Word of Truth Ministries – Kenya

PART TWO: THE BIBLE AND HARRY POTTER

By Reuben Kigame

In the last Issue of “Reason”, we surveyed what Harry Potter is all about, showing the two sides of what has become a very controversial print series. In this second discussion, we will shine the biblical torch on Rowling’s books and test her writing using God’s ultimate standard for truth.

Let us begin by observing that there is no empty controversy, and that every contention is often about something specific. Therefore, instead of shining the biblical torch on all the themes in Rowling’s books, – something we cannot achieve in this limited space – we will narrow our focus on the main object of controversy in her books, that is, the use of magic as a platform for passing on the lessons she intends for her readers.

Many Christian ministers and apologists object to children reading the Potter series on the basis of their magical content. They argue that the books open the door for the readers’ involvement in the occult, something the Bible forbids. Both Rowling and readers of the series do not dispute that the books contain and depict their characters as using magic, ranging from the defeat of Harry’s chief enemy, Lord Voldemort to such acts as the drinking of unicorn blood to gain supernatural powers. While many Christians outrightly challenge Rowling’s decision to employ magic in her books, arguing that the Bible condemns it, she and some of her admirers argue that not all magic is evil and hence not all of it is ungodly. They observe that this harmless kind of magic, variously known as “white magic” is what is employed throughout the series. In “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”, Rowling actually goes to great lengths to discuss the quality, value and dangers of books, perhaps as a means of responding to her critics who say her books are dangerous. John Granger in “Looking for God in Harry Potter” defends the position that the series is entirely Christian in its message and symbolism and that Harry Potter is really a type of Christ especially in his overcoming of death with life and hate with love.

Chapter one of Granger’s book opens with the words, “The sorcery in Harry Potter supports biblical teaching, not practice of the occult.” He, as well as some people I have talked to on this question, say that Harry Potter is merely a story like the Narnia series or the Lord of the Rings, which portray wizards and witches in a positive light.

Granger argues that Scripture contains material about occult practices and nowhere on its pages does it condemn reading material with occult elements in it. He concludes that the magic in Harry Potter is no more likely to encourage real life witchcraft than time-traveling science fiction novels encourages readers to seek passage to previous centuries.

Christian proponents of the Potter series distinguish between bad and good magic. They say that sorcery is bad magic because it is invocational, i.e. uses magic to call in evil supernatural powers to accomplish evil ends. Good magic, they say, is incantational in that it is beneficent and uses spells to bring in the good and ward off destructive agents for the good of the individual. This, they argue, is in keeping with the English fantasy tradition going as far back as Shakespeare’s play, “The Tempest”, to the Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis. In short, it is believed that there is a difference between demonic (invocational) and godly (incantational) magic, and that the magic practiced in Harry Potter is godly.

Since the Bible is our ultimate standard in judging what is acceptable and what is not, we raise three questions here:

1. Does the Bible support this distinction between invocational and incantational magic?
2. Is the use of and fascination with “white magic” ungodly? And
3. For the Christian, is there anything wrong with reading or telling stories with witches and wizards in them?

First, does the Bible acknowledge this distinction? At least not in those terms. Perhaps the closest mirror to such a distinction is the story of the Israelites’ encounter of Balaam and Balak. A reading of Numbers will show that the use of spells is not uncommon in the Bible. A good example is the attempted spell on Israel by the Amorite king, Balak. This incident is set within the context of cursing and blessing. Balak hires Balaam to curse the Israelites through sorcery, but the Lord reverses the sorcerous spell. We read in Numbers 24:1-10: “Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, but he set his face towards the wilderness. … Then Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together: And Balak said to Balaam, ‘I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times!’”

We must note here that this distinction, however, does not imply God’s approval of occultic involvement, even when it brings profits to many. Occultic involvement is forbidden even when it purports to defend God’s course. This is the reason why Christ and the apostles still cast out demons even when the demons acknowledged God’s power or His work. We read of this disapproval in Acts 16:16-18: “Now it happened as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, ‘These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation’. And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour.”

The Harry Potter series, certainly, is extremely profitable to Rowling and those who have followed her books with movie series. Yet, it is clear that God could reject even what is economically profitable to humans as seen in the above passage.

