Religious debates over the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling are based on claims that the novels contain occult or Satanic subtexts. A number of Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Christians have argued against the series, as have some Muslims. Supporters of the series have said that the magic in Harry Potter bears little resemblance to occultism, being more in the vein of fairytales such as Cinderella and Snow White, or to the works of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, both of whom are known for writing fantasy novels with Christian subtexts. Far from promoting a particular religion, some argue, the Harry Potter novels go out of their way to avoid discussing religion at all. However, the author of the series, J. K. Rowling, identifies as a Christian, and many have noted the Christian references which she includes in the final novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
In the United States, calls for the books to be banned from schools have led to legal challenges, often on the grounds that witchcraft is a government-recognised religion and that to allow the books to be held in public schools violates the separation of church and state. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church and a diocese of the Orthodox Church of Greece also campaigned against the series.
Religious responses to Harry Potter have not all been negative. "At least as much as they've been attacked from a theological point of view," notes Rowling, "[the books] have been lauded and taken into pulpit, and most interesting and satisfying for me, it's been by several different faiths."
Christianity Denouncement has taken two main forms: allegations that Harry Potter is a pagan text; and claims that it encourages children to oppose authority, derived mainly from Harry's rejection of the Dursleys, his aunt and uncle. Author and scholar Amanda Cockrell suggests that Harry Potter popularity, and recent preoccupation with fantasy and the occult among Christian fundamentalists, explains why the series received particular opposition.
The Harry Potter books also have a group of vocal religious supporters who believe that Harry Potter espouses Christian values or that the Bible does not prohibit the forms of magic described in the series. Christian analyses of the series have argued that it embraces ideals of friendship, loyalty, courage, love, and the temptation of power. After the final volume was published, Rowling said she intentionally incorporated Christian themes, in particular the idea that love may hold power over death. According to Joy Farmer, it is a "profound misreading to think that Harry Potter promotes witchcraft". Scholar Em McAvan writes that evangelical objections to Harry Potter are superficial, based on the presence of magic in the books: they do not attempt to understand the moral messages in the series.
Evangelicalism Much of the condemnation of Harry Potter comes from a small number of evangelical Christians who hold that the series's depiction of witchcraft is dangerous to children. In 1999, Paul Hetrick, spokesperson for Focus on the Family, a US Evangelical Christian group based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, outlined the reasons for his opposition: "[They contain] some powerful and valuable lessons about love and courage and the ultimate victory of good over evil; however, the positive messages are packaged in a medium—witchcraft—that is directly denounced in Scripture." Harry Potter has been the subject of at least six book burnings in the US. In 2002, Chick Publications produced a comic book tract titled "The Nervous Witch" that declared "the Potter books open a doorway that will put untold millions of kids into hell". The 2006 documentary film, Jesus Camp, infamously featured a scene in which youth pastor, Becky Fischer, ranted, “And while I'm on the subject, let me say something about Harry Potter. Warlocks are the enemies of God! And I don't care what kind of hero they are, they're an enemy of God and had it been in the Old Testament, Harry Potter would have been put to death! You don’t make heroes out of warlocks!” In 2007, Jacqui Komschlies wrote an article in Christianity Today comparing Harry Potter to "rat poison mixed with orange soda" and saying "We're taking something deadly from our world and turning it into what some are calling 'merely a literary device.
Some Christians have suggested that Harry Potter promotes the religion of Wicca, and so keeping the books in public schools violates the separation of church and state in the US. Jeremiah Films, a Christian video company largely known for its The Clinton Chronicles release, also released a DVD entitled Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged, which stated that "Harry's world says that drinking dead animal blood gives power, a satanic human sacrifice and Harry's powerful blood brings new life, demon possession is not spiritually dangerous, and that passing through fire, contacting the dead, and conversing with ghosts, others in the spirit world, and more, is normal and acceptable."
