Harry Potter and the Question of Religion

Ok, so I may be something of a Witchy-come-lately, but I just recently started reading the Harry Potter books. I'd seen both of the movies and had been utterly charmed by them, and decided the books would be a good bet as well. Besides, as a part of the Pagan community, it's been impossible to escape all the stories of people trying to get Harry Potter books pulled from school library shelves or banned from being usable by teachers who may want to use them as a way to help get kids reading for the fun of it. It made me curious as to just how far these books might go in giving kids the idea that they, too, could become little witches and wizards, the most oft cited fear of parents who want the books kept away from their kids.

I am, of course, still confused on what it is that parents find so objectionable. Apparently, so is a judge in Arkansas, who recently ordered that the Cedarville School District return the books to the shelves, rather than keeping them in a back room and require a parents' permission slip for a kid to check them out.

The books written by British author J.K. Rowling have been assailed by some Christian groups for their themes of spells, sorcery and magic. The American Library Association says the books were the most frequently challenged of 2002, but rarely did those challenges lead to restrictions or bans.

One of the chief complaints from Christian groups has been that the books will lead children to become interested in religious witchcraft (the most common form of which is Wicca). Some parents have claimed that having the books in the schools is a violation of the separation of church and state because witchcraft is a religion. (Ironically, under almost any other circumstance, most fundamentalist Christians will say that Wicca and witchcraft are not religions - and are generally quite adamant about it. Now, when it works to their advantage to claim that they are, well, guess what?)

The problem with all of this, of course, is that there is naer a trace of religious witchcraft contained within the Harry Potter books. A few of the more significant differences:

• In Harry Potter, you cannot become a witch or wizard if you are not born with magical abilities. It is not something you can just decide you want to learn


• In Wicca and Paganism, "Witch" is a term used for both males and females. There are no "wizards" (and no, male Witches aren't called "warlocks" either - that term is rarely used, and when it is, it generally is applied to Witches of either gender who have violated their oaths.


• The witches and wizards in Harry Potter don't generally seem to have any kind of religion at all, really. There's no talk of any kind of God, Gods, Goddess, Goddesses, Demons or Devils. In fact, pretty much the only "supernatural" beings that I've found in the books thus far are magical creatures (such as the House Elves), which are clearly fictional creations for the story, or the ghosts that float around Hogwarts. And no one worships ghosts or House Elves.


• Religious Witches don't go around casting spells by pointing their wands at something and yelling latin-sounding phrases.

Of course, there's more, but those are some of the biggies. And that first one is the most important. In Harry Potter, no one can become a witch or wizard if they are not born to be a witch or wizard. If nothing else, that should put an end to any claims that reading Harry Potter could make kids want to become religious Witches. If anything, the way the story creates the world in which wizards and witches exist should make it clear that it is entirely fictional. In the books, wizards and witches are monitered to help ensure that they don't inadvertantly reveal the "world" of magic to "Muggles" (non-magical people). Religious Witches, on the other hand, may not be entirely open about their faith (because of fear of discrimination), but there's no active effort to hide that we exist - in fact, there are constantly efforts underway to help educate the public as to what religious Witchcraft is, and demonstrate that we are neither evil nor something to be feared.

For parents who are worried that Harry Potter will have a negative effect on their children, I would recommend that rather than trying to prevent anyone else's children from reading it as well, try reading the books yourself. As an adult, your faith should be strong enough to withstand any perceived threat that the books might represent, and it will give you a first-hand perspective of whether or not the books would be harmful for your children. It will also help you be able to guide your child in recognizing the difference between what is real and what is fantasy.

Posted by thorswitch at April 27, 2003 10:54 PM | TrackBack