Now we need to answer the second question. Is the use of magic ungodly? Here, we need to agree that the Bible is the Word of God. Logically, if the Word of God condemns something, it should not be done. It is plain through a reading of both the Old and New Testaments that God condemns occultic practices of every kind, whether they look harmful or harmless. What would be so harmful, say, about using charms such as amulets, throwing arrows into the air and observing the pattern formed when they fall, or gazing intently at the liver? Why would anyone feel uncomfortable with the practice of studying the movements of the stars or gazing into a bowl or large cup of water? As long as they are occultic, God does not want them as the Scriptures tell us in Ezekiel 13:13-19, 21:21, Isaiah 47:13, Genesis 44:5, 15, Galatians 5:19-21 and Revelation 21:8 among other passages. We might say it is fun or sport, good reading or something entertaining; but if God rejects it, it is not to be done.

As observed earlier, many of Rowling’s admirers argue that if magic is used positively then it is acceptable. They say that if a spell is cast for good ends it is of God. A reading of Ezekiel 13:17-19 leaves us in doubt that this is true. Here, God tells Ezekiel to set his face against those who prophesy out of their own heart. Verse 18 records God’s words: “Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of my people, and keep yourselves alive?” Note that even though magicians were among the chief advisers to kings in many countries recorded in the Bible, their power has been presented as inferior to God’s and their work often pitted against God’s will. (See Exodus 7 and Daniel 2). Those who practice magic are often presented as being against faith and in several Bible passages as being anti-God. (see Acts 13).

The Bible is outrightly opposed to involvement in or with sorcery primarily because sorcerers derive their power from demonic forces. Deuteronomy 18:10-11 categorically states: “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.” Occult practices in Israel were associated with pagan idolatry, and God condemned those who practiced them. Manasseh was condemned for rebuilding the high places Hezekiah, his father, had destroyed, raising up altars for Baal and making a wooden image as Ahab had done. 2 Kings 21:6 says that Manasseh also made his son “pass through the fire”, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. The Bible says in this way he did much evil in the sight of the Lord “to provoke Him to anger.”

Note that witchcraft here is grouped alongside the other occultic practices Harry Potter proponents admit to be harmful.

Galatians 5:19-21 does not distinguish between good and bad occultic practices. Sorcery is listed here as a “work of the flesh”. In many contexts, witchcraft, the preoccupation of Hogwarts and the Potter world is understood as being synonymous with sorcery. The Bible puts it clearly in verse 21 that “those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” To say that one practices the good kind of something for which there is the consequence of banishment from the Kingdom of God is absurd. Not only is sorcery condemned in Revelation 9:21 as something that should be repented of, but is listed as a sin that will lead to the “lake which burns with fire and brimstone.” Sorcerers are listed alongside the sexually immoral, murderers and liars of those who will be outside the Holy City of God in Revelation 22:15.

Now we can answer the last question raised above. Is there anything wrong with reading books or listening to stories with occult content in them? I guess the only way to know that such media have occult content is by reading them or engaging with them. This is what all adult Christians should do, i.e. engage the world on behalf of posterity. Nevertheless, to recommend occult material for our children, even for the purpose of supposedly passing on Christian values and virtues is, in my estimation, a little irresponsible. We are to train children in the way they should go. (Proverbs 22:6). We are to introduce them to the Law of the Lord rather than books written with explicit occult content. (Deuteronomy 6:1ff). If there is anything valuable in books such as Rowling’s that ought to be passed to the young, then the adults should digest such and pass it on by way of illustration. The point here is not that we cannot employ non-biblical myths and narratives to teach the young, but that we must not surrender our children to content the Lord says we should avoid. We have raised healthy and successful children before 1997 when Rowling’s books first appeared. Our children will not understand Christianity any better through the eyes of Rowling or Lewis than in reading explicit accounts of Christ and His followers.

In conclusion, Christians believe in the power of the living Christ, but they do not view that power as if it is magical. It would seem to me that insinuating that ordinary magic can symbolize the risen Christ and lead people to faith in Him is in fact somewhat blasphemous. A reading of Acts 19:13-16 will prove this point. The Jewish exorcists as well as the sons of Sceva come to realize that a mere use of the name of Christ without faith in Him can be disastrous. If the world will not admire Christ if presented as clearly as He is in the Gospels, I am not sure that they will necessarily like Him when He is enshrouded in the mysterium of Pottermania. Just because a C.S. Lewis or a Rowling has used fantasy to present the Gospel does not make their medium infallible. Having taken this hard line on the matter, I would like to conclude by saying that, if anyone is edified as an adult in reading these books and is honestly drawn close to the God of the Bible rather than to some “god” out there, then so be it. I would treat such an inclination as Paul treated food offered to idols in 1 Corinthians 8.

Join us in the next Issue for the last Part of this discussion when we talk about Harry Potter and your Child.

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