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Anymore, it seems to be an annual rite where October 31 rolls around and news stations, due to the slow-news nature of Octobers, begin looking for “human interest” stories. The typical ones are those in which some Christian group is protesting Halloween, or staging ‘Hell-houses’, or doing something else rather public to call attention to its ‘bone to pick’ with this rather odd ‘Holiday’.
This year, as in several years past, these same groups get an ‘early Halloween gift’ in the form of a book – this year being the last (?) installment of the Harry Potter series. While I can’t say I have ever seen the need to boycott Halloween (my kids basically circle the small neighborhood dressed as doctors, pirates, princesses or various flora/fauna – we do avoid ghosts, vampires and monsters - and all of the families end up exchanging candy and chatting with their neighbors), I have been on both sides of the Harry Potter debate.
Early on (somewhere around Book 3), I was rather concerned when one of my kids received the books as a gift, when I had heard a great deal of negative press (via email chain-letters and a couple Christian newsletters screaming about the ‘evil’ inherent in Harry Potter).  Since they were a Christmas gift, I was able to temporarily ’lose’ them in the hustle and bustle to give myself time to decide whether or not to allow them to be read. In fact, both my wife and I were a little peeved that they were given in the first place, with all the furor over them (though, to be fair, the givers were of good intention and considered them to just be popular kids books, and hadn’t heard any of the fuss).
In all fairness, I was also somewhat anti-Harry because it had just been announced that the first Potter movie would be launched within a few weeks of the first Lord of the Rings movie (which I had been waiting 30-odd years for). Putting any kids fantasy book up against the gold-standard of fantasy rankled me a bit…
However, rather then just pitch the books based on rather shrill email warnings (which have now evolved into rather shrill watchblog articles), I decided to go ahead and read the first one to see what the fuss was over, and then decide whether or not to let my kids read them.Â
In the end, I decided to pass them on, as they were not occultic how-to manuals, or pro-wiccan propaganda – but simply fantasy stories (not incredibly well-written, but well-plotted) in a similar vein, though inferior to, LotR and Narnia. Additionally, they have led to a great deal of family discussion – both outside of the plot (what message is Rowling trying to get across – how is this similar/different to Christian teaching; Comparison to other fantasy works; Comparison of JKR’s use of ‘magic’ as a plot device vs. LotR vs. Narnia) and inside the plot (theorizing, explaining, etc.).
As each new book has come out, I have been first in line – originally as a gate-keeper, but now because rank has its privileges.
Honestly, I would not have passed them on if I intended to play completely ‘hands-off’ in discussing them (Rowling does not have the underlying moral structure of Tolkien and Lewis, and so her stories tend to lack the depth of these authors), but rather than create ‘forbidden fruit’ for my kids in something that is somewhat of a grey area (books in the fantasy/sci-fi genre), my wife and I decided to use it as a teaching opportunity. In fact, I did prohibit one child from reading them for a period of time until they were old enough – and mature enough – to separate fact from fiction in an appropriate manner.
I know a number of Christians, some who are close friends, who have come to an opposite conclusion for their families – which I respect and do not belittle. I also know a number of Christians who have come to a similar conclusion as mine. Additionally, I have known some believers who have struggled and tried (via numerous, sometimes convoluted, arguments) to ditch Harry while still embracing Gandalf and Aslan. I understand all three of these positions, as I have held all of them at one point or another.
Where I am now, though, is somewhat of a Christian libertarian position. The scriptures are NOT clear on the issue of how to address fictional stories – magic or no. The scriptures ARE clear on the actual practice of divination and sorcery, and I think that it is imperative that the lines between fact and fiction should not be blurred in these matters – and we’ve made that clear in our family. It is really dependent on a case-by-case analysis by the parent of the child(ren).
If Christians are to treat one another with charity in areas of disagreement on non-essentials, this is certainly one of them. Boycotts and blanket condemnations are not only unhelpful, but also tend to reveal the dark, somewhat facist, underbelly of modern Christianity that the world already charicatures – which detracts from our ability to be salt and light. Blanket denouncements of Christians convicted to avoid these books as stick-in-the-mud neophytes is disrespectful, and plays the body against itself – which also detracts from our earthly mission.Â
If we believe that it is OK for our children (or us) to read Harry Potter, we should not paint Christians who make the opposite decision for their children (or themselves) as culturally-backward troglodytes. If we believe that is it not OK for our children (or us) to read this literature, we should not paint brothers and sisters who make the opposite decision as compromising sell-outs, sacrificing their children to Molech. This is an issue where the best response is to lead within your family and to allow other Christians to do the same.
Are their tangential issues to the books to be concerned with? Certainly. Obsession – regardless of the object of obsession – is to be avoided. How much time is spent reading fiction vs. how much time is spent in more useful pursuits is certainly a topic for discussion. Blurring fantasy and reality is also something that must be avoided. How we deal with these and other tangential topics to fictional books/movies are certainly of import, but not such import that we judge others on their decisions to read or not to read.
For me, I’ll keep playing the guessing game until Saturday, and then I’ll move on. (My prediction, for those of you who care -which may only be one of you – is that Molly Weasely, Hagrid, Snape and Hedwig – sorry Tammy – won’t see the end of the book.)
