Harry Potter and the Selfish Pseudospirituals

            I stumbled onto a quote from Jerry Bowyer while looking into the occult controversy surrounding the HP books. Bowyer really struck a chord with me. “So much of the religious right failed to see the Christianity in the Potter novels because it knows so little Christianity itself,” he says. That illumination contextualizes so much of the venom for me. It seems to me that there might be two schools of thought among those who decry the Harry Potter series. First, there are those who fear passionately for the souls of young people. These are the most fearsome critics imaginable- they truly believe that their intervention is the only thing standing between millions of children and an eternity in Hell. Wouldn’t you be a little, frenzied, too? Second, there are those curmudgeons who delight in having their sensibilities offended. Condemning the books gives them a chance to feel deliciously self-righteous, railing against peers who lack their moral fiber. The first of these two groups is radical but understandable, misguided but earnest. The second is self-indulgent, vitriolic, reactive, and bullheaded.

Upon the release of Rowling’s seventh book, the Christian symbolism in the series became nigh on undeniable. Her incorporation of Bible verses, her depiction of Harry’s death and resurrection, even the name of the chapter where the resurrection takes place–“King’s Cross”—these are hard to ignore. It comes as no surprise, then, that those who sincerely feared for the souls of children were, for the most part, put at ease. Book burnings tapered off. More Christian leaders stepped forward to express their support for the series. The earlier books were increasingly accepted as similarly full of references to Christian values and archetypes.

Meanwhile, some critics remain among the selfish and mean-spirited. These are the people that I feel Bowyer’s quote applies to most neatly. With little direct knowledge of Biblical stories and values or their parallels in the Harry Potter series, it is easy for the pseudospiritual to hop on the hate-train in order to elevate themselves above other people. High elevations, though, lead to vertigo and eventual falls of significant magnitude. I hope this second group can find it in themselves to come back down before their selfishness carries them further from God. No selfish climb will get you to heaven- just ask the folks back in Babel. Oh, shoot. Nevermind.