This essay discusses with regard to J. k. Rowling's series of books "Harry Potter". The paper concentrates on the numerous paralells that one can find between the books and Christian Tradition. While it would be difficult to determine whether Rowling actually wanted the book to play a religious role, it is nonetheless intriguing to observe the obvious links between Christianity and Harry Potter.
Rowling's series of fantasy novels "Harry Potter" have had a strong impact on the contemporary society and on how people perceived fantasy novels in general. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is the seventh and final book from the series and it has generated much controversy with regard to how it tends to step away from attitudes promoted in its predecessors by introducing several Christian references. This came as a surprise for many of the series' readers, as some were inclined to believe that Rowling had introduced ideas related to witchcraft and the occult. Individuals who are familiar with Christian traditions are probable to associate many events in the books with particular Christian concepts.
Many readers are likely to find that the last book in the Harry Potter franchise is meant to play an important role in spiritually uplifting them and that it is generally intended to put across a series of moral ideas in relationship to Christianity.
One can find many parallels between biblical characters and characters in Rowling's text, as there are several similarities between Harry and Jesus, Dumbledore and God, Harry's friends and the disciples, Voldemort and Satan, and Professor Snape and the apostle Paul. Rowling has gone as far as to create a fictional world meant to provide readers with a more complex understanding concerning the life of Jesus, the connection between people and divinity, and a multitude of personalities in the Bible.
Harry is shown as a character that is easily distinguishable from other individuals and his tendency to trust ideas that most people would ignore further contributes to him seeming to be different. "Just as Harry believed in what he could not see, and was prompted to obey even odd-sounding instructions, likewise those who believe God's word will obey it and will follow the path of those who went before us into God's kingdom." (Neal 21)
The books emphasize Harry's determination to resist evil by relating to how he would be a very good wizard if he were to join the Slytherin community. However, the protagonist exercises his free will and decides that he is going to join the Gryffindors in spite of the fact that he presumably has less chances of experiencing success as a part of this respective group. "Perhaps he was destined for Gryffindor all along, chosen before he ever sat on the stool, but the hat wanted to give him the chance to exercise his own will by choosing to resist evil." (Neal 23) This character appears to be predestined to fulfill a great calling and constantly chooses to reject evil in spite of the fact that he is provided with numerous occasions to do so. Some might even say that he has a complex understanding of the situation that he is in and decides to refrain from choosing evil and the numerous apparent benefits that can come along with him doing this.
The fact that Harry chose to be a part of the Gryffindor community can be understood from a Christian perspective by considering the context of being chosen through God's grace. The concept of free will as being characteristic to Christians also contributes to reinforcing the idea that Rowling wanted to show Harry as a person who was provided with the chance to choose whether or not he wanted to connect with divinity.
While some simply regard the Harry Potter series as being Rowling's attempt to provide her readers with the opportunity to learn more about the Bible by focusing on a more modern description of the text, others have gone even further and have been inclined to believe that there is actually a spiritual force behind these books -- one that is meant to reach out to individuals and make it possible for them to first acknowledge the importance of believing and to then connect with the divine (Wohlberg 27). This leads to a series of questions with regard to what exactly might be fueling the books' tendency to connect with their readers to a greater degree when compared to typical manuscripts.
The question of "What would Jesus do" is particularly intriguing in the context of the Harry Potter series. By linking Jesus' attitudes with Harry's behavior, one would be inclined to consider that most of Potter's actions are in agreement with Jesus' thinking. This in turn would bring on the question of whether or not parents should allow their children to read the series and even if someone who is a devoted Christian should. "Reading Harry Potter is a disputable matter because we are not debating whether it is ok for Christians to practice witchcrafts or cast spells." (Neal 2-89)
While the Christian position on Harry Potter would be easy to observe by considering Deuteronomy 18:9-14, the matter is more complex than this. Reading Harry Potter from a Christian perspective can involve having to interpret its messages rather than to take them literally. The previously mentioned question of "What would Jesus do?" is somewhat irrelevant in this context, as this question is probable to make it possible for some readers to be able to interpret the text.
It would be wrong to assume when considering Jesus' perspective with regard to the Harry Potter series. "Jesus might show love and acceptance to the kids who love Harry Potter, never looking down on those who read the books nor casting a sideways glance of disapproval at a kid who wears a Harry Potter T-shirt." (Neal 2-92) Such thinking makes it possible for someone to realize that Christianity as a whole is based on interpretations and that taking things literally can have terrible results (especially when considering Christian history).
The idea of love is certainly one of the most powerful Christian parallels that one can find in the Harry Potter series. The "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" text emphasizes that "it is impossible to manufacture or imitate love." (Rowling) This expression, when understood from a perspective involving Harry Potter, leads to the conclusion that similar to Jesus, Harry felt true love and that he had the capacity to experience its power. The protagonist's love goes further than traditional depictions of love, as he is willing to give his life in order for his friends to live. Sacrifice is a dominant idea throughout the books and is generally meant to have readers refrain from treating the texts superficially. This is a person who does not hesitate to suffer in order to save others, thus being very similar to Jesus. "The entire series is about learning, and -- as he learned about power and weakness -- Harry also learns about sacrifice." (Bell 124)
Harry Potter is a character who knows the difference between right and wrong and in spite of his humanly hatred for Voldemort, he cannot refrain from acknowledging the events that led to his enemy's suffering. The fact that his scar enables him to experience Voldemort's emotions further contributes to making it possible for him to understand that this particular character's soul is struggling to survive as a moral individual.
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