Okay, so I promised earlier in the semester that I would post this essay on KH-Vids when I felt I was completely done with it. Well, it's the premire date of the Deathly Hallows movie and I am fully done with my essay (ironic, no?). The assigned assinment was to pick an arguement, pick a side, and support your thesis. I chose why Christian students (young adults) should read the Harry Potter novels. So, without further adu, here is the essay. **NOTE**: The essay is about nine pages long, double spaced, so yeah, it's kind of long. The Magic Within Christianity “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.†This is a lesson that was previously taught by the Christian Messiah Jesus Christ, preaching that man’s real treasure is something much greater than their earthly possessions. This line was also quoted, and is considered one of the central themes, in one of the most famous novel series of this generation. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (later changed to the Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States) was published in the United Kingdom by J. K Rowling. Her small project has since evolved over the past few decades into seven books and a hit motion picture series. This series has captured the imaginations of people from all walks of life. Within these novels are deep moral teachings of classic biblical philosophy and metaphors; and despite the use of witchcraft, the Harry Potter series is a positive influence for Christian young adults because it teaches them moral values, takes examples directly from the bible and can open kid’s minds to reading. A few facts about the book series stated in the article Harry Potter and the magic of reading, shows that more than 325 million copies of the books have been sold as of 2007, when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released worldwide (Garlick, 2007). The series has been translated into more than sixty languages worldwide and is seen in the same rank as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien; ironically they are also writers whose series are based off those of the Gospel. Even critically acclaimed horror author Stephen King was cited in the praise section of Deathly Hallows for his review in Entertainment Weekly. In his quote, King mentions that the novel has “…good writing, honest feeling, [and has] a sweet but uncompromised view of human nature…Rowling has set the standard; It’s a high one, and God bless her for it†(Rowling). It wasn’t until a year ago that my own family truly found God. However, when I want to discuss the upcoming movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, with some of my church friends, I can feel an uncomfortable aura around us. Even when I joked around at a party about ditching class to go to the midnight viewing of the movie in the upcoming months, my aunt over heard me and said “I have a few things to say about Harry Potterâ€. My aunt didn’t say anything else after that, but the tone of her voice was very uninviting. Ever since the books became as popular as they are today, many religious groups, mostly Christian, have condemned the novels. The question of Harry Potter’s world view came up on gotquestions.org, a website that is devoted to answering questions about the Bible and how God works. The entry was pretty balanced, although they proclaimed that it didn’t have a very positive world view because of all the violence. It was compared to the Chronicles of Narnia series, but the setting for that story took place in a fictional world when Harry Potter took place in a much more realistic setting. At the end, it claims that if the parents’ did their job of teaching their children about the Bible, the child should be intelligent enough to know what is real or fake and what is good or bad in God’s eyes (What Should be the Christian View of Harry Potter). One complaint that Christians seem to make about the Harry Potter series is that we are making a hero out of someone who performs the dark art of witchcraft and sorcery. One main point that they make comes from the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy 18:10, “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft†(Barker). Anything that is connected to witchcraft was considered a work of the Devil in that time and a sin against God. I believe that another reason why things such as witchcraft and alchemy are so looked down upon by Christians is because it is seen as altering anything that God has made. Since God was the one who created the object, that particular object is assumed to be perfect and apart of his design. Changing something that God has made is like treason, and it is like trying to become God, which is also looked down upon. It is also an interesting note that it is the religious ones who are against the series are also ignoring one of Jesus’s first teachings. In the fifth chapter of Matthew in the New Testament, Jesus talks about not condemning your enemies but accepting them. In the Zondervan New International Version translation, he says to love your enemies like your friends and that it is bad to just associate with things that are like yourself (Barker). A reason why Jesus said this is to maybe bring those who do wrong to us towards God, therefore saving a life, and it brings another person to God, and they join them in becoming brothers and sisters of God. Associating