This is an article my friend wrote about Harry Potter. It was the product of many discussions we had after church. We have kids in our church on both sides of the issue, so there have been some interesting debates. I think this article sums up my beliefs about the subject just about perfectly. (Ignore the odd numbering; my friend said the format got messed up when he copied and pasted it from Word.)
Harry Potter
Or,
Witchcraft in Fantasy
This is a complicated issue, so I want to lay down some basic groundwork before I get down to the nitty-gritty about the actual move series.
1.What is witchcraft? Biblically defined, witchcraft is any form of dealing with demons, whether it’s communicating with them, using them to call up spirits, being possessed of one, or etc. Anything unless you’re casting them out. Something I see in many people is a basic, if unspoken, disbelief in the reality of witchcraft—especially among people like myself. This must be driven from our minds. Witchcraft is real. Demons are real. Witches, wizards, warlocks, necromancers, whatever you want to call them—are real. This isn’t just a scare tactic. I’m just stating a fact that for many of us, and thank God is it so, seems so far away or irrelevant that we can conveniently ignore it.
1.Things to consider when judging the worth—or worthlessness—of any movie. A.Most (though I think I could safely say all) secular movies will have “objectionable elements” i.e. sin, evil, wickedness, and etc., particularly to the Christian viewer. Wrong views of marriage, love, intimacy, witchcraft, rebellion, the roles of men and women in society and the family—all of these and more permeate much of today’s secular movies. Which leads me too…
B.Witchcraft is a sin…just like all the rest. While it must be admitted that there are definite degrees of heinousness in all of these areas, witchcraft is still “just a sin.” Not that that is a small thing, though. No, not at all. But it seems to me that so often we view witchcraft as the ‘cardinal sin’ when it comes to fantasy, books or movies. Do you allow your children to watch movies in which the good guys kiss (please don’t take that wrong), and yet staunchly refuse to let any form of ‘good magic’ onto the screen? Do you watch movies in which the hero is rebellious and disobedient (but of course it all works out in the end, right?) and yet hold to the standard that any hint of ‘good magic’ is inherently impermissible? To me, that seems a double standard. I believe one can watch a movie in which the hero kisses his girlfriend (and disapprove), as much as watch a movie in which the hero uses ‘good magic’ (and disapprove). Watching a movie with sinful elements in it is not automatically sinful. It can very well be a waste of time, a stumbling block, a conscience-hardening agent; all of which are bad. But it’s not automatically sinful. And a movie with sinful elements is not automatically, as a whole, sinful. It merely contains sin, which must be guarded against in all of its many forms. No, I’m not saying “watch an R-rated movie as long as you disapprove the bad parts.” No. If the core of the plot is based on blatant sin, your safest move is to stay away.
1.The nitty-gritty. So what about ‘good magic’? What about ‘good witches’? What about Harry Potter?
A.Good magic?
No such thing. Real-world magic is in reality witchcraft. I’m not talking about sleight-of-hand tricks. I’m talking about real supernatural events. That type of magic is never good, and to portray it as good in any way is sinful. But so many times, magic, in a fantasy world, takes on a different meaning. It is a ‘power’ to tap into, and is not (necessarily) associated with demons. In the real world, that’s not real magic, that’s a fairy-tale. So to portray that as good is not wrong. Good guys can use ‘magic’ in a fantasy world, as long as that ‘magic’ isn’t real witchcraft, and that’s fine.
Harry Potter: If Harry gets his power from fantasy magic, a mysterious force that is not related to devils, it’s okay. But if he gets his power from devils, that’s…not okay.
1.Good witches?
No such thing. A witch is someone who associates with and works through demons/devils. By definition, they cannot be good. To portray any such person as good is bad. But if a ‘witch’ works his stuff by a ‘special power’ not related to devils, he’s not really a witch, and not bad, merely a fantasy character with ‘amazing superpowers.’
Harry Potter: If he uses real witchcraft, to portray him as a ‘good witch’ is to twist the truth. If he uses a fantasy ‘good magic’ not related to devils, he’s a “good witch” i.e. a ‘fantasy character with amazing superpowers.’
1.Harry Potter?
Will I watch Harry Potter? Not in the near future (if ever). My parents disapprove the series, and for good reasons, so I won’t watch them. End of story. However, I don’t think it is wrong to watch them, even if Harry Potter really uses real witchcraft! That may be a surprise, but Batman has a girlfriend. Bad. And he kisses her. Bad. He is the good guy, the hero, and something sinful he does is made to look good. Bad. [Maybe we should call him Badman, huh?] But I still watch(ed) it, and I don’t think it is wrong to watch it.
If Harry Potter doesn’t use real witchcraft, there is less reason not to watch it, the same as if Batman didn’t have a girlfriend who he kissed. Or Aragorn. Or Caspian. Or…you get the point.
Though I don’t think it is wrong to watch Harry Potter, I do not believe that it is right or fine to portray witchcraft as possibly good, or to portray the good guy as a “good” witch. That is bad. But it’s not necessarily bad to watch a movie with stuff like that in it.
So if Harry uses real witchcraft, the movie series is BAD. But it’s not BAD to watch them.
1.More nitty-gritty.
Harry Potter has adverse effects on some people, getting them interested in the real-world occult practices. That is bad.
But on the other hand, many other movies have adverse effects on many people in other areas: bad views of ‘falling in love,’ no regulations for pre-marital intimacy (from hugs and kisses to the most blatant expressions), and the list could go on. And all that is bad, too.
To be consistent, if you don’t watch Harry Potter because of witchcraft being portrayed as good (assuming that Harry uses the real kind), don’t watch Batman because of the kissing scenes being portrayed as good. They are both evil made to look good or enjoyable (yes; horror of horrors, in case you haven’t already guessed, I do believe that premarital kissing is wrong). Granted, there are differences between the two examples, but I think you get the point.
1.Common opinions I don’t agree with.
A.“Don’t watch ANY secular movies.”
They’re sure to be unbiblical in at least one area, a potential stumbling-block; so don’t watch them. No double standard there, which I like.
But in many cases, the plot is what shines through in a movie, and is why we entertain ourselves with it. The sinful parts are a part of life and should be ignored, shunned, discussed, and argued against from Scripture. Please don’t think I’m saying it’s okay to watch “just anything” for the sake of the plot. I’m not saying that.
1.“Everyone has their own opinion.”
Typical pacifist’s quick way out of an argument…and dangerously close to the pit of relativism. True, we all have opinions; but so does God. And His trumps ours.
We must take care to discern what His will is before we form our own opinions.
1.“I don’t have an opinion; I know it’s wrong.”
Typical authoritarian’s overbearing ‘argument’ to blast away all opposing viewpoints…and not much of a persuasion technique, or much of an argument.
No more comment…I know that opinion is bad.
In summary, if Harry uses real witchcraft and is still portrayed as a “good” witch, the series is fundamentally bad and twisting the truth. If he is merely using a fantasy power that has no relation to devils, it is not bad to represent him as the good guy.
In the first or second case, it is not inherently sinful to watch the movie series, provided your motives are right and you’re not just wasting your time.
It's settled.
I mean the new info is cool but I don't want to have to be on the computer to read it. What I'm really itching for is a HP encyclopedia...
Another soul won for Harry Potter!!
