caught, sometimes not; sometimes he is punished, sometimes not. At first glance, this may seem like mere honest storytelling, depicting a typically imperfect young boy whose behavior sometimes leaves a bit to be desired. Yet closer examination reveals that Harry and his friends are only ever really punished for breaking rules when they’re caught by one of the nasty authority figures, particularly spiteful Professor Snape. When it’s one of the benevolent authority figures, such as genial Dumbledore, or even stern Professor McGonagall, there are no real consequences for breaking any number of rules, because Harry’s heart is in the right place, or because he is a boy of destiny, or something like that.
Another area of concern for some are the dark, scary, or grotesque elements in these stories: the Dementors, dreadful creatures almost as horrifying as Tolkien’s Nazgûl; a spell gone awry that leaves one of Harry’s friends coughing and choking on slugs issuing from his throat; a school washroom toilet apparently haunted by the ghost of a dead student; disembodied voices breathing murderous threats; anthropomorphic mandrake roots that look and scream like living human babies but may be transplanted or destroyed at will by teachers and students; and many others.
Taken altogether, it seems fair to say the Harry Potter stories are something of a mixed bag, with some genuinely worthwhile elements and some legitimate points of concern. Of course, for many parents who have children that love the books or who want to read them, the question may be not so much “Is this the best possible book my child could ever read?” as “Is this all right for my child to read? Or must I forbid it?”...
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Don't remember any from my high school, well maybe a few rhyming words. But when I was in 10th grade (I'm older than you BTW) a group of us got into ESP, and did some exploring into the occult. We went along with a lot of curiosity until one Halloween night when we held a seance. Coincidence or not (and I think not) some spooky things happened. It scared us silly. That spring several local churches experienced simultaneosly (and independently) a revival among the youth.
I worked with a summer youth program about five years ago. One of the students in the program said she was a "witch" - and had some pretty strange practices that disturbed her roommates. The next year my wife's then 16-year-old neice, pregnant at the time relates to my sister-in-law that she is a "wiccan." Both of these were pre Harry Potter.
My point is that kids are curious and they're seeking the meaning of life. I will grant you that a diet of Harry Potter along with the occult, goth, etc., etc. and nothing else to balance that is unhealthy and even dangerous.
But a major key is parental involvement. My son is well aware of our beliefs and is well aware that the Potter books are fantasy. Because he's read them now and clearly views them as what they are - make believe, I really believe there is a good chance he'll be less curious about the "real" occult later on.
Because the protagonist doesn't describe himself as a wizard, attend a school for witches and wizards, have witch and wizard friends, and engage in occult practices.
Eventually the constant haranguing from the anti-D&D/ heavy metal sections of Christiandom actually caused me to actually investigate the occult (I really felt like I must be missing something that they were getting, so I went looking). The first thing I found was that they were pretty solidly wrong, you weren't going to learn anything "useful" in the occult from D&D or heavy metal (or by that point Doom). Next I found the whole occultist world to be pretty bogus. At that point it became rather difficult to believe in any form of spirituality and I was pretty solidly on the path to total disbelief, which is where I am today. I still study and enjoy religion both for the socialogical understanding and as a tool to transmit good moral instruction through the generations (oh, and I really dig Aquinas myself actually, a lot of great analysis and interesting monologues). I'm still very sympathic to Christiandom and get very angry when the ACLU starts on their shinanigans.
So in the end one would have to color me as a very sympathetic atheist.
That's for you to find out.
If you want my opinion, do a search on "Potter." Then read my 100 or so replies over the last couple of days.
We've been around the mulberry bush before, and once was enough for me.
Call me when Harry Potter can take on a Balrog.
said the spider
That statement completely denies the influence of evil in the lives of mortal humans. And your take on the resurrection is ? - surely it is not to be repeated in the lab.
I have no doubt about that. But I don't believe that most parents are able to "discern spirits" much less know what their children are getting into. So many children are "latch key" children and children of divorce.
I suspect that what we have with Harry Potter, as well as Buffy, Charmed, etc. (and actually, I find Harry Potter to be somewhat goth incarnation) is a fad. A few years from now, I suspect Anime (Japanese animation), which has a fan-cult status now, will become the latest fad.[1] Also, Tolkien will almost definitely have a rebirth of fad-dom over the next few years. A few years after that, who knows?
As parents, we will always have to be on our guard against children getting too involved in fads, to the neglect of more important matters. But that's the problem -- over-immersion -- rather than any inherent evil. At least, that's my opinion.
[1] Maybe even sooner; my daughter dyed her hair blue-green for a Halloween costume as an anime character and has kept that way, as her popularity skyrocketed without her having to change her personality or values. (For the record, I don't disapprove.)
I'll check back later. I gotta get my work done.
6th grade for me. A friend and I made our own pack of Rhine cards and started testing our classmates.
And likeable too, brother. Don't settle for anything less than the whole truth.
From one Aquinas fan to another, you might like this link
I would agree with that. But that's not caused by Harry Potter or even by wicca anymore than it's caused by drugs, alcohol, tobacco and sex.
If all of those who believe Potter is so dangerous would be shouting "Parents you need to pay attention to what your children are reading" as opposed to "Harry is Satan" then I'd be right there on that bandwagon.
Sounds like a sensible person to me. For instance, Osama & Co. have learned to their dismay that Dubya (unlike clintoon) fits this description.
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