Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

I will write SPOILER WARNING if someone plans on readying the book and has not just before the paragraph that could possibly give a clue to the last of the Potter books, Deathly Hallows.

Is Harry Potter compatible with the bible and Christian teaching? Magic in the sense of the book is fiction and not reality. There are those in the world today who believe it to be true, but alas it is an illusion. It may not be a mere illusion since anything Satan gets his hands into can be not only tempting and seem real, but it usually contains at least a grain of truth so that it more convincingly entices. In Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets there is a plant called Devil’s Snare and it would seem the more you struggle the more you get intertwined and sucked in. The interesting part is when light, real light, hits the snare it shrinks away into the nothing that it really is.

Of course the magic that is presented in Harry Potter is not true, but one thing can not be denied.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold a record breaking 15 Million copies worldwide in the first 24 hours of its release which was noted in the Dateline interview with the famous author J.K. Rowling on NBC that aired July 29^th, 2007.

15 Million Copies in the first 24 hours seem inconceivable, but it is true. What is the most common global language today; it may just very well be ‘Potterian’. The language of world and person hood J.K. Rowling’s has created.

If we are going to speak to people with cultural relevance than maybe we need to know what they are talking about. This is why I was so excited to see the truth of the Gospel in the Harry Potter series even though it may not have been intentional.

The Dateline interview previously mentioned J.K. Rowling talks about redemption and forgiveness and that after the last book ends a new beginning is enabled. All very similar to one special person Christians everywhere hold dear, Jesus. In fact Harry Potter is called the ‘chosen one’. Jesus is God’s chosen one is he not? The series though speaks volumes on so many different levels and in so many different ways. I DO NOT WANT TO GIVE ANYTHING AWAY for those that have not read the last book yet, but the Christ like examples in it are amazing. I know there are holes, but it is something that culture knows and is interested in talking about and on top of that the face of Jesus can be seen in it.

At another point in the interview with J.K. Rowling she says, “We all have a choice like the Malfoy’s of the world”. The Malfoy’s are a family that makes some bad choices and chooses to follow greed, pride, and other things many church goers would today call sin, but J.K. Rowling is so right. ‘We all have a choice” and we are responsible for that choice.

I have many acquaintances that spasm at the idea of talking about Harry Potter let alone reading him as if they might get tainted, infected, or tempted to go down the wrong path, but Harry Potter shows, mortality, humility, selflessness, compassion, mercy, and grace in multiple forms (prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying). Harry Potter also shows these previously mentioned in balance with faith, love, truth, righteousness, and justice.

SPOILER WARNING

In the end the Harry Potter series is a made up world, fiction, but the truth of the bible, and especially Jesus Christ dying on the cross for the forgiveness of sins so that all who believe may have ever lasting life, redemption, is represented in one way or another, even the resurrection.

That is all I can say at this time so that I do not spoil the book