I love Harry Potter movies! I have enjoyed them so much that I am determined to read the books (which are always infinitely better than the movies they inspire). A local retailer had the DVDs on sale around Christmas, so we now own all the Potter movies released to date.
When my hubby saw a pile of four newly acquired DVDs sitting on our kitchen table, he just shook his head. He’s used to my celluloid obsessions and in fact this time, he suggested our nightly movie routine begin with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It was followed in order by the next three movies and now my hubby is hooked as well!
J. K. Rowlings has bristled at the criticisms of her books as anti-Christian, and rightly so. There are definite Christian themes and overtures in the series. Perhaps part of the problem is cultural – English versus American sensibilities. In any event, these are delightful movies with good messages of friendship, ethics, honor, loyalty and courage, along with depictions of the cruelty of racism and wickedness in general.
One of the criticisms aimed at the Potter books was that the magic world interacted with the real world – that there was a blurring of the lines of real and fantasy. (C.S. Lewis received the similar criticism for having Father Christmas/Santa Claus in Narnia.)
Rather than being a flaw, I think this is a strength of the Potter series. In our scientific/rational age, we want to relegate the supernatural to fantasy, yet as Christians, we know the supernatural interacts with the natural constantly.
C. S. Lewis said God gave us imagination so we could imagine a different world. Without imagination, how do we conceive of Heaven? Of angels? Fantasy should be the domain of Christians. We are, after all, part of the supernatural.
The next movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will be released July 13. Go here to see the trailer.
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