Thursday, August 09, 2007

Harry Potter ‘gets saved’?

JK Rowling reveals Christian basis for 'Harry Potter'
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10 comments:

Ed Gentry said...

How do we take this?

I find the Harry Potter books and movies highly problematic, though extremely well done and very entertaining.

My concerns center on the way magic functions in the story. It is to close to how magic works in real life.

As a Christian who affirms the miraculous and the demonic, there is a marked difference between legitimate application of God's power and the manipulation of spiritual power. The former is all about learning to hear the voice of the Spirit and the later is about how to manipulate the spirit world which for me is witchcraft (and yes there are therefore christian's who practice it). The entire world of HP seems to affirm and encourage the later.

8:53 AM
Scott Bailey said...

Too close to how magic works in real life? Really? Too close? Magic school for wizards and all? Wand battles?

I'm waving my wand, and here comes my spell I am shooting at you: Stupido Reflectus!

Too close? Wow.

1:45 PM
thegreatswalmi said...

HEY! EASY ON THE WAND WAVING. i felt my stupidus rebound right back at me. COME ON! :)

3:08 PM
One of Freedom said...

As someone who came out of the occult the fantastical world JKR paints has very little to do with the "real" stuff. BTW I was scared out of that stuff when I realized it actually worked and I was a teen at the time. JKR does a great classic fantasy tale in a modern setting. Sheer brilliance.

9:22 PM
thegreatswalmi said...

One,

are you saying that the expelliarmus charm DOESN'T really work? I have to disagree. So many of my friends and family have been disarmed when i've pointed and shouted it at the top of my lungs that i'm a believer now.

8:31 AM
One of Freedom said...

Theoblogian, you can get a similar effect shouting "IN THE NAME OF JESUS!" at folks too.

11:03 AM
Chris Tilling said...

Well, Mike and Frank are having a most educated and sophisticated discussion!

Ed, your point is well taken. I'm just not so sure that the story 'encourages' such a dangerous usage of magic. It is simply part of the story without being exhortative.

1:00 PM
Ed Gentry said...

Chris, You may be right. I admit it is not as clear cut as many of those opposed to HP would argue.

I suppose I've experienced enough of the demonic to be cautious about things that reek of that world. I also know that God's power is real and available and am very concerned that we don't treat the Holy Spirits power as something to be manipulated.

6:19 PM
Rob said...

I've attempted the Expelliarmus, and the "In Jesus' Name", and I've found that none works as well as "The power of Christ compels you!"

Speaking of magic in HP, I think it's more useful to view magic in HP how we would view technology in our world. It is something for which you have a propensity when you are born, and it's used for all sorts of good and evil purposes. This sort of analysis yields interesting commentary on what Rowling thinks of technology, and its uses and misuses.

8:23 PM
T.B. Vick said...

Hey Chris,

Thanks for the link. I have mixed thoughts about JKR's confession that she refrained from saying too much about her being Christian because it might "reveal" too much in the final book. Not sure what to think about all that, but the article was interesting nonetheless.

There have been several fundamentalist groups in my area that have had "gatherings" to ban or burn the Potter books, and all I can say regarding that is that they cannot see the forest for the trees.

1:14 PM

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