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Harry Potter
In case you’re worried about reading below, I will let you know right now…I’m not going to give away any secrets about the 7th Harry Potter book. I don’t even know what happens because I haven’t read it yet.
Harry Potter Rules
I think I’m in love with Harry Potter…the books, not the boy in the movies. A friend of mine handed me the fourth book when it came out in 2000 and told me I would like it. To be honest, I laughed a little at first. I’m sure I said something like, “isn’t it a kid’s book?” I’m still pretty sure it is, and if so I have to say I like kid’s books. I read the fourth one all the way through in a couple days and then immediately went and borrowed the first three and read them. Ever since then I’ve been a fan. I don’t dress up in a wizard costumes and carry a wand around like other people I have seen, but I do read the books as soon as they come out and I also see the movies as soon as they are released. I’m not the only crazy fan. You know the new Potter book sold 8.3 million copies in the first 24 hours. It almost made as much as the Iphone, and the Iphone cost almost 400 dollars more!!
I’ve heard a lot of ramblings about Harry Potter being evil. Many Christians speak out about it and claim it’s the devil’s work. They even post websites like Avoid Harry Potter where they try to show you why it’s a bad book. Evidently every body who reads it will join a cult and become witches. Hmm…weird. This bothers me. I’m 100 percent sure many of these people have never read the books, and if they did I’m almost 100 percent sure they would change their mind. The only evil in Harry Potter books is the evil wizards that Harry Potter is fighting against. When you read the books you don’t make some evil wizard your hero…the hero in the books is a boy wizard who is fighting for good.
This is interesting: Chicago Tribune Story
If anything, as a Christian, I think you can use the books for good. If you have kids, let them read the books and use them to teach Christian morals and values…they’re in there! (Harry Potter fights with evil temptations, etc.) There is a new resource guide published by the Church of England that suggests youth leaders should use the popular Harry Potter series of books and films as a launch pad for exploring Christian themes within church youth groups or Sunday schools.
Here is the article: Harry Potter and Christianity
One thing that makes me wonder is the fact that many people who are against Harry Potter are so because of the presence of magical characters (witches, wizards, ghosts, goblins, and so on.) Ummm….Lord of the Rings had the same thing, and nobody really spoke out about that. In fact, the author JRR Tolkien is a very outspoken Christian. There is a famous quote by him, “God is the lord of angels and of men….and of elves.”
Nobody speaks out against Lord of the Rings. So, why is Lord of the Rings ok, but Harry Potter isn’t? Probably because it’s better.
I really reccomend the books to anybody who wants to read them. I know I’ll be sharing the books with my kids someday.
If you’re intersted in getting the books and you don’t have any yet, I’d buy this: Harry Potter Box Set
I think that’s enough bickering for today. By the way, the new Harry Potter movie is cool. Slower than the other ones, darker than the other ones…but a good transition into what’s to come. I’d reccomend it.
Well said.
I find it interesting that the people who most attack Harry Potter are ones who have never read any of the books. I am reminded of when I was in Campbell, I was and still am a big Buffy teh Vampire Slayer fan. My co-worker insisted that the series was bad because of the witchcraft, yet he would wax poetic about the Lord fo teh Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia. I told him to watch a few episodes and he would see they are on par with both series. I also remember when Dogma came out and there was a huge uproar from Catholics over this movie. Regardless fo the fact that Kevin Smit is Catholic, they were just goingto be pissed. So here Michal and I are at the theater and in teh front row are two little old ladies with notepads. They start watching and I watch them. Five minutes into it, they are laughing and enjoying the movie.
The new HP movie is definately a departure fromt eh earliers ones as is the book. More grownup and more in your face Harry has his back to the wall and he has to decide what he is going to do. He can’t really rely in anyone and you see this becoming more and more apparent the series. Have you finished HP7 yet?