yourself with only people who are for God is good, but it’ll get you nowhere in life and it is actually doing something against God himself. This may have also been taught to teach tolerance to his followers, to set an example for following generations. Another scriptural passage that comes from the New Testament is Philippians 4:8 which reads, “fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable†(Barker). Two of the biggest themes that can be spotted throughout this series are love and sacrifice, much like the themes of the Bible. If young adults were to actually be allowed to read the Harry Potter novels, they would learn that there are many things honorable about this series. The novels play on the sacrifice of others, the overall theme of love, and how God is always there for you in the darkest times (especially in the final book). It is also a fact that Rowling purposely put in various parables from the Gospels as well as other teachings into her seven fictional novels. In 2007, months after the release of Deathly Hallows, MTV News reported that Rowling opens up about the connection between Harry Potter and Christianity. In their article, ‘Harry Potter’ Author J.K. Rowling Opens Up About Books’ Christian Imagery, she actually believes that the parables in the stories are quite obvious and was not open about the connection between her stories and the Bible simply because “I thought it might show people who just wanted the story where we were going." (Adler). Her main objective of keeping the secret was so that the books followers wouldn’t find a way in spoiling themselves. Reading back through the final book and even watching the first movie of the final book, the Christian morals appear to be obvious. There is another argument made about the books that, besides the use of sorcery, that the books are just too violent. Within the numerous pages of the seven novels, characters are caught between struggles and battles where they must fight for their lives. In an article found on facingthechallange.org, one of the writers for the website seems to see this argument as a “double standardâ€. In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter: A Christian Parent’s Nightmare?, he discusses that many Christian parents are trying to cut off things like Harry Potter from their kids, but they are still allowed their kids to watch similar or even more violent things in films and on television. Parents may even say no to their kids on a certain movie when they themselves have already watched it and enjoyed it. He concludes by saying that “If we are going to reject some films and TV shows because of their anti-Christian messages, then we really should reject almost everything we currently watch†(J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter: A Christian Parent's Nightmare). In a world where we’re suppose to set an example for our kids, why not either follow our own rules or trust them enough to tell the difference between right and wrong? In this society, we may need some more positive influences through the media. Look at any movie or musical artist that has become popular over the past years. Both of these media are for the young adult demographic, but choose to give off immoralities such as underage drinking, premarital sex, and experimenting with harmful drugs. I’m not saying every artist is doing this, but the majority of those flashed in the media seem to only be singing about those particular things. They may even watch television shows where it is centered on a brutal murder and it wouldn’t matter one bit to the parent. Another counterargument I could point out is that they Bible itself, especially in the Old Testament, is full of violence and death. Numerous plagues are carried out in the Book of Exodus, the story of David and Goliath, and even stories of transformation can be found within the pages of the Bible. I believe that the reason Rowling had so much violence in her stories is that she took her audience seriously. Whenever she killed off a main character, such as Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it was emotional but there was a feeling that it had to happen. She was trying to portray that violence and death will appear in all of our lives, but that is only a fact of life. In Deathly Hallows, numerous of Harry’s allies die, saying that in war there will be many casualties, but that is still a fact of life. Rowling appears to want to portray a realistic world instead of one where everything turns out okay for the hero. The amount of violence also portrays how evil the stories antagonist, Lord Voldemort (whose real name being Tom Marvolo Riddle) became when he returned to power and how much of a tyrant he was, explaining exactly why Harry and his friends had to stop him at all costs. Of course, the Harry Potter novels have other benefits than just giving off a Christian message. Sometimes, people just don’t catch those messages but get involved in the story itself. It is obvious that Rowling doesn’t take her audience lightly. The reading is engaging and actually gets children into the habit of reading. Here, it not only brings benefits for Christian children but anyone of any faith or belief system who decides to pick it up. In an article by The Christian Science Monitor, it discusses the reading skills of those who have and haven’t read the magical series. They