8 responses to “harry potter and the death of God”

1. 

   Ray K

   July 20, 2007 at 9:22 am

   Not wanting to comment out of ignorance, several years ago I decided to read all the Potter books as they were released. I intend on reading the final one being released tonight. In all honesty, I’ve enjoyed the series.

   To say God dies may be a bit harsh. Unlike Lewis or Tolkien – I believe Rowling sat down to write a fantasy not a Christian allegory. Scratching out the opening lines of book one on a napkin in an Edinburgh coffee shop, her goal was to make some money – not communicate eternal realities.

   While God is not specifically mentioned in any of the books, Christian holidays [Easter, Christmas] are celebrated and referenced. The story also carries classic themes of good vs evil, friendship, love and redemption. God simply plays no serious role in the story. So, what does that say?

   Could it reveal the lack of significance of God in Rowling’s life and culture? Possibly. If God and/or His church lacks relevance in the real experience of the author why would we expect His sudden relevance in her story books?

   It may also be a bit risky to assume too much simply due to God’s absence in the series. Arguing a point from silence is never a great idea.

   Rowling’s books have made her the wealthiest woman in Britan. Her stories are well written and entertaining. Are they evil? Hardly. Are they dangerous? I don’t believe so. Is God killed off in the end of the series? No. He’d have to be a character first. But maybe that’s the point – in Rowling’s world [real or imagined], God may not play any role at all. And that’s sad. The irrelevance of God in Harry Potter’s life – is insignificant to me – His possible irrelevance in JK Rowling’s life and culture is another whole matter.

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2. 

   Mitch Ferris

   July 20, 2007 at 8:27 pm

   I think Ray makes a good point. I’ve read all the books and have enjoyed them as well. I appreciate that the experience can go beyond simple entertainment. We can possibly gain some understanding abut the author’s attitudes and opinions, and maybe learn something about their fans, too.

   Sometimes it seems as if we are afraid of this, though. Christians read Christian books by Christian authors. We listen to Christian music. In response to Rowling’s books, someone will eventually write something that will be described as “a Christian Harry Potter.” It will have a positive message and sound theology, but probably won’t be all that enjoyable as far as the story goes.

   I prefer stuff that comes from a place of authenticity, even if I don’t agree with it. I remember hearing an interview with a singer from a Christian band. He had gotten some flack from many people because he smoked and had been divorced. The interviewer asked him if those types of things were acceptable in Christian music. He replied that he wasn’t really a Christian artist. He was an artist who was also a Christian. His art was authentic and shaped by his faith, but he wasn’t trying to pretend to be anything he wasn’t. Secular artists sing about their pain, their longing for love and other topics that are relatable to me for a number of reasons. I can also say my relationship with Jesus gives me the ‘answers’ to many of the ‘questions’ they’re asking. I am thankful for bands such as The Fray, Switchfoot, and others that are putting their art out there for everyone and not just ‘preaching to the choir.’

   Art, music, books, and movies are all attempts to share something with other people. My daughter has a MySpace page. I wouldn’t call it art, but it is definitely communication. She has things on there I don’t really like. But it is honest. I could make her change it to suit my tastes, but that wouldn’t be real communication. The ideas and attitudes on her page are the things she really talks about with her friends. I have learned a lot about my daughter there. I get the opportunity to talk to her about these issues with a real understanding of her thoughts. I get to explain my take on things, and what I appreciate or what concerns me about her views. If she changed her page to please me, I wouldn’t have that luxury. I feel like we get that same opportunity with things like the Harry Potter books. We can think about what is trying to be shared with us, and why. Then we need to figure out what to do with that information.

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3. 

   Larry Eisner

   July 20, 2007 at 11:38 pm

   Add one more voice in accord with Ray. I’ve also read all of the books, and actually thoroughly enjoyed them. The stance taken by the books is not that God is not present, or that with magic no God is required, but simply take our world, and add magic abilities to a secret subculture. That’s it. Nothing inherently evil or deceptive about it. It’s intended as fiction and is written well as such.

   Could such a novel series confuse our youth, or convince them that God is not there, or necessary? I really don’t think so.

   And I’m not writing this simply because of my enjoyment of the books. I don’t see it any more anti-God than any other children’s book series, like Beverly Cleary or something else. It’s just that the subject matter, in reality would be scary. And often, throughout time, what is scary is considered evil.

   Not to say all scary things are not evil, of course, but I think that this is not a well-written article. It’s simply a fun fantasy, as opposed to some “recruiting tool” for the devil and his ilk.

   However, that said, the books may not be for everyone. I’d definitely say that regardless of what Ray or some writer may say, or even some respected Christian pundit… whatever… that any parent should read a popular book series before just handing it off to your kids. (Same with video games, a personal pet peeve of mine. Don’t blame the video game industry for your lack of parenting! But I digress…)

   Definitely I’d not only say the books are harmless, but I would reccomend them. Especially for parents. Your kids are reading these books. I guarantee you that they’ve had one of the books in their hands at one time or another. Equip yourself to know for yourself whether or not this is something you want to expose your kids to. But all that aside, I think the books are spectacularly written, appeal to the age groups they are intended for, and make for a fun (if not all-too-quick) read for adults as well!

