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J.K. Rowling and the Extraordinary Life (Part 2 of 2)
by Claire E. White
Click Here to return to Part 1 of the J.K. Rowling feature.
Harry Potter and Religion
Jo Rowling has stated that one of the most irritating results of the
books' success has been the criticism from some Christian groups
that the books are un-Christian and promote the occult. Those
groups infuriate the author, who is has said in interviews that she is
a Christian, she believes in God and that she attends church (she belongs to the
Church of Scotland, which Americans would call the Presbyterian Church). She has said that
"the books aren't really all that secular," before clamming up on the
subject. And, it is fun to explore some of the imagery and
symbols from classical sources that Rowling has hidden throughout the
text, like little Easter eggs for scholars, who do enjoy a nicely buried
obscure reference. Scott Moore writes:
"For instance, in the second book, Harry must fight a great serpent (the historic symbol
of Satan) and he realizes he cannot do this alone.
In his weakness, he calls for help, and a phoenix (a Christ symbol in the Middle
Ages -- the bird who dies and rises again) comes to his aid by bringing him a
double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)."
"The phoenix assists Harry in his struggle. Though Harry ultimately defeats
the serpent, he is badly wounded. The phoenix then comes and weeps in Harry's
wounds, restoring him to health."
"By book five, we've learned that the little band of faithful believers who are united
in their struggle against the dark wizard lord call themselves 'the Order of the Phoenix.'
They are a symbol of the church, and we're not surprised to discover
either that the powers-that-be want to root them out and destroy them or that
some members must heroically sacrifice themselves for the good of the Order.
Greater love hath no man than that he lay down his life for a friend."
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The former Archbishop of Canterbury is a fan of Harry Potter, noting in his 2001 newsletter:
"And that, believe it or not, leads me to this young man. Yes, he's made his mark
in Canterbury too. Like many people, I found the Harry Potter film great fun. But
like most good fantasies, it also asks some very real questions, including questions
about the true source of power in our lives. At one point, young Harry is told:
'There is no good and evil. There is only power and those too weak to seek it'.
Well, as Harry goes on to prove, that's nonsense."
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"Harry and his friends cast spells, read crystal balls, and turn themselves into
animals - but they don't make contact with a supernatural world...[It's not]
the kind of real-life witchcraft the Bible condemns." -- Chuck Colson, conservative
Christian evangelist
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The Vatican under Pope John Paul II described Rowling as
"Christian by conviction... Christian in her mode of living, even in her way of writing."
In 2003, a Vatican spokesman said Pope John Paul II approved of the Harry Potter books,
saying, "They help children to tell the difference between good and evil." The Vatican
under John Paul II regarded the books as children's fiction, not theological treatises.
The current Pope Benedict XVI may not be a fan, however. Before he was elected Pope,
Joseph Ratzinger wrote a letter to a friend noting the "subtle seduction" of the
Harry Potter books which "distorted Christianity." The letters have never been authenticated,
however, and it's far from clear whether Pope Benedict has even read the books. Since he
was elected Pope, he has made no statement about Harry Potter. Amazon.com has reported that it has shipped a number of copies of the books to the Vatican
over the years, so someone there is reading them.
In 1999, Rowling talked to the American Library Association about the
criticism that her books deal with the occult:
"If this subject offends people, that isn't what I want to do, but I
don't believe in censorship for any age group, and this is what I wanted
to write about. The book is really about the power of the imagination.
What Harry is learning to do is to develop his full potential. Wizardry
is just the analogy I use. If anyone expects it to be a book that seriously
advocates learning magic, they will be disappointed. Not least because
the author does not believe in magic in that way."
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In an interview with The Vancouver Sun, Rowling reaffirmed that she is a
Christian, and revealed that she was starting to get impatient with those who
criticize the books without even having read them. She also made a decision
to stop talking about the subject so much.
"Yes, I am [a Christian]," she says. "Which seems to offend the religious right
far worse than if I said I thought there was no God. Every time I've been
asked if I believe in God, I've said yes, because I do, but no one ever
really has gone any more deeply into it than that, and I have to
say that does suit me, because if I talk too freely about that I
think the intelligent reader, whether 10 or 60, will be able to
guess what's coming in the books."