report claims that the books give kids a positive outlook towards reading and that it can also lead the students into improving schoolwork and tests—sixty-five percent of students between the ages of five through seventeen saying that they have improved in school because of the books (Garlick, 2007). From an academic standpoint, it appears that Harry Potter has made reading somewhat popular. To this, many parents would allow their children to read these books simply because they want their kids to succeed in school and get good grades. A parallel to the struggle Rowling’s characters face in the books is to the struggle with the Christian rock band known as Skillet. Since 1996, Skillet has become one of the most popular Christian bands, a well known band in the rock world, and their last two albums, Comatose (2006) and Awake (2009) reaching gold status (having sold over 500,000 albums). Their lyrics seem to not shy away from Christian messages and normal life experiences and are enjoyed by people of different faiths and walks of life. The reason why Skillet has received controversy is by the way they look and sound. Whenever they perform in live concerts or music videos, they are always dressed in hard rock and gothic attire. These things are heavily associated with rock music from the nineties that was sometimes portrayed as Devil Worshiping. John Cooper, the lead singer for Skillet, has a tattoo of the word “Forgiven†(turning out to be the title of the ninth song of Awake) written in rose thorns on his left arm. The sound of their music also varies between slow rock and heavy metal. Cooper does acknowledge the fact of their “edgy†style making it rough for them to be seen as Christian but also claims that universally it is rough for any band to make it in the Christian market when he was interviewed about Comatose going gold back in 2009 (Skillet Heating Up and Awake From Golden Comatose). They don’t follow the default Christian looks, but he felt that they were slowly becoming accepted in because their song’s themes and that their messages never changed (Skillet Heating Up and Awake From Golden Comatose). Reading over a few of their song lyrics, it is true that their songs do have a deep Christian and philosophical meaning. With song titles like “Forgivenâ€, “Heroâ€, and “Awake and Alive†along with another CD that is dedicated to worship songs, it is very easy to tell that they have always been well focused on their message. During one of the concerts in New York City for the Awake and Alive tour, John Cooper gave a small speech before performing the song “Awake and Aliveâ€. He said that rock and roll music could be written about anything, taking an obviously ironic quote from Marylyn Manson. Cooper walked around the stage, proclaiming that “rock and roll is about that fact that this is my song…sometimes, I write songs about my faith in Jesus†(Skillet-Awake and Alive-Awake In New York City). Some people will say that these are two different mediums: Harry Potter is just a book series and Skillet is a rock and roll band. It is true that these two things are very different, and it seems that music does play a bigger part in a young adult’s life than many novels do. However, the Harry Potter books have has had a makeover with the success of their motion pictures, seemingly breaking records almost every time a new one is released. Cooper has also noted that it is hard to make it into the mainstream media with his songs, proclaiming that he would probably have to write a “pop†song in order to even have a chance to make it into the top one hundred charts (Skillet Heating Up and Awake From Golden Comatose). Both forms of media are directed to a younger demographic, and is enjoyed by people of different faiths. However, both Skillet and Harry Potter are persecuted in almost the exact same way. Both of these forms of entertainment have been noted to have deep Christian morals, but can be appreciated by anyone from any belief or faith. Many of the Christians I know are big fans of Skillet but are hesitant to talk about Harry Potter. “It’s boring,†someone randomly proclaimed while we brought up the subject. However, I have noticed that many of my friends who are against the franchise are going by what they have heard and have not taken the time to examine the source material on their own. It seems a little hypocritical to condemn something that you know very little about. It is very interesting what you can find out to be good if you only give it a chance. It can be compared to be trying a different kind of cuisine, like Japanese food. Some of your friends may say that it is some of the worst food that you ever tasted while someone else proclaims that it is something that has a particular taste that is appealing. You are not exactly sure who you should trust; you may even call an “expert†on the subject for an opinion. In the end, you still may not be sure if you should try Japanese food; in the end, what’s the best option? Obviously, with things like Japanese food, you would want to at least try it and test the waters of it. If you end disliking it, then you won’t have to go through it again but if you end up liking it, then you just opened up new possibilities for your menu. The same thing can be said if some Christians did at the very least try to give the series a fair chance. If a person is somewhat exposed to something