In 2001, Evangelical journalist Richard Abanes, who has written several books arguing against new religions and Mormonism, published a polemical text that made similar allegations to the video: Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick.Abanes, Richard. "Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick". Christian Publications, Inc. www.christianpublications.com. 2001. Later editions incorporated comparisons and contrasts between Harry Potter and the more overtly Christian works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Abanes remarked that, "One of the easiest ways to know whether a fantasy book or film has real world magick in it is to just ask a simple question, 'Can my child find information in a library or bookstore that will enable them to replicate what they are seeing in the film or the book?' If you go to The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings what you see in, story magic and imagination, it is not real. You can't replicate it. But if you go to something like Harry Potter, you can find references to astrology, clairvoyance, and numerology. It takes seconds to go into a bookstore or library and get books on that and start investigating it, researching it, and doing it." Abanes wrote: "The classic passage dealing with divination, along with several other forms of occultism, is Deuteronomy 18:10–12: There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD. "If this were the only passage dealing with occultism, it would be enough to forbid all of the practices found in the Harry Potter series. But there are numerous other verses to consider".
The debate has inspired at least two satirical Internet urban legends. In 2001, The Onion, a US satirical newspaper, published an article entitled "Harry Potter Sparks Rise in Satanism Among Children", which said that the "High Priest of Satanism" had described Harry Potter as "an absolute godsend to our cause". This article was copied into a chain letter and circulated among Christians as "proof" of their views. The following year, the Canadian daily the National Post released a similar spoof article in its satirical column Post Morten, saying that "Rowling—or, as she shall henceforth be referred to and credited as, Mrs. J. K. Satan—said that as she sat in a coffee shop one grey day, wondering what to do with her empty, aimless life, it hit her, 'I'll give myself, body and soul, to the Dark Master. And in return, he will give me absurd wealth and power over the weak and pitiful of the world. And he did! This article was also copied into a chain letter and released as "truth" onto the web.
In 2009, Matt Latimer, a former speechwriter for US President George W. Bush, claimed that, during the Bush administration, "people in the White House" had denied Rowling the Presidential Medal of Freedom because the books "encourage witchcraft".
While some evangelical Christians consider Harry Potter related to Satanism, a poll in 2000 indicated that this position remains a minority view. Seven percent of Americans who have heard of the books have a negative view of them, with 52 percent having a positive opinion and the remaining 41 percent unsure.Jones, Jeffrey M. (13 July 2000). Even Adults Familiar with Harry Potter Books. The Gallup Poll. This compares with 33 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Evangelical and 39 percent who take the Bible literally. In 2001, the Alamogordo Christ Community Church in New Mexico burned hundreds of copies of the Harry Potter books. Jack Brock, leader of the church, said the books were an abomination because they inspired children to study the occult. He and his followers admitted they have never read any of the books and tossed in some Stephen King novels. Venezuelan scholar Fernando Baez, in a study of the history of censorship and book destruction, commented "There is more than one way to destroy a book, upon being denied a city permit to burn books, the Rev. Douglas Taylor in Lewiston, Maine, has held several annual gatherings at which he cuts the Potter books up with scissors."
Some evangelicals have supported the Potter books: evangelical author Connie Neal, in her books What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter?, The Gospel According to Harry Potter, and Wizards, Wardrobes, and Wookiees: Navigating Good and Evil in Harry Potter, Narnia, and Star Wars, wrote that the books preach Christian values and can be used to educate children in Christian tenets. Mike Hertenstein of Cornerstone magazine, in his article "Harry Potter vs the Muggles, Myth, Magic & Joy", uses the term 'Muggles', used in the books to describe non-magical humans, to describe Christians without imagination. Christianity Today published an editorial in favour of the books in January 2000, calling the series a "Book of Virtues" and averring that, although "modern witchcraft is indeed an ensnaring, seductive false religion that we must protect our children from", this does not represent the Potter books, which have "wonderful examples of compassion, loyalty, courage, friendship, and even self-sacrifice".Editorial (Jan. 10, 2000). "Why We Like Harry Potter" . Christianity Today. Italian Methodist minister Peter Ciaccio analysed the relationship between J.K. Rowling's work and Christian theology, stating that the Harry Potter series is the positive outcome of the encounter of the Judeo–Christian tradition with other important features of the Western cultural heritage (namely Celtic, Nordic, and Classical).Peter Ciaccio, "Harry Potter and Christian Theology", in Elizabeth E. Heilman (ed.), Critical perspectives on Harry Potter (2nd ed.), Routledge, London and New York, pp. 33–46; Peter Ciaccio, Il vangelo secondo Harry Potter, Claudiana, Torino, 2011.
Catholicism The Catholic Church has taken no official position on the books, but various Catholics, including officials of the Roman Curia, the hierarchy, and other official bodies, have presented mixed views on the subject.
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