Develop a Discipleship System
Harry Potter's Worldview: Talking Points for Christians
The Harry Potter books offer a story of good versus evil. Many years ago, an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort began a magic war. Voldemort murdered Harry's parents; Harry's mother died protecting him. Because of her self-sacrifice, Voldemort's power was broken and Harry was left with a lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. After his parents' death, Harry is left in the care of the Dursleys, non-magical people who try to hide Harry's true nature from him. Because of Voldemort's defeat, Harry is famous in the magical world. All believe that Harry will become a powerful wizard when he grows up. When Harry receives an invitation to go to Hogwarts, the school for young wizards, he begins to discover his true identity.
Below are some of the beliefs found in the world of Harry viewed alongside some of the basic beliefs of Christianity.
Family
After being orphaned, Harry finds himself in the care of the Dursleys, relatives who mistreat him and try to keep him from finding out that he is a wizard. Rather than trying to encourage him to learn about who he is, the Dursleys continually berate Harry and put him down. When Harry becomes a student at Hogwarts, the school for young wizards, he feels that he has found his real family. When tough times come, Harry gets strength from his friends who encourage him and see him as someone who has great value.
As Christians, we are invited to belong to God's family as we become brothers and sisters in Christ. Ephesians 4:11-15 speaks about the responsibility of Christians to build one another up and to recognize that we all have gifts "for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12).
Magic
Magic involves the use of charms, spells, divination, and rituals to control events and to tap into supernatural forces for the purpose of influencing others. Another way to look at it is to say magic is the use of technology (in the case of Harry Potter, charms, spells, divination, and rituals) to control one's own destiny and the destiny of others.
The belief in magic predates Christianity. In some non-Christian cultures around the world today, magic is still believed to be a powerful force that influences all of life. Wizards and witches are believed to have the ability to give both blessings and curses, to be able to influence the lives of people in a given culture. In the Western world, witchcraft has often been linked with belief in the devil. However, in its original form, witchcraft or the practice of magic was a way to cope with changes in life over which people had little control.
Christianity does not assert that one should try to control destiny or the lives of others. Rather than trying to tap into the elemental forces of this world, the Judeo-Christian worldview supports belief in a God who created the whole universe. In the biblical record, those who try to control their own destinies often find themselves in great trouble. Read the account of King Saul in1 Samuel 28:6-25, 31:1-13, to see the disastrous result of Saul's desire to take things into his own hands by consulting a medium. This Scripture tells us something very important: Christianity does not discount the power of the magical arts of charms, spells, divination, and speaking to the dead; nor does Christianity ignore people's desires to feel safe, to have hope in the future, or to defeat evil.
Instead of magic, Christianity offers a different way. After Peter told the crowd at Pentecost about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the crowd asked what they should do. In Acts 2:38, Peter said: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Rather than depending on magic or one's own resources, a believer receives the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit's role is to counsel (John 14:26), to guide (John 16:13), and to keep believers in relationship to God (Galatians 4:6). Through belief in Jesus, all people have the opportunity to be filled with the Holy Spirit, who gives believers a deep connection to the Creator of the world. Rather than seeking mediums or fortune-tellers, Christians are called to a life of prayer that connects them to God.
Spells
A spell is a word formula that some believe has magical power to influence others. When a person casts a spell, he or she seeks to make another person act or behave in a certain way. Spell casting also creates a spirit of fear, because the one who is the receiver of the spell believes he or she is under its influence.
As Christians, we should be casting love, not spells. In 1 John 4:18-19, we read: "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us."
Instead of seeking to have power over other people, the way of Jesus is to love and to give oneself up for the other person. Because of God's love and acceptance of us, we are given the power to love.
Eternal Life
In the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Voldemort is an evil wizard who wishes to rule over all witches and wizards. In one climactic scene, Harry stumbles upon Voldemort in the forest as he is drinking the blood of a unicorn. After Harry is rescued by Firenze the centaur, he is told that unicorn blood will keep a person alive. But only a desperate person would drink it, because the drinker will live a cursed life. He also says that only a person who is looking to drink something better, something that will keep him alive forever, would do such a thing (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1997, pages 258-59).
In Matthew 26:26-29, we find this account: "While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'"
After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, his words took on a new meaning. Through the shedding of Jesus' blood on the cross, all people could be forgiven of their sins and have eternal life through belief in Jesus. During Communion, Christians symbolically drink the blood of Christ as an act of remembrance and faith. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."
Resurrection
In the fourth book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Lord Voldemort — who earlier had possessed the body of a wizard who had happened to cross his path — is now reduced to a hideous baby-sized, scaly creature who desperately wants to assume a human form. With the goal of achieving immortal life, Voldemort sent his aid Wormtail to catch Harry. After Harry's capture, Voldemort instructs Wormtail to concoct a potion that will resurrect Voldemort in bodily form. As Voldemort lies in a cauldron, Wormtail adds the secret ingredients. First, he adds dust from the bones of Voldemort's father. Second, Wormtail cuts off his own arm and throws it into the cauldron. Third, he cuts Harry's arm and fills a glass vial with the blood. After he pours the blood into the cauldron, the potion is complete. Voldemort is resurrected and lives again. (Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, pages 640-43)
Scripture tells us about a very different resurrection. During the Easter season, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, who gave his life on the cross for the sins of the whole world. In John 11:25, Jesus says: "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die."
Through the resurrection of Jesus, even death loses its power. In the ultimate defeat of evil, Jesus conquers death. In1 Corinthians 15:55-56, we read: "Death has been swallowed up in victory. 'Where, O death, is your victory. Where, O death is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Redeeming the Culture
As Christians we redeem the culture by making connections to the Christian message. The message of Christ still rings true today. In the midst of an often frightening and dangerous world, Jesus offers us another way. We are invited to give our lives to Jesus Christ. Revelation 3:20 says, "Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me." Today, Jesus still calls us into fellowship with him.
Harry Potter Information on the Web
Harry Potter — Culture and Religion
The Official Harry Potter Web Site (Warner Bros.)
"Finding the Spiritual Power of Harry Potter" (Washington Post article)
Scripture verses are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and are used by permission.
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