Harry Potter

Harry Potter has taken a lot of flak for being about wizards and witches and the so-called "mark of the beast" that appears on Harry's forehead. Surprisingly enough, I found that the worldview was the best element of the Harry Potter books.

In a world that has an ever-increasing vacuum of spiritual lessons and moral compasses, Harry Potter was refreshing to me. It has its weaknesses, but the magic used in it isn't the type of magic used to communicate with the devil. Wizards and witches in Harry Potter are simply people who live in a different world--the equivalent of Narnia's Talking Beasts or Gandalf's rise from the dead. The mere presence of magic isn't enough to discard a book. There has to be a philosophical element connected to the magic that is objectionable, and Harry Potter is much more healthy philosophically than most books written today--in fact, it's better philosophically than many so-called Christian books.*

Good and Evil

From Book 1, there is a very clear distinction between good and evil. The good are brave, loyal, and just. The evil are power-grabbers, self-seekers, and lovers of inflicting pain on others. The characters themselves are more complex--Harry is good, but he has a temper problem and sometimes wonders what it would be like to be great--but there is an obvious distinction.

Additionally, you can choose to work against your evil nature. When Harry remembers some of his desire to be great and his potential for evil, Dumbledore tells him that he can choose to work for good instead. Even though he has tendencies to evil, he does not use that as an excuse to just give in and do it; he fights it.

Love and Sacrifice

Love is one of the main themes of the series. Harry's mother died trying to save his life, and the love that she showed in her self-sacrificial act saves his life again in the first book. Sacrificial love is shown to have more power than evil, and Voldemort--the evil wizard--is thwarted time and time again because he fails to recognize that power.

Other characters who demonstrate sacrificial love are Snape, who loved Harry's mother and risked his life protecting Harry for her sake, and Harry himself who [spoiler alert] turns himself in to Voldemort because it will stop the bloodshed and ultimately lead to a victory for good. His act of love protects others from Voldemort's stronger spells.

Second Chances

Although good and evil are always clearly defined, people are given second chances whenever possible. Dumbledore particularly is willing to give others another shot. Sirius Black, convicted of helping for the murder of Harry's parents, is given the chance to prove his innocence. Snape, a former Voldemort supporter, is allowed to teach at the school and join the Order dedicated to defeating Voldemort. Harry, Ron, and Hermoine are constantly having adolescent squabbles, but learn in the end to give each other grace. Draco Malfoy, the son of a Voldemort supporter, attempts to kill Dumbledore. But Dumbledore is willing to die in order to save Draco's life. Even when he tries to kill Harry and his friends, Harry risks his own life to save him from a fire. Unknowingly, the life of Draco saved Harry's life later on when his mother could have betrayed Harry but doesn't when Harry assures her that Draco is still alive. The belief seems to be that every person deserves a second chance. Dumbledore could have refused to teach the children of Voldemort supporters, but he gives an equal shot to everyone.

Witchcraft
Yes, Harry Potter is full of wizards and witches and spells and magic. If you are offended by that right of the bat, then do your conscience a favor and stop reading now. Far be it from be to cause you to stumble.

But I do think that the distinction between witchcraft and Harry Potter's wizardry is an important one. God condemned witchcraft in the Bible not because it dealt with unexplainable magical forces. He condemned it because witches -- mediums, they were called -- communicated with evil spirits in order to cause magic.

Harry Potter's magic is unexplainable and does assume a larger force. But that force is one overpowered by love, something that does not exist in the evil realm. The characters are wizards by birth, not by evil intentions. There are no evil spirits behind magic. That's a far cry from the wizardry declaimed in the Bible.

The "Unforgiveables"

The evil side fights with Unforgiveable curses, one which makes people robots to do your bidding, one which causes unbearable pain, and one which kills instantly without leaving a mark. Voldemort uses all of them without hesitation. When Harry tries to use one in the sixth book, in extreme anguish over Dumbledore's death, a former teacher tells him he cannot because he doesn't mean it. He doesn't mean to cause that pain. While the evil side uses all of these curses, the good does not. In fact, people questions Harry's tendency to disarm his opponents instead of trying to kill them, since they are trying to kill him and it would only be self-defense. But at the end of the series, we find that Harry kills no one...he disarms them, or they self-destruct.

It is a weakness on the part of the book, however, that Harry does use the Imperius and Cruciatus curses in the seventh novel, as does Professor McGonagall. While it may have been the only way, they does use evil means for the cause of good and that is a less-than-satisfactory element.

The AfterLife

The spiritual is dealt with time and time again when the subject of death comes up. There are ghosts, yes. Harry sees the ghost of his parents once when Voldemort's wand malfunctions and once when he uses a stone to bring people back from the dead. He also sees the ghosts of Dumbledore, a dead schoolmate, a former teacher, and his godfather. But while the nature of the afterlife is not discussed in detail, Dumbledore and Harry do talk about the life after death. The result is stunningly not-postmodern; there is clearly an afterlife that makes death less scary. Also, the bringing back of ghosts is implied to be less than desireable; Harry finds comfort in the shadows of his parents when he is about to die, but later decides never to bring them back again.

The Biblical concept of ghosts is not entirely conclusive; Samuelis brought back by a medium and the rich man begs to go back to warn his brothers. Obviously there is some truth to the concept of ghosts, but it is a negative one. Harry concludes the same--ghosts exist, and the local Hogwarts haunts prove useful to solving mysteries. But they are not seen as pleasant. The search to be in control of death is shown to be useless and soul damaging, and Harry determines to live his life peacefully, and when it is time to face death then.

