Controversial??

I really like the Harry Potter books...

GASP...the pastor's wife reads that satanic trash?!? OK, before you judge me and start praying for my soul, let me start from the beginning...

When the Harry Potter books first came out, there was this huge push from the Christian community to keep far away from them. The whole tone was that they were evil, satanic, and were drenched in devil worship. Being the "compliant, want to everything right, look good in front of everyone I meet, people-pleaser" type person that I was and still tend to be (I am working on it!), I stayed far away from them...and, I admit, judged those that did read them.

My brother kept bugging me to read them, saying that they were really good. My sister and him dragged me to a movie...and then she began reading them. She had studied witchcraft at IWU in one of her intercultural studies classes, and was adamant that Christians have been wrong about these books this whole time. She said the author was amazing and the books were fun.

I still was hesitant. Until I went on bedrest when I was pregnant with Damaris and was reading through books really fast. I started to read Harry Potter, and was pleasantly surprised at what I found (even if I did hide the books at first because I was afraid of what people would think). Now I am in book 6 (don't tell me what happens!!!) and have gotten Stephen interested in them too (GASP now the PASTOR is reading them?!?).

The author is amazing. Her world is well thought out and believable. Her mind is AMAZING to have created this series!! It is intended for youth, so it is easy to read. It is basically clean (very minimal language) and fun! I still marvel at the things she has come up with - she is a brilliant author!!

There was an article in the Sojourn (IWU student newspaper) that raised some good thoughts...here is an excerpt:
Many Christians can’t fathom why other Christians would want to immerse themselves into the Harry Potter series—a series which seems to promote witchcraft, evil villains, the occult, murder, magic and more. Christianity and witchcraft certainly don’t mix; the Bible warns of engaging in pagan rituals and sorcery. On the flip side, many wonder what the difference is when Christians cling to authors such as Tolkien and Lewis who also use many similar elements in their works.

Sharice Carter (sr.) has heard this argument in defense of Harry Potter before, but is still not convinced of the harmlessness of the series.

“Some people say that other books such as Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia use magic, and try to equate that to the Harry Potter books, but that is different because both authors were influenced by the Bible,” said Carter. “I haven’t read or heard that J. K. Rowling was influenced by the Bible. The Bible speaks against witchcraft and therefore I am against and do not support anything that deals with witchcraft.”

Paul Hetrick, spokesperson for Focus on the Family, agrees with Carter.

“[They contain] some powerful and valuable lessons about love and courage and the ultimate victory of good over evil; however, the positive messages are packaged in a medium —witchcraft— that is directly denounced in Scripture,” said Hetrick.

So then, is Harry Potter something to be avoided by Christians because of the characters involvement in a major Biblical no-no? Steadman [IWU Student] seems to agree with the majority of Americans who do not strongly lean to one side or the other.

“In terms of the common Christian argument that the reading of this series shouldn’t be encouraged, I disagree with this argument, but also respect and understand it, to some extent. Just as I wouldn’t recommend illustrated recipe books as leisure reading material for someone struggling with gluttony, I would not recommend Harry Potter to those who have a dangerous bent toward witchcraft,” Steadman says. “But for those who love literature for the sake of literature, these stories are golden.”

Yikes. Good points on both sides. Now what?? I liked Steadman's idea that if we are struggling with something we shouldn't immerse ourselves in it. There is of course controversy in that too...am I going to go watch trashy movies just because I am not struggling with pornography?? No way. But where is the line? I look at literature (and media in general) and there are lots of classics out there that are not God-honoring, but are amazing works!! And I would definitely not classify them as satanic - are Christians going to stand against those too? I think it is important to be "in the world and not of the world" and that means understanding and taking part in the culture...but giving in to temptation, of course not.

There is so much here and so many issues...what do you think?