Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. * Hebrews 3:12-13 (NLT)

It is clear to me that few are not passionate about what they feel or believe about Harry Potter.  If you are against the books you are very against them, if you are for the books (even as a casual reader) you will be offeneded by anyone who says you are reading junk (to put it nicely).  I have heard from and of many that are judgemental, bitter, and quite vocal in their hatred for our boy hero and the author who is sharing his story with us.  Every time i have heard Christians' opinions and complaints against Harry Potter several things have been very obvious:  either the critic has not read the books and believes lies they have heard about the books' content or they claim to have read the books and are spreading more lies about the books' content.  In both situations the complainer looks foolish to the fan because the fan knows that what is being said isn't actually true.

I'm afraid that many Christians--even if they have read the books--are misinterpreting the content and Rowling's intent in writing the series.  Many do not seem to know or care that Rowling professes to be a Christian:  they seem content to believe easy lies instead of difficult and profound truths.  What then, can i say to my brethren who are opponents to Harry Potter when they are so secure in this deception?  For it seems sadly clear to me that my Christian brethren have hardened their hearts against God, too.  This is a very controversial subject:  even when i had hardly begun this area of my site i had received one letter thanking me for standing up for Harry Potter and another warning me away from the series.  I don't wish to judge other Christians but this lies heavy in my heart:  Satan seems to have a stronghold over hearts that rightly belong to Jesus.  He knows Scripture, he is the great deceiver, and he is laughing at us because someone misconstrued a satire.  Not only has the truth been run away by the slanderous idea that Rowling is against Jesus and her books are evil, but Christians have expounded upon this lie to their loss.  Consider what John wrote:

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is the way to find out if they have the Spirit of God: If a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ became a human being, that person has the Spirit of God.  If a prophet does not acknowledge Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist. You have heard that he is going to come into the world, and he is already hear. * I John 4:1-3 (NLT)

I know that i have sinned in this as well:  there are fellow Christians that i have known and not loved.  I struggle with this daily.  This is why it is so clear to me that God does not ever want us to harden our hearts.  Why?  Because we won't be hardening our hearts against Satan, but against Him.

The Bible teaches us to come like children (Matthew 18:1-6) and search for the truth for ourselves (I Thessalonians 5:19-22).  Even children know that Harry Potter is just make believe.  The "spells" are words in latin mixed with other languages.  If one is against the books' potions maybe they should stop cooking or using chemisty (alchemy is, after all, the forebearer of chemistry).  If one is against the series' magical content maybe they should stop wearing knit clothing because knitting was originally a magical art ("Cast On a Spell, Vogue Knitting International, Fall '01).

Lastly, if one cannot justify reading the series because they don't see God in it perhaps they had better stop reading series such as The Circle (Dekker), Left Behind (LaHaye and Jenkins), Lord of the Rings (Tolkien), and the Bible (in case you can't tell, i'm being sarcastic)...  God is not always obviously present in every page of His Word (look at the books of Ruth, Esther, and Job in which God is mostly silent).  Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Daniel, and Jesus Christ are just a few Bible characters who could be accused of using magic if one did not understand their gifts were from God (Matthew 10:25b).

Harry is not real but if he were... could anyone fault him for trying to control the gift God gave him (for where else could he have gotten it) and use it to the benefit of others?  Harry is as much of a Jesus figure as Frodo, Gandalf, and Aragorn are in Lord of the Rings (no, he isn't Jesus, yes he displays Christ-like qualities such as love, bravery, and self-sacrifice).  Harry didn't ask to be a wizard:  he didn't ask for the responsibility of defeating Voldemort, he is never trying to get more power for himself:  should we judge him for being responsible, courageous, and Christ-like about things that are outside his control?  Satan wants to hide the truth with irrational fear and ignorance:  do not let him!

Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. * 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NLT)

Do not limit God.  He chooses to use the things the world considers foolish (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).  I have decided to dig deep into Harry Potter and discover the truth for myself.  I freely take the chance that God might take away from me this series that i desperately love because i love Him exponentionally more.  I want Him to be free to mold me into whom He would have me to be and to reveal to me His will and His ideas (not my own).  I follow God on His terms (Matthew 16:24-25).

Each time i see, hear, read, think about Harry Potter i become overwhelmed with a sense of God's love and power and blessings... which is an encouragement that is rare for me in this dark night of the soul.  Each time i look to Harry for comfort i become more convinced that it was God's will for me to read these books.  That does not mean i do not ask Him to tell me if i am wrong:  all that i love belongs to God to use as He will or to take away from me if He so chooses.  I am merely in search of the truth, truth that i find for myself and hear from God alone.

I pray that you would do the same.  You don't have to read Harry Potter if you don't want to, but certainly don't limit God if He wants to use the series in your life or the lives of others.  Most importantly, please listen to the advice of Solomon:

There are six things the LORD hates--no, seven things He detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord among brethren. * Proverbs 6:16-19 (NLT)