The Soul

The soul is spoken of throughout the series often. Harry is said to have a soul that is brave and pure, one that Voldemort cannot stand to be in contact with.Voldemort, on the other hand, has split his soul into eight pieces. He did that in an attempt to be immortal, but the means by which he did it are telltale of the moral compass of the series. To split one's soul, one has to murder someone. The act, so cruel and pointless, is enough to eternally desecrate the soul and tear it apart. Voldemort chooses that brand of evil because he wants to live forever. But the book sees that as pure evil of an unparalleled level.


The "Mark"

The scar on Harry's forehead has been overanalyzed, but misunderstood. The mark of the beast that it is so often compared is the mark of a follower of the Antichrist. Harry's scar is a tie to Voldemort, but it does not link him to that evil. If anything, Harry's scar makes him passionate to fight evil instead of succumbing to it, especially since he gained the scar as Voldemort killed his parents and tried to kill him. As the one person who Voldemort would like to kill more than any other, Harry is forced to recognize the danger of his position and fight it with that much more good. His scar is magical--like so many elements of the book--but it is a tangible brand of evil similar to the permanent brand of evil that our sin natures are to us.

But....

While I find the Harry Potter series to be engaging, fun, and philosophically interesting, there are a few flaws that would cause me to have caution when giving them to my children. I would give the books to the older audience, with guided discussion.

First, there is little respect for authority. Harry and his friends disrespect Snape and are very suspicious of him, thinking that he has tried to kill Harry. Their hatred for him is undisguised, and while it is reciprocated on the part of Snape, uncalled for. They also break rules constantly and are rarely punished. On the other hand, the head of their own dorm, Gryffindor, does punish them adequately. But other teachers who try to punish them are often portrayed as unjust.

Second, there is open hatred and students have a long tradition of hating students from certain other houses (such as Slytherin).

Third, all of the characters have character flaws that are never addresses. Harry has a horrible temper and often slacks off on his homework. The three teens have frequent petty arguments and jealousies, and as they get older, start to use poor language. There are some sexual references, although limited to kissing ("snogging") and Ron asking his sister if Harry has a tatoo on his chest (suggesting that she would have seen him shirtless). There are also family resentments in Ron's family, and annoying relatives are disrespected.

Conclusion

These character flaws, however, appear to be the weakest point in Harry Potter. Like any book, it requires discernment and careful reading, and I would probably guide high schoolers through it. But I think it is a good sign that Harry Potter is so popular, because it shows an appetite for books dealing with spiritual things rather than vacuous self-gratification. The element of magic by itself is not enough to dismiss an otherwise morally and philosophically sound series.



*I am not intending to discuss technical aspects of Harry Potter such as plot development, writing style, and other such techniques. That would be beyond the scope of my knowledge and time.

Cynicism, Depression, and Love

Cynicism is a topic beaten to death here. We hear about the reasons for it, the ways to combat it, the justification for it. But I don't think anyone truly understands the cause of it.

For me, any tendency toward cynicism is caused by seeing people for who they are.

We come into adulthood believing that adults had it all together. We believed that our parents always had the best in mind for us, the people always make sacrifices, that everyone learned how to share and get along. But when we get to the age where we see the truth, cynicism strikes.

I used to think that people, although evil at heart, would never be intentionally malicious. I didn't think that they would be openly hateful, and spew from their mouths whatever bad opinion they had of someone at that time. I did not understand that people sinned intentionally.

I used to think that my friends would never be jealous, that my roommates would never be annoyed at me without cause, and that my relatives always would have my best at heart. Cynicism happens when you realize the naivete of those thoughts. When your friend hates you for no apparent reason, when your roommate doesn't ask you for your side of the story, and when your relatives doesn't even notice your needs. Cynicism is the realization that for the rest of your life, you are going to be living with people who are horribly sinful, who want nothing but their own pleasure, and you realize that even the most spiritual of people have this awful shortcoming.

Cynicism, in short, is a way to hold onto your bitterness. Being angry is a way to protect yourself, because if you can be angry, you cannot be hurt. You cannot be convicted. You cannot stabbed, because you are in the right.

Depression is when you turn that cynicism in towards yourself. When you are hurt by others, and you see only your own failings. You see your failure to pay attention to your brother's needs, your failure to listen to your roommate, and you failure to be a perfect friend. Depression is the realization that for the rest of your life, you are going to have to live with yourself. Depression is a way to hold onto your justification. To be depressed, you cannot be blamed for your own sinfulness, because it appears you are aware of it. If you hate yourself, no one can blame you for not being better, because it's not your fault you are not perfect. It is a way to justify the escape from yourself, where you can run away from your sin nature and blame it on depression.

Cynicism and depression are only fought by one thing: love.

Love thinks no evil. Love believes all things. Love never fails. How can you be cynical when someone is loving you--or you are loving someone--in this way?

Of course, so many times this is the cause of cynicism. We see this standard for love, we see the utter failure of anyone to live it out, and we grow cynical. But to be cynical is to show a lack of faith. It is to deny the power of God, to deny His presence, and to say that His work in our lives is not enough to satisfy us. It is to say that He is not powerful enough to bring love into our lives, and that His example is not enough to satisfy us in Him and not in others.

The beginnings of cynicism is a healthy dose of realism. We should be aware that others are not perfect, that we are not perfect. We should know the depths of wickedness to which we are capable of descending.

But that realism is followed by a choice: to be faithless or faithful. To love or not to love. If we choose love, then we have chosen God. If we choose cynicism, we have chosen the world.