Harry

Yes, I realize I am a little late to be jumping on the bandwagon, any bandwagon for that matter, in regards to Harry Potter. To tell you the truth, it is not none of the available "wagons" seem to suit me very well. I have been mulling over my feelings for the boy wizard since he first arrived on bookshelves many years ago. Being that the series falls into the genre of "sci-fi/fantasy" my interest was little to none in the early days since that is not my genre of choice.

Years past, and the movies started coming and the phenomenon escalated. People were starting to choose sides. Celebrating Potter for giving children motivation to read, or condemning Potter for the magical elements that the witches and wizards brought to the forefront of young children's minds. What strikes me most, however, was the infatuation many adults found themselves in...grabbing books from their children, not because they were concerned with the "filth" they were reading, but because they had such a strong desire to dive into the world of Harry Potter as well. How odd...when I was the same age as the Harry Potter target audience I found some of my favorite authors. Mark Twain, Jane Austen and Ann Rinaldi inspired me to read and more important to learn about the subject matter which they were addressing their their books. When we find good books isn't that what we do? We immerse ourselves in the world created by the author which sparks a desire to learn as much as we possibly can.

Here is where I begin to have my doubts with Harry Potter and his friends. The world that they are immersed in is full of light and dark, of good and evil, of "good" and "bad" witches and wizards...but the thing is, there is no such thing as a "good" witch or wizard. Magic of this nature is not of God and cannot be claimed as "good". Before I go any further, let me say that I recognize the use of magic in some Christian literature as well, namely in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, but I believe there is a difference. The focus of those books is not on the practices of the witches, but rather on the religious parallels drawn by the story at large. Lewis and Tolkien use elements of magic to create allegories and symbolism representing their faith to an audience that may have not been reached without their creativity. Meanwhile, Rowling herself has admitted that she carefully research the practice of the Wiccian religion so that her stories will be as "accurate" as possible for her audience.

I believe the turning point of my quest to develop an opinion surrounding the Harry Potter phenomenon happened at the theatre while seeing the most recent film. I happened upon a sight that struck me to my core, a young girl, elementary school age, dressed in a full Hogwarts uniform carrying a wand stepping out of the theatre with her parents. My heart dropped...a lump formed in my throat. Wow. THIS is what we should be afraid of...the desire of our children to be in Harry's world. To live amongst the witches and wizards, to learn spells and to long for mystical adventures.

That was the end. My copies of Harry Potter and the Scorcer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets have since been disposed of, and will not re-enter my personal library. If I am confident that my children should not be reading about this world, why should I waste my time reading about it either? Sometimes parents shield their children from things that are age-inappropriate for them to read/watch/listen to, but I am now a firm believer that Harry Potter does not involve a question of age, but a question of culture appropriateness. In my home, the culture of witches and wizards will not be glorified.

Please do not disregard my position on the basis that I have not read the books or given them "a fair chance" because that, simply, is not true. I have read the first two books of the series, and have watched all five of the movies that have been produced, to-date. It was not until I had read the books that I found any enjoyment out of the movies, and had actually made several attempts to watch the movies but found them, for me, unentertaining and confusing. That is when I decided to read the first book. I finished Harry Potter and the Scorcher's Stone in only a few weeks (yes, I realize this is much longer than the typical reader of this series) and rewatched the movie (third try is a charm was my thinking apparently). I was able to stay awake this time, something that could not be done the previous two attempts at watching this movie and found myself entertained and engaged. I then decided, that I would continue reading the series and watching the movies..."catching up" if you will. My journey has ended.

After many years of trying to digest this pop culture phenomenon, I believe I know where I fall which I feel is on a bandwagon of my own. I feel confident that I have not jumped to any conclusions, but have sought the guidance of God and inspiration from His people to form my personal opinion. I will not force my opinion on you, unless of course you use the counter-point argument that "it's just a movie" because look at the profiles of school shooting perpetrators, and other dysfunctional members of the young-adult society that claim their inspiration came from movies, video games, etc. Entertainment in its various forms IS influential, regardless of whether you believe it personally influences YOU or not. Perhaps you are not easily influenced, but did you ever think that your neighbor is just waiting for validation of his thoughts/actions, a validation that could quite possibly come from something a seemingly harmless as a children's movie?