Christian Themes in Harry Potter

Since the Harry Potter series have been introduced to the world Christians have decried the books as pagan. Those who hold this belief claim that they are encouraging children to turn to magic, such as Voodoo and the Wiccan arts. They believe it is poisoning the children's minds against Christianity and that no Christian parent should buy such books. I have even met a Christian who fell into the anti-Harry Potter craze while at the same time realizing that children are not that stupid. He justified his position by saying that there was a humanist message in the books. The irony of all this is that the Harry Potter books contain Christian themes.

The first of these themes occurs at the beginning of the story-not the books, the timeline of the story-when Harry's mother refuses to step aside and allow Voldemort kill the infant Harry Potter. Voldemort proceeds to kill her and attack Harry, only to discover that her sacrifice had created a magical protection around the boy. The curse not only failed to kill its intended victim, but also backfired on its caster. This protection continued to play a key role in books even after Voldemort restored his body by using Harry's blood, giving him the same protection that flowed through Harry's veins. To any Christian, it should be obvious how this relates to the Bible. When Jesus died on the cross, he died for even for sins that had yet to be committed. His sacrifice changed the laws of Heaven and Hell with a permanency quite similar to that of the protection around Harry, although in the end Harry's protection does have an expiration date.

Another major theme is one that is emphasized throughout the book: love. Truth be told, Harry never defeats Voldemort because of any skill of his own, but rather because other people come to his aid. Voldemort's absolute disregard for love leaves a long list of mistakes, all of which become advantages for Harry. At the end of the series, the Death Eaters are defeated because they made the mistake of attacking Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When word gets out that many of the older students have stayed behind to defend the castle, wizarding families from all over the British Isles rush to the village of Hogsmeade-powerful enchantments prevent wizards and witches from entering the grounds by magical means-where they break down the barrier and stampede across the school grounds. The Biblical comparison for this theme rests also in Christ's sacrifice on the cross because it is such a clear demonstration of God's love for humanity.

The final theme is the contrast between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Dumbledore is often portrayed as the greatest wizard who ever lived and yet he is very humble. Dumbledore was offered the position of Minister of Magic-which is basically the wizarding world's version of a Prime Minister-but he turned down the position to be the headmaster of Hogwarts. In the fifth book, Dumbledore calls himself a fool and in the seventh book, Rowling reveals a dark past that indicates Dumbledore's imperfections. Dumbledore is very talented and brilliant, but he is not God and he knows it.

Voldemort, on the other hand, is very proud and arrogant. He neither respects nor believes in God which is clearly visible in his attitude. Voldemort never had nor any friends, as Dumbledore said, he only wanted followers. Everything he does is centered around deifying himself in regards to reputation and power. He creates a false name, inspires worship in his followers, and even attempts to escape death, for which he harbors a secret fear. So desperate is Voldemort to reach immortality that he severs his soul into seven parts by committing murders and then carrying out dark rituals designed to magically seal a severed section of a soul in a physical object. In the final book, Rowling also describes what Voldemort's fate will be in the afterlife. "It had the form of a small, naked child, curled on the ground, its skin raw, flayed-looking, and it lay shuddering under a seat where it had been left, unwanted, stuffed out of sight, struggling for breath..."

Whether or not Rowling is a Christian is irrelevant, the voice of God resonates within her work nonetheless.