Harry Potter From a Christian's Perspective

Is Harry Potter really okay to read?

Ever since the Harry Potter books were published, Christians have asked whether they were biblically okay to read. It’s become a big deal, to the point where one woman started picking and choosing churches depending on what their “Harry Potter policy” was for their congregation.

While some are adamantly against them, others absolutely love them. But is Harry Potter, from the authority of God’s word on magic, okay to read? As Christians, should we read this fantasy series?

I say yes, and today I’m going to explain from the perspective of a Christian, a book-lover, and a writer why I’ve come to this conclusion. Whether you’re against Harry Potter, not quite sure what you think, or are even an avid fan, I hope that this article is enlightening to you.

The Bible Says Magic Is Evil

Anyone who has read God’s Word should be able to see that God is against magic. There are countless verses speaking of how evil it is to mess around with “magical” things and to try to speak to the dead, summon spirits, etc. I wholeheartedly believe that God is against magic, but I don’t think Harry Potter applies to that. Let’s get a deeper understanding of the books before judging them.

Common Misconceptions About Harry Potter

1. It’s about kids who decide they want to become wizards and witches and go to a school to learn sorcery. This is false. In the Harry Potter books, magical abilities are something you are born with, like a super-power or a special ability, similar to Gandalf’s powers in The Lord of the Rings. The characters go to school to learn how to properly use their magical abilities. It’s not just about kids who suddenly decide they want to learn witchcraft; instead the characters have abilities they are learning to use properly.

2. J. K. Rowling created her spells from actual demonic spells. This is false. If you have a basic understanding of Latin roots, you can tell by reading the magic spells in the book that she created them out of Latin roots or normal English words. For example, the spell “riddikulus”, that forces away creatures who shapeshift into your fears, is obviously an English word she changed slightly so that readers could understand the meaning.

3. It teaches actual witchcraft and occult behavior. This is absolutely false. There is not one line, passage, or chapter in any of the Harry Potter books that encourages actual witchcraft or occult behavior, and as I said before, the magic is a special ability you are born with, not something you decide to ‘learn’.

4. The magic illustrates what real demonic magic looks like. I don’t know about you, but I highly doubt that actual demonic witchcraft looks like little kids wearing robes and swinging magic wands to turn mice into pencils.

The Harry Potter Books Are Dark, but Redemptive, Serious, but Clean

The Harry Potter books, especially the later few, are dark. But Rowling always illustrates evil from the viewpoint of the light. She never paints the villains or the magic they use for evil as good, but always as evil. In fact, the Harry Potter books are much less dark than many more widely accepted book series in our Christian culture such as The Hunger Games and the Twilight series.

The Harry Potter books are also clean. There is absolutely no inappropriate romance and very little mild language. Compared to most YA fiction these days, the Harry Potter series wouldn’t even be considered that dark. I read all the books by age thirteen, and none of them bothered or scared me. The evil in the books was real, but it was so balanced out and overpowered by truth and beauty that I was untouched by it.

Harry Potter Is a Literary Masterpiece

This series writing-wise is one of the best I’ve ever read. It’s a joy to read Rowling’s books alone just because of her masterful writing and character development. The world building is unlike anything I’ve read, the humor is clever and caused me to laugh out loud, and every part of the story resonated with me.

Harry Potter Is a Beautiful Allegory

The ending of this series is indescribable. It is absolutely beautiful. It’s one of the most powerful, incredible allegories I’ve ever read, and I don’t know when I’ve cried so much while reading a book. It brought the gospel alive for me all over again, just like the Narnia books did. Woven into the final book of Harry Potter, there is more than one occasion where Rowling uses Scripture to illustrate her points (hence me bawling). This story will resonate powerfully with Christian readers and non-Christian readers alike. In fact, some fans who were deeply moved by the books researched where Rowling got her inspiration and discovered the gospel, becoming Christians themselves.

In Conclusion…

I really believe that God has used these books. I know he’s used them in my life to draw me nearer to him, and in some cases, he’s used them to help people find him for the first time. I don’t think the Harry Potter books are illustrating actual magic at all—I think it’s just a fun fantasy story that uses terminology that (rightly) bothers Christians until they have more context.

I find it interesting that we readily accept books like The Lord of the Rings that obviously have magic in them while we often so eagerly refute Harry Potter. Most arguments I’ve heard is, “Well Tolkien was a Christian”. Tolkien was a Catholic, and while I genuinely believe that he had a saving faith, J. K. Rowling, who claims to be Anglican, would actually share more in common with me theologically than many Catholic teachings would.

While I don’t know where Rowling is spiritually, and while I certainly don’t agree with her on everything, I respect her and her writing and highly recommend the Harry Potter books to you. If you still aren’t convinced, I would encourage you to read the first book in the series for yourself. It’s a fantastic story and a beautiful allegory, and I can easily say that they’re some of my favorite books of all time.

"It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be."

-Albus Dumbledore, "Harry Potter"