I've been a defender of Harry Potter for years. When I heard the fuss about the books, I pre-read the first one with caution. We don't do "new age" in my home. But fantasy literature we love. And I know that some people respond to fantasy literature, and even classic myth, with fear.
I read the books, and really liked them. They were not perfect (though now that the series is over, I see some of what I found originally problematic was actually an important part of the story and later resolved). But they were good. And there was a tremendous Pro Life message through the books. Christian Virtues (most of which are not exclusive to Christians, of course, and most of which are sadly under-practiced by Christians, none the less they are still "Christian Virtues") abounded. Our heroes did not always practice these virtues, but they were there. And they were VIRTUES. They were aspired to by the flawed characters, some of whom managed to grab em and some of whom never quite got it.
Today, on the wonderful Hogwarts Professor site, I read the best description of the books' Christian influence I've yet read: "As it is, it’s a work of fictional literature that is influenced by Christian belief. " (from a comment by blog reader Travis Prinzi).
Yes, Harry Potter is not a Christian Apology. It's not a Catechetical work. it's a "work of fictional literature that is influenced by Christian belief"
And we don't have enough of that these days.
You can read the
Hogwarts Professor here
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment