This is part of a series on the Theology of Harry Potter.
When the Harry Potter books first came out, there was an uproar in some Christian communities. True, there are passages in the Bible that are against what is translated to English as Witchcraft. So, for some, anything that talks about witchcraft, wizards, spells, and the like is to be avoided, if not banished altogether.
This isn't new. When I was younger, there were a lot of people talking about Dungeons and Dragons being a tool of Satan. And who can forget those killed in Europe and the Americas on accusations of witchcraft?
But eventually, most people (and the popular media) got bored with the drama, and lots of kids read the books. Then the movies came out, and there was another, smaller, dustup over the evils of Harry Potter.
So now, with the opening of the final film, based on the last half of the last book (Onion stories notwithstanding), I would like to take another look at the Harry Potter series.
If you're hoping for my diatribe against the Satanic influence of Harry Potter, I'm sorry to disappoint. If you really need a "Harry Potter Is Evil" fix, please go here.
Instead, I want to look at the god of the Harry Potter stories.
One might argue there is no god in Harry Potter. There is no mention of Abba, Adi Purush, Adonai, Ahura Mazda, Allah, Elohim, El-Shaddai, Krishna, Marduk, Odin, Rama, Shiva, Vishnu, Waheguru, Yahweh, or Zeus. Despite a sort of Christmas celebration, there's no overt concept of a supreme being.
But there is a creator.
Someone created the world of Harry Potter. Someone is responsible for the existence of Godric's Hollow, Ottery St Catchpole, Tinworth, Little Hangleton, Little Whinging, Malfoy Manor, Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Diagon Alley, and Hogwarts. Someone is responsible for the existence of creatures like basilisks, boggarts, centaurs, dementors, giants, hippogryphs, house-elves, lethifolds, thestrals, and unicorns. Someone is responsible for the existence of people like the various Blacks, Crouch (father and son), Dumbledore, Filch, the Granger family, Hagrid, Malfoys (father and son), Moody, the Potter family, Snape, assorted Weaselys, and he-who-must-not-be-named.
That creator is Joanne "J. K." Rowling.
Whether Rowling's creations perceive her or not, she is their creator. She brought them to life, and can decide what happens to them. In the world of Harry Potter, the rules of physics and of magic are held in the hands of Rowling. She decides who lives and who dies.
But don't get too upset. The creator god of every story is its author. It's also true for Star Wars. It's also true for Hamlet. It's true for the Narnia stories.
So what does it mean for Rowling to be god of the Harry Potter world? What responsibilities are on her shoulders? And how would her creations perceive her?
More tomorrow.
This is part of a series on the Theology of Harry Potter.
When the Harry Potter books first came out, there was an uproar in some Christian communities. True, there are passages in the Bible that are against what is translated to English as Witchcraft. So, for some, anything that talks about witchcraft, wizards, spells, and the like is to be avoided, if not banished altogether.
This isn't new. When I was younger, there were a lot of people talking about Dungeons and Dragons being a tool of Satan. And who can forget those killed in Europe and the Americas on accusations of witchcraft?
But eventually, most people (and the popular media) got bored with the drama, and lots of kids read the books. Then the movies came out, and there was another, smaller, dustup over the evils of Harry Potter.
So now, with the opening of the final film, based on the last half of the last book (Onion stories notwithstanding), I would like to take another look at the Harry Potter series.
If you're hoping for my diatribe against the Satanic influence of Harry Potter, I'm sorry to disappoint. If you really need a "Harry Potter Is Evil" fix, please go here.
Instead, I want to look at the god of the Harry Potter stories.
One might argue there is no god in Harry Potter. There is no mention of Abba, Adi Purush, Adonai, Ahura Mazda, Allah, Elohim, El-Shaddai, Krishna, Marduk, Odin, Rama, Shiva, Vishnu, Waheguru, Yahweh, or Zeus. Despite a sort of Christmas celebration, there's no overt concept of a supreme being.
But there is a creator.
Someone created the world of Harry Potter. Someone is responsible for the existence of Godric's Hollow, Ottery St Catchpole, Tinworth, Little Hangleton, Little Whinging, Malfoy Manor, Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Diagon Alley, and Hogwarts. Someone is responsible for the existence of creatures like basilisks, boggarts, centaurs, dementors, giants, hippogryphs, house-elves, lethifolds, thestrals, and unicorns. Someone is responsible for the existence of people like the various Blacks, Crouch (father and son), Dumbledore, Filch, the Granger family, Hagrid, Malfoys (father and son), Moody, the Potter family, Snape, assorted Weaselys, and he-who-must-not-be-named.
That creator is Joanne "J. K." Rowling.
Whether Rowling's creations perceive her or not, she is their creator. She brought them to life, and can decide what happens to them. In the world of Harry Potter, the rules of physics and of magic are held in the hands of Rowling. She decides who lives and who dies.
But don't get too upset. The creator god of every story is its author. It's also true for Star Wars. It's also true for Hamlet. It's true for the Narnia stories.
So what does it mean for Rowling to be god of the Harry Potter world? What responsibilities are on her shoulders? And how would her creations perceive her?
More tomorrow.
This is part of a series on the Theology of Harry Potter.
LOVE this. Keep them coming!
Reminds me of this.
Hey, if I might make a suggestion, you might want to create a single page with all the links for this series (or maybe put links on all your HP+God posts: "Continued here" or something), for quick navigation. Just a thought.
Great idea, Tom!
I created a category "Theology of Harry Potter", and put a link at the top and bottom of each post. Clicking on Theology of Harry Potter takes you to a page with all the posts.