COMMENTARY:
What about Harry Potter?
___By Bob Campbell
___J. K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter book series certainly is causing a stir among some Christian evangelical groups. I’ve just finished the third book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." (The first two are "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.") I have just begun the fourth, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," and I’m about halfway through it. Currently, there are four books in the series. A movie based on the first book is to be released sometime this fall.
___ Before I began reading the series, I received two e-mails and one anonymous letter with materials warning about the danger of the Harry Potter books. The anonymous letter asked me to preach a sermon denouncing the books. The alarm that these people see in these books is—according to their opinion—that it promotes witchcraft. Furthermore, they say it portrays non-witches and non-wizards as "Muggles," which is the name used in the book for ordinary people. Muggles are seen by witches and wizards as dull or mean-spirited people.
___My wife, who is an elementary school librarian, says that the children are indeed reading these books. I also understand they are quite the rage among college students and young adults. Some older adults—like myself—have also enjoyed them. All four books have been on the New York Times’ Best-Seller list.
___ So, what about it? Is the Harry Potter phenomenon a serious threat to Bible-believing Christians? Should Christians permit their children to read about Harry Potter? Should Christians, themselves, be reading Harry Potter?
___ Well, there is no question that the Bible forbids Christians from becoming involved in witchcraft or sorcery. Leviticus 19:26 says clearly, "Do not practice divination or sorcery." Deuteronomy 18:10-11 is even clearer, "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead." I could go on, because the Bible is filled with such prohibitions.
___However, the Bible has no prohibitions against fantasy and make-believe in literature or in play-acting. All novels are fantasy. Nearly all children’s stories are fantasy. Sometimes fantasy is written by well-known Christian authors—for instance, C.S. Lewis, who wrote "The Chronicles of Narnia," which begins with "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." In his seven-book series, one will meet witches and wizards, a talking lion who dies and is raised from the dead, a lion turning his enemy into a donkey, and characters using magic apples. My children enjoyed them, and my daughter ended up writing a 10th grade paper on the Christian message in Lewis’ writings.
___If you oppose the obvious fantasy found in the Harry Potter series, you will also have to oppose "The Wizard of Oz," "Alice in Wonderland," "The Hobbit," all of Terry Brooks’ books, most of Aesop’s fables, "Snow White," "Cinderella," "Hansel and Gretel," "Star Wars," "Ghostbusters," "Casper the Friendly Ghost," King Arthur, "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice," Superman, Captain Marvel, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," "Peter Pan," "Pinocchio," "Beauty and the Beast," "Sleeping Beauty" and of course, "Shrek." All of these have magic, witches or wizards.
___My point is this: Adults make more than they should out of some rather harmless, child-like, make-believe ideas. Fantasy is fantasy. The children know it, and so do adults. I played Halloween. Most of us did. We dressed up and wore sheets and masks. Yet I wonder, how many of us really grew up to practice witchcraft or sorcery? Come on! How many can you name? Of all the children who dressed as ghosts, witches or goblins, how many actually grew up opposing God, reading a Satanic Bible, practicing witchcraft and rejecting Jesus. Are you saying Halloween caused their rejection of God and Jesus? Are you saying it contributed to their rejection of the gospel? What actual, factual proof do you have? What factual, scientific studies can you name?
___At Westbury Baptist Church in Houston, we do not allow witches, hobgoblins or ghosts to become a part of our "Fall Festival." I don’t allow it, because I don’t think little children should be scared half to death on Halloween or at any other time.
___Let me close with this: Children can understand the difference between make-believe and reality. That is why when they grow up, they play Santa Claus with their own children, who also in turn soon figure out that it would defy the laws of physics for a chubby old man to fly from the North Pole in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer and deliver an endless supply of presents all over the world in a single night.
___ There are age-appropriate books, movies, and television. If your children are too young, then they shouldn’t read "Snow White," until they are old enough to understand that wicked queens don’t have magic mirrors.
___ Harry Potter is harmless—at least as far as I have read. If your child, teenager or adult friend can’t tell the difference between reality and fantasy, then they really need to stay away from all fictional stories until they can make that distinction.

___ Bob Campbell is pastor of Westbury Baptist Church in Houston.



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