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That interesting comment by Rowling has led to at least one
book by a pro-Potter evangelical Christian:
Looking For God in Harry Potter
by John Granger (Tynedale), a strict father and devoted student of
classical literature who bought
the first Harry Potter book to show his daughter why it was so evil. But when he
started reading, he said he was startled to find so many classical
references to the gospels and to the Christian faith. The more
he read, the more he believed he has discovered the secret to
what Rowling is doing: under the guise of wizarding, she is
sneaking in the gospels: he believes the series is the greatest
stealth Christian literature since the Narnia books.
His book is a scholarly examination of each of the books, exploring
the recurring themes of resurrection, the power of love over death
and the fact that Harry always must ask for help from a higher power
when he is most in trouble. Critics have been struck by Granger's
work, although some think he is reading too much into the books.
Clearly, the millions of children and adults who have bought the books
aren't terribly concerned about the controversy: as Rowling herself
has said "One of the nicest things about writing
for children is that you don't find them deconstructing novels. Either
they like it or they don't like it." But it is a mark of the
impact that the series has had on popular culture -- and on children -- that
so many articles and books have been written on the subject. Many
Christians who notice the issue felt it was put to rest
when the Archbishop of Canterbury and the late Pope John Paul II
(who looks to be well on his way to beatification as a saint) put the seal of approval
on the books. Surely that should be enough reassurance for concerned parents who,
frankly, should be a more focused on the fact that their child
is actually reading a lengthy book about good versus evil and the choices
that a young man must make in his life rather than
partaking in the plethora of other, less wholesome activities that are
available to today's youth.
The Place in the Pantheon
The sixth book in the series,
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was published on July 16, 2005. The next
film in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, will be released
in December, 2005.
Rowling is a planner. She has always
known that there would be seven books, and has already begun the last book in the series,
although no publication date has been set yet. So, what will she do when
the last Harry Potter book is finished?
And when the seventh book is published, what then? Rowling tells Time
magazine's Lev Grossman:
"I'll be so sad to think I'll never write a Harry-Ron-Hermione sentence again," she
says. But her feelings aren't entirely unmixed. "Part of me will be
glad when it's over. Family life will become more normal. It will be a
chance to write other things."
"We'll have to see if it's good enough to be published. I mean, that
is a real concern, obviously, because the first thing I write post
Harry could be absolutely dreadful, and, you know, people will buy it. So, you know,
you're left with this real insecurity."
"It will be a very different kind of book," she says, "because I kind of cue up
the shot at the end of six, and you're left with a very clear idea of what Harry's
going to do next."
"And," she adds in an uncharacteristic moment of hubris, "it will be exciting!"
Then she immediately retreats into self-deprecation. "You don't know! You might
read six and think, Ah, I won't bother."
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Somehow, that seems most unlikely.
**You can read our review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
here.
**You can see our Harry Potter Links Page
here.
Footnotes:
1 Schoenberger, Chana R. and MacDonald, Elizabeth,
"
The 100 Most Powerful Women."
Forbes, 28 July 2005.
2 Rowling, J.K.
Website Autobiography,
June, 2004.
3
Rowling, J.K.,
"I Miss My Mother So Much." MS Matters, 2001.
4
Dunn, Elizabeth. "From the Dole to Hollywood." Electronic Telegraph, 2 August 1997.
5
Bourne, Brendan. "JK Rowling Marries Her Doctor Friend."
Sunday Times of London, 30 December 2001.
6:
Rowling, J.K.
Website Autobiography, June, 2004.
7
Weir, Margaret. "
Of Magic and Single Motherhood," Salon, 1999.
8
Ibid.
9
Id.
10:
Moore, Scott. "
Harry Potter Fits in Fine With Christianity"
Waco Tribune-Herald. 24 July 2005
11:
Carey, George, The Hon. Archbishop of Canterbury (Ret.)
"
Archbishop of Canterbury New Year Message." 31 January 2001
12:
O'Malley, Judy: "Talking With J.K. Rowling."
Book Links, July, 1999.
13
Wyman, Max. "'
You can lead a fool to a book but you can't make them think':
Author has frank words for the religious right,"
The Vancouver Sun (British Columbia),
26 October 2000.
14:
Grossman, Lev, "
J.K. Rowling: Hogwarts And All." Time, 17 July 2005.
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