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This entry was posted on Monday, July 16th, 2007 at 6:15 am and is filed under Arts & Culture, Moral Dilemmas, Religion/Philosophy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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I went for consistency. All year long I tell you not to take candy from strangers, so does it make any sense that I would send you out after dark to solicit candy from strangers? Do you want to go bowling or miniature golf?
We just made a family tradition of it. They never missed it.
Earlier this evening my youngest (9 yrs) went with me to meet some new people in town. She kept pulling my arm. When I finally gave her attention, she wanted to tell these people about Tamar, and why kings wear purple. She doesn’t even know Harry Potter is supposed to be a big deal because we have found a bigger deal.
Bob,
While fully I agree with the sentiment that we have an infinitely ‘bigger deal’ than Harry Potter, I also believe that to read or not to read is a family decision. There is a line to walk between being in a culture and being of that culture. Some choose to avoid the culture altogether, replacing it with something else – which is fine. Others choose to get closer to the line because that is where you engage the people who most need to hear and see the gospel lived out (which is why this blog is called ‘Fishing the Abyss’ – from our about page).
As for Halloween, I don’t consider the neigbors in my immediate neighborhood to be ’strangers’ in the sense of ‘don’t accept candy from strangers’. Rather, I consider them to be brothers and sisters (in a few cases) or people who need to see and hear (which, I believe is most effectively lived out in relationships…)
Last time I checked online, a walk around our block passes the homes of 14 convicted sex offenders. Although I talk with anyone who is out when I walk around the block, being the evangelist that I am, I have generally been more protective of my children. Rather than deprive them of something, we simply did something they perceived as better as a family.
My point was that we didn’t even have to make a family decision about Harry Potter. It simply isn’t an issue and never came up for discussion.
Yet we had a tramp live with us for three weeks while he recovered from pneumonia. And the first two years in ministry, my wife and I received half a dozen death threats every week. We considered the harassment as nothing compared to those who are really being persecuted.
If celebrating Halloween is living on the edge and allows you to share Christ with your neighbors, I’m all for it. But not celebrating Halloween doesn’t necessarily mean that folks aren’t engaged with those who need to hear. We just started working in a new area six weeks ago and God has allowed us to watch Him save three people, followed by two baptisms so far, out of the LDS church. We haven’t even had the opportunity to share Halloween with them yet, or not
I often find myself annoyed at Christians who use their cultural cluelessness as a badge of honor. I don’t think it’s the amazing achievement they think it is. Perhaps the intent is good, a way of showing an alternative, but it often comes off as smug: “My kids aren’t even aware of these worldly things. They play hymns on the piano and read Spurgeon.” That’s an extreme, of course, but I think you get my point. No one is as pure as the driven snow, and listing the exterior ways that they have remained untainted does nothing to address the interior, sometimes more vile and tricky sins, that lurk below. Sins like pride, one of the absolute worst to overcome.
Not being able to talk about Harry Potter is fine, I suppose. Not being able to talk about anything of the world, and wanting to talk about Tamar sounds fine. But I wonder how that will work later in life? How will these kids be around people who are not brought up in the Bible (a growing problem) and therefore don’t have any reference for anything they have to say? That is the importance of being able to work with story and art and culture, to make the analogies and the references and what is needed to have discussion. I think of stories I’ve read of missionaries who had such impossiblities in explaining Christ to cultures where deceit was valued. Christ made no sense. So they found a story in the culture that they could use to relate the message of Christ. We have to learn to speak “other languages” to speak to others that don’t understand our language.
Great! I am interested in how to share Christ by finding a redemptive analogy in Halloween.
While we’re there, I am also ignorant of how to tell a four year old what the five year old meant when he said, “Let’s play house, but let’s not get married, let’s just have sex.”
One would be hard pressed to convince me that sheltering my kids was wrong.
I have three adult children who were raised in the heartland of a cult. I know how they turned out. We are working on our surprise nine year old now.
I am here on the blog for a simple reason, Chris does a great job of teaching the historical context of the Bible. He took an interest in remez. I have experience in drash and sod.
I’m sorry if I stepped on your toes. But frankly, I don’t know enough about “living on the edge” your style to comment on it. So I will bow out of the cultural discussions and stick to the theology.
I have never criticized ministry style, as long as it wasn’t void of content.
So far, the discussion on Halloween and Harry Potter is still void of Christological content. So if the big point is that we have to be around people to witness to them. I agree.
If the point is that we have to read Harry Potter and celebrate Halloween in order to share Christ in the post-modern world, then I’ll toss it in the rubbish bin with those who say there was no hope for those who were psychologically troubled until Freud.
Chris, Chris, Chris, I fear you are correct but you must increase your list. It appears that six of our key characters die. Hagrid, Lupin, Mad Eye, Hermione, Tonks, Percy – I cannot say Molly – I believe Harry will need a family to live. Perhaps Harry will die in the Hollow where his parents died bringing it all full circle. We will know soon. PLease send me an email so that we can email Saturday. If you Skype, Skype me.
Bob,
I think that there are a number of valid responses to sharing Christ in the post-modern world. My primary point was that we need to allow the charity among brothers on exactly what that response should be. “How close to the edge” they can be without becoming ‘of the world’ is a judgment call that families and church communities should be allowed.
Whether that response is avoidance of or familiarity with the culture is not a one-size-fits-all dictate.