new, some reactions may even surprise you. There is no denying that Harry Potter is one of the modern world’s best franchises and has attracted a fan base of millions. There is a moral issue faced with Christian young adults on whether to read the series, but we are exposed too so much on a day to day basic that we have learned to accept things that only mask themselves as edgy, and it has a deep Christian meaning. When you look past the witchcraft, you get a story of a young orphaned boy who is struggling to find his place in the world and among his peers. The magic is only used as a plot device, to attract the attention of many, and to create an unforgettable adventure. It will teach them lessons that may appear clearer than the stories in the Bible. The books obviously teach the young adults good lessons and can help them improve in school. Who knows; maybe these stories will attract some readers into actually try picking up the ancient, sacred scriptures next. How will we know if we don’t try? Work Cited (for the lulz) Spoiler Adler, Shawn. 'Harry Potter' Author J.K. Rowling Opens Up About Books' Christian Imagery. 2007. 4 November 2010 <http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1572107/20071017/story.jhtml#more>. Barker, Kenneth. Zondervan New International Version Study Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2008. Garlick, Shayna. "Harry Potter and the Magic of Reading." 2007. Christian Science Monitor. 4 November 2010 <http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0502/p13s01-legn.html>. "J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter: A Christian Parent's Nightmare." Facing The Challenge. 4 November 2010 <http://www.facingthechallenge.org/potter2.php>. Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York, New York: Scholastic, 2007. Skillet Heating Up and Awake From Golden Comatose. 2009. 5 November 2010 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgDWZqmihSU>. Skillet-Awake and Alive-Awake In New York City. 1 November 2009. 7 November 2010 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI0EZOu5KD8>. "What Should be the Christian View of Harry Potter." GotQuestions.org. 4 November 2010 <http://www.gotquestions.org/Harry-Potter-Christian.html>. DISCLAIMER: THIS ESSAY IS POSTED FOR FANBASED AND READING PURPOSES ONLY. YOU CAN USE THIS ESSAY AS A SOURCE, BUT IT IS HIGHLY ADVISED TO NOT PLAGIARIZE THIS PAPER AS YOUR OWN. THIS IS JUST A REMINDER AND IS PLACED HER IN ALL CAPS SO I DON'T GET SUED IF YOU DECIDE TO IGNORE THIS WARNING!! So, what do you think?
The essay was very good, you kept me hooked throughout the paragraphs (at first I only planned on reading the beginning). You opened my eyes to not only the problems Christians have with the series but why they should be ignored. I think it's very maturely written and a lot of hard work has gone in to making it. You've used some relevant sources and they were very effective. This essay has made me reconsider reading the Harry Potter books and watching the films. Well done for that. You used some good skills in their, it was well presented with a good structure and there wasn't any waffle. When you brought Skillet into it I thought you'd go too much off topic but you managed to keep on with the message you were putting across and keep me entertained. You've made it very clear on the view you're trying to get across and it was done well. I liked the way you used counter arguments to knock them down and I noticed many other techniques of persuasion in there. You've shown that you know what you're talking about which is also very good. All I can say about it was there were a few spelling mistakes, I don't know what else to say as I'm no expert but overall I thought this was very good. Well done.
I honestly quite enjoyed reading this, despite the fact I don't really consider it an essay. It seems to resemble a report or otherwise more than anything; an essay would have a more defined structure and would not contain such informal and personal references, such as the ones made to your family members. I can tell you put a lot of effort into this and strived to get your message across. I felt that you perhaps went on about Skillet for a bit too long and that your conclusion could have been a bit more concise, though I liked how you finished your work with a rhetorical question. Nice work, interesting. I'll certainly be looking out for christian moral messages when I see the movie this weekend.
Thanks guys. I know that I did kind of go a little off the parallel with the whole Skilet thing. In all honesty, that was all I could come up with for the parallel and in my mind, was some nessesary information (translation: it filled up some paper). I do have trouble with conclusions and proof-reading. This was suppose to be a bit more of a literary analysis paper when I started it, but I'm glad it transformed into this. @Juicy: I see what you mean by report, but my proffessor did tell us to put some of our own voice into our writing, which is what I normally do anyway. I do admit that I got off the tangent a bit, mostly to fill up the paper guidelines, but I am glad you enjoyed it. I have read many essays that tell something about the author's personal life and I was trying to be creative. You only live life once, right? See, I suck at conclusions. I should've just put at the end "That'll do pig, that'll do".
