Is Harry Potter Anti-Christian?

[The Antichrist]

I recently came across an article that accused the Harry Potter series of being anti-
Christian, denouncing it for propagating the occult, witchcraft, and nearly every other "bad religion" available.

What is your take on the matter? Is Harry Potter really anti-Christian?

[Deadclown]

I recently came across an article that accused the Harry Potter series of being anti-
Christian, denouncing it for propagating the occult, witchcraft, and nearly every other "bad religion" available.

What is your take on the matter? Is Harry Potter really anti-Christian?

I think the whole idea is a ridiculous notion put forth by people who seemingly have an incapability of separating fact from fiction. If a person was to have the completely baseless idea that 'magic' really does exist and is 'evil', then they have bigger problems that they need to deal with.

Also I put PoA. I like it best as it is the book that starts to take a more mature and serious tone.

[The Antichrist]

I recently came across an article that accused the Harry Potter series of being anti-
Christian, denouncing it for propagating the occult, witchcraft, and nearly every other "bad religion" available.

What is your take on the matter? Is Harry Potter really anti-Christian?

I think that many Christians attack the series because it makes a much better read than the Bible.

[TD101]

My son and I read the first few books when they came out. My sister-in-law gave me a book called "Harry Potter and the Bible." I skimmed through the book over a decade ago, but I do recall that the author tried to paint the Potter series as anti-Christian and tied to witchcraft and all sorts of evil things.

[Shermana]

I recently came across an article that accused the Harry Potter series of being anti-
Christian, denouncing it for propagating the occult, witchcraft, and nearly every other "bad religion" available.

What is your take on the matter? Is Harry Potter really anti-Christian?

What do you suppose a "anti-Christian" movie means? Advocating or "permitting" behavior in a themed way to promote it as acceptable which is incompatible with "Christian" teaching perhaps?

Does Christianity encourage and extol the idea of occultism and witchcraft? Is it compatible for a "Christian" to practice witchcraft and occultism? If you believe so, then you probably believe the parts where even Paul exorts to not use the occult arts are not necessarily important in the definition of "Christian" and "Anti-Christian" as adjectives for entertainment-worthiness.

Likewise, would you say that a movie that has a lot of free R-rated activity like American Pie and advocates it as a cool thing to do as "Christian"? If not? Why not? Is it Anti-Christian?

So what is the difference between wanton intercourse and use of Occult Power in terms of its "Christian" entertainment-worthiness ?

[Nilloc James]

As an English student I'd ultimately boil the question down to "what is the theme of Harry Potter?" To be honest the fundemental themes seem to be universal in nature (albeit cliche), love and friendship triumphing over evil, or not being racist, or not sacrificing humanity for power. To be honest these are principles that everyone should accept christain or not.

To continue using children's books as example something that has truely anti-religous themes would be the His Dark Materials series.

The difference; theme.

[Kuan]

ill answer this with two questions.

1. Is Lord of the Rings Anti christian?
2. Is Chronicles of Narnia anti christian?

So what do you think?

[Furrowed Brow]

I wonder what is the correlation between denouncing Harry Potter and denouncing evolution. High I suspect. Stuff goes on in Harry Potter that science says cannot happen but there are no scientists fretting over it. I also expect that there is a very low correlation between folk who accept evolution and also do not worry about Harry. We do not fret because it is an obvious category mistake to think Harry Potter is anti science. Science and Harry are not in opposition because one deals with fact and the other deals with fantasy.

The folk who think Harry Potter is anti Christian obviously believe their doctrines and Harry Potter belong in the same category. Have they worked out the implications of what they are saying? I think not because I also suspect they believe the majority of science is fiction....they have to if they are taking Harry that seriously.

[Slopeshoulder]

The author is a christian and the thing is a christian allegory, especially at the end.

The joke's on the fundy extremists who villified it.


bwahahahahahaha.

narnia, lotr, potter: all christian, by christians.

time to put this one to bed.

[dusk]

The author is a christian and the thing is a christian allegory, especially at the end.

Exactly I also thought that book is about as Christian as can be. With this whole love, sacrifice, savior of all the rest, ... thingy.

I read them all. Nice fiction kind of comparable to some Hollywood movie. You know who wins, the basic theme is always the same and it has little to do with reality. Good for escaping reality.
I prefer A Song of Ice and Fire. It is also fantasy but without all the predictability and sometimes the bad guys who don't deserve it at all, win (and vice versa). The good die terrible deaths and are not avenged because nobody(with power) is left to avenge them . As such it is more an allegory of how the world really is.
Aside from the story they do much more wicked forms of magic, they have a cult who is all about active euthanasia, they pray to all kinds of gods, kill, torture, rape. It is on so many levels more "Anti-Christian" than the Potter story but somehow I haven't heard of any outcries or complaints to ban it or kill the Author.
Probably because its no children's book but still.