As I am road-tripping to Colorado to visit some dear friends, I have been (for the last several days) trying to collect my thoughts and feelings, as I have just had to say goodbye to several dear friends... for good. I have been on a fantastic journey since March that I completed on Wednesday and I tearfully watched the precious people I grew to love disapparate back into the imagination of their creator.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Erica Martinez has finally read the ever-famous series. I read all seven Harry Potter books and have come out on the other side inspired, touched, and so deeply in love with the story of the boy who lived... I sort of feel like a rebel.
Rebel? You wonder. Yes, for you see I grew up in the midst of the controversy where on one side, the idea of the use of sorcery and magic for anything other than the dark deeds of the evil one, was akin to the unforgivable sin and likewise, the mere association with such an idea. The other, more popular side held to the idea that Harry Potter and company was a quite harmless, fantasy story. While I greatly disapproved of the mass book burnings at churches and homes that I heard about, I, to some small degree, tended toward the negative view towards these best-selling books. On the other hand, now that I have actually read them, I’m not about to write (or read) a book like “Finding God in Harry Potter” because God (at least the holistic picture of Yaweh God spoken of in the Bible) is not a thing that I believe to be present in these books. Similarly, I do not think it is an appropriate series for children because of the vast misuse of magical principles and the misleading lovability of such magic. I do, however, hold strongly to the belief that Harry Potter is useful and admirable in its purpose, execution, and values as well as the fact that it is an entirely captivating and beautifully written story.
I could digress into a factual list of problems that I noticed with the story, like some of the flaws in a few of the main characters, or some of the attack tactics, to name a few. Instead, however, I want to focus on the victories that Rowling wrote of. I say this because I do not expect Rowling to have birthed a story without flaws in the same way that I do not expect Lewis, Tolkein, or Bunyan to have in their tales, as we know they did not. Besides, nothing on the planet is written with the same authority and truth that the Bible because man is fallible and our understanding is limited. Through the exploration of the imagination and the telling of stories of things that reflect something greater than ourselves, however, I believe that we can come closer to understanding a thing itself and that is where fantasy comes in (and, as a matter of fact, is the aspiration of The Curtain Calls).
Before I continue, I think I must make myself clear in describing the reason why I say that I do not think Harry Potter is appropriate for children, considering that it is written for children. It is because in the books there is the frequent casting of spells, incantations, fortune telling, the bewitching of inanimate objects and overall supernatural invocation of “magic”. Much to the distress of Christians all over the world, all these things that I have just mentioned, are real, powerful, and so very much nearer and dearer to the every day fray of spiritual warfare than most Christians would give credit for. Some say that it is just harmless fantasy much like a fairy godmother’s unique transformation of clothes and pumpkins. Still others argue that there is a difference between fantasy-magic and Rowling’s use of magic because Rowling borrows names and concepts from real, dark magic that is of the devil and, in my heart of hearts, I can only resist so long before I agree that much of the spiritual occult results out of a curiosity and a very simple and natural love of power that starts from an innocence much like the kind that Rowling reflects in her novels. A simple, childlike, and un-careful curiosity that frightens the hell out of me (I say that literally), however, is the only reason why I would not allow any child of mine of an elementary age to read these books. That being said, and as long as “vigilance, constant vigilance” (as was the motto of one of the heroes in this story, Mad-Eye Moody) is practiced, I have concluded that this book is quite harmless and in fact, quite impeccable.
The value of the bond between families, the unquestioned commitment of marriage, the brilliant distinction between wicked lies and valiant truth, the constant display of bravery and heroism, the continuous love-sacrifice, the unanimous tenet among the heroes that there are things in this world that are worth living and dying for, the never-ebbing flow of mercy, forgiveness, and grace, the perseverance to hold on to truth even under extreme persecution... these are just a small fraction of the good, true, and beautiful principles upheld throughout this book.
Rowling didn’t get everything right as evidenced by the controversy that this series has brought about, but neither did the ancient genius Plato. Plato understood the separation of body and soul after death, the cosmos (that is to say: things that are bigger than the human soul), the need for atonement or sacrifice, the created being that necessitates a creator. He understood all those things even better than most Christians despite the fact that he did not serve Yaweh, God to my knowledge... yet he is still uniquely effective in helping modern day thinkers to understand our faith. He got things wrong, but cannot be tossed off the cart of usefulness just because everything he says isn’t 100% true. I’d have to throw everyone off too if that were my reasoning... and, if I was honest with myself, I’d have to jump off as well because of how little I actually understand despite my continuous quest for truth. As such, if I am careful, I can use Rowling’s impression of a dark world and good, brave heroes to inspire me to die to myself and seek to end darkness with every fiber of my being. This is precisely how the series moved me throughout the journey and I have nothing left inside of me but to take my hat off to the brilliant woman who conjured up such a story of magnanimous light and love.
