I was thinking about the Potter series today, and the Christian themes within it. I was thinking of the way ordered, and disordered love was portrayed. How refreshing it was to read a book where families were cherished, and a large family which put children ahead of "things" was heroic. Where young people fell in love, got married, and had children. This love led to life, even though it sometimes required great sacrifice, even the ultimate sacrifice.
And we had some great examples of disordered love, and the tragedy it leads to. Some of the people involved were not evil, some greatly repented (Snape, for example), but the disordered love led to death.
There are few books where this is so clearly illustrated. It's in the natural fabric of the story. It's not preached. It just IS.
And that's a good thing.
Then tonight, I clicked on Sean Daily's "The Blue Boar" blog and found this:
http://theblueboar.blogspot.com/2008/03/shes-right.html#links
Many of us Christians really have missed the mark on the Potter books, and that is a shame on many levels.
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2 comments:
Thanks for the link, Mindi!
I was not able, in my post, to get into the many themes of love that Rowling explores, but you are right: how some Christians can miss the way Rowling portrays good and noble love and its benefits, and contrasts it to the tragic consequences that can come from disordered love, is beyond my ability to comprehend. So much the worse for them, I suppose, but it is really too bad.
-Sean
It's a rare book that has so many rich Christian themes, especially themes in need of illustration and discussion today.
And yet people do not see it. I really do not understand this.
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