Harry Potter loves Jesus

About 5 or so years ago I decided to write a book about how the Harry Potter series connects so much with the teachings of Jesus. Half a decade later, all I’ve done is write a few scattered pages, a couple chapter outlines, and littered numerous scraps of paper with miscellaneous thoughts and ideas.

Seeing as how I completely lost hope like a car on blocks once I found out the cost of publishing ones own work, I figured I’d throw out some samples of what I had out here. If anyone likes them, I’ll show more, if not, then I’ve got something to toss into my ceiling fan.

One thing that absolutely makes my insides boil like hot Ramen noodles is when someone says Harry Potter is of the devil. I used to debate and discuss the obvious correlations between HP and Christ’s teachings against their repeated it’s about witchcraft and satan blah blah blah, usually ending with one or both of us biting our tongues. But then I quit arguing, because not a single one of the people who hate it so much honestly know anything about it and have never read a page, therefore unfit to debate or even discuss their side with a valid argument.

The books are for entertainment and can be interpreted and construed however one so pleases. I personally, choose to see the good in things and bring Christ out in everything I can. So, here are a few surface glances at my entirely unfinished notes on what it means to love the Harry Potter series and love Jesus (not in that order).

Friendship: One of the top 2 underlying themes throughout the entire HP series is the unbreakable bond of friendship and loyalty. Ron and Hermione stick with Harry through everything. They each had a couple pump fakes of their own, but for the most part they’re there to the end. So many series’ play on the love theme between a couple to carry oneanother’s burdens, but couples play a backseat in Harry Potter. Consistently, Ron and Hermione are risking everything for their friend. So many times they have the choice to walk away, to take the easier route, the safe route, but they don’t. They stick together. Jesus and His friends? Oh, the disciples? Yup, there’s loyalty there too. This would be a long chapter, and is too lengthy of a start as it is.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down his life for his friends. -John 15:13

The Wavering BFF: Peter (the Simon* one) turns his back on Jesus in His time of need. Three times he denies Christ, even to a little bitty girl (who was undoubtably wearing a sunflower dress while holding a Barbie). In the Deathly Hallows, Ron turns his back on Harry and ditches him in the tent. Yeah, his weakness was severely increased by the locket, but he faltered nonetheless. These two best friends of heroes both faltered due to fear. We cannot let the fear get us that far, we have to have such a firm grasp in what we believe backed up by our courage in our faith that we don’t get to that point of surrender. There is always redemption, as with both stories, but now they also have to live with the regret and knowledge that they turned their backs on the one they believed in.

Hallows vs Horcruxes: This is one of my favorite topics. This might require some Book 7 knowledge, so if you ain’t got it, skip this like a stone. Throughout the last book, Harry gradually becomes obsessed with finding and uniting the Hallows (cloak, stone, & wand) in order to defeat Voldemort. For good? Yes. Admirable? Yes. But is this what he was instructed by Dumbledore and believes in his heart to be his planned path? No. So many times we face this don’t we. Facing the choice between what is a good and noble thing, and what we know in our heart is what God has planned for us. Harry knows his chances of defeating Voldemort would be greater with the Elder Wand, but eventually relinquishes his obsession because he resolves to follow the path Dumbledore set out for him. Our desire is not to be a “Master of Death” (one who possesses all 3 Hallows), but to not fear death, for it is not the thing to be feared.

To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. -Albus Dumbledore

Self-Sacrifice: Wait, did Jesus have anything to say about this? Maybe, a little. This is constant in Harry Potter, from Lily in the very first book, to Harry in the very last book. Rowling consistently declares that this ultimate love overcomes any type of evil, any type of hatred. This self-sacrifice is what Christ did for us, and is emulated throughout the series as the ultimate act of love. Much, much more on this, but I must move on.

Choice: The amazing gift God gave us and (in my opinion) the main aspect of Harry Potter. God gives us the choice to follow Him, to do good over evil, to sin. At one point, Harry believes he must face Voldemort, and Dumbledore lets him know with passion that he does have to. He can walk away, choose to leave and not fight, that the destiny declared by Trelawny does not have to shape his life. Harry sees this, and chooses his almost certain demise because he knows it’s right. He even notes the difference this makes between “being dragged into the arena to fight and walking in with his head held high.” I’m going refrain from most of this, for the clock’s sake.

No Diggory, No Doubt: Harry grew up believing in Dumbledore and the good he stood for. He met with him, talked with him, and spent numerous hours with him. But then, when Dumbledore’s gone, doubt creeps in. Not only creeps, but busts into the room yelling in the form of articles and rumors. Harry’s faith is shaken. He has to come to grips with who Dumbledore was, what people claim he did versus what he stood for; who Harry knew he was over what people said he was. It’s the same way with God. We are constantly surrounded by people and media and books telling us this and that and questioning God and what He allows and His existence. Even though at times in our life, we’ve felt Him, we’ve spoke with Him (not texted per say), we know Him. But yet there are doubts that creep in. What we must do is choose the God we know, or the God people tell us to know.

There are so many more topics and chapters (Standing for What’s Right, Patience, Facing Adversity, Humility, etc.), but I feel this has already ran too long and I’ve probably already lost all of you like Matthew Fox.

That’s the tip of my iceberg that got smashed by the Titanic of realized literary mediocracy.

Your thoughts? Can I still go to heaven?

Sorry if this got too serious, just click pretty much any link on the site to return to irrelevance.

*Anyone else ever think even more people would’ve been converted in the beginning if he’d have gone by this name? He could’ve just started every sentence with Simon says…