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4. 

   Robert Dunn

   July 21, 2007 at 11:04 am

   I agree with the majority above, but will also add my thoughts.

   First, I have never been a fan of Time magazine as a source of reliable news or intelligent opionion since the 1980’s when they named Superman as ‘Man of the Year’. (Not because I’m an avid Batman fan, 🙂 but because the recognition of a fictional character was presented as legitimate news.)So I will admit that I started out with a negative bias towards the article.

   My biggest concern with the article is that it makes a broad criticism about a work without having read the final book. Even Bible stories can seem to have a bad message about God if you don’t read to the end of the story. What if you were to make broad generalizations about the author’s intent if you left off in the middle of the story of Joseph, while he’s in prison, accused of raping a woman who was angry because she couldn’t seduce him? Or what if you stopped in the middle of the book of Job, a man who had commited no obvious sin, but has had home, property, and family destroyed by the God he worships? Or could you imagine the implication of the story of Jesus sacrificed on the cross, while omitting the power of the resurrection? Although his accusation has a small possibility of being somewhat accurate, the final judgement cannot be made without reading the final book.

   The author goes on to compare the Harry Potter series to “Lord of the Rings” and “The Chronicles of Narnia”, saying that these are Christian stories, but the Harry Potter books are anti-God because Harry never prays. But neither do Frodo or any of the children in Narnia. The christian message is brought about through alegory, not through demonstration of true christianity. While I don’t see a specific representation of the story of Jesus in Harry Potter, I think several positive/christian themes (good prevailing over evil, the power of love, forgiveness, and freindship) are obvious. I notice another that is more subtle. Have you ever noticed that just when it seems that Harry has his back against the wall, that evil just might win and destroy him, that some obscure piece of information saves him? From his first experience with Voldemort that miraculously saved his life as a baby and emptied his enemy’s power while he had time to grow and gain strength, to the intervention of renegate flying cars or wands with tail feathers from the same phoenix that do strange things when pitted against each other, and many other odd coincidences, it seems that even when Harry is weak, some other power is protecting him. The ancient Greeks would have called this fate; I call it God.

   Perhaps I’m different than some in that I often see God in places that ‘respectable christians’ might not dare to look. But Jesus himself performed most of his miracles in places that the contemporary bible scholars had written off.

   My piece being said, I will add one point of caution. Although I enjoy this book series and have not turned into a practicing witch from it, I wouldn’t offer a blanket recommendation for all christians to read it. The books do create a sense of wonder and awe about the power of magic and sorcery. While this can be safe with the complete understanding that the book is fantasy and fiction, there are some that could become entranced with a desire for the power of witchcraft, a desire which, if pursued, could lead one far from God. I know a few families which do not read the Harry Potter series specifically because it represents witchcraft as a ‘good’ thing, and I cannot disagree with them taking this position. Although I feel no conviction to avoid it for myself, I would not push it on others that see a personal danger. An alchoholic Christian might feel convicted just being in a bar, while another Christian could drink a beer and not sin. The subject of witchcraft can have similar personal ramifications.

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5. 

   David

   July 23, 2007 at 7:38 am

   Ray, Mitch, Larry, and Robert- Thanks for your really insightful comments. It was great to hear from folks who have read the books. It’s interesting that each of you disagreed with Grossman’s thesis in the Time article that God is not present in the Harry Potter books. What was most interesting to me about the article is that a national magazine like Time is even interested in whether or not God make an appearance. I wonder what this says about our culture?

   Perhaps a more pressing questions for each of you, Have you finished the last Potter book yet?
   🙂

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6. 

   Brian

   July 25, 2007 at 12:16 pm

   Well said on all fronts! I haven’t read the full TIME article yet, but also was struck by the fact that this take on the Potter series appeared in the mainstream US media. Christians always seem to be browbeating the media for it’s alleged anti-Christian bias, or at the very least their lack of interest in matter’s of faith. Maybe there’s more God-talk, and more God-reflection going on out there in the secular world than we choose to give them credit for.

   PS – I pre-ordered book #7 from Amazon and had it shipped to the church as I was on vacation and did not want it sitting around somewhere unsafe. Wonder what the mailperson thought as they delivered the visibly marked Potter package to the church? Many thanks to David for his hand delivery when he picked Victoria and I up from the airport.

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7. 

   Jana

   July 28, 2007 at 3:29 pm

   Well, I actually have read all 7 books, and I really think the TIME article is uninformed at best. It seems to me that the people who protest the loudest are the ones who haven’t read the books. And, on the off chance that they actually do, they scour them with mechanical precision, looking for anything to prove their point. You could do the same thing with Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Maybe even the Bible.

   On a slightly related note, about halfway through writing the series, J.K. Rowling became a Christian. She said she often gets asked whether or not she believes in God, and when she says she does, the interviewer moves on to the next topic, and the fact that she is a Christian never seems to make it to the newsstand.

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8. 

   Larry Eisner

   July 29, 2007 at 1:13 am

   That last bit about Rowling becoming a Christian is actually very on-topic and very interesting (as well as being outright awesome!)… One wonders if we’ll see a letter to the editor from her in the next issue of TIME, then?

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