This is in no way intended to be any sort of definitive position on Harry Potter, either from a Christian perspective or otherwise. It would be absurd and arrogant to presume otherwise. A multitude of considered books and articles have been written regarding the HP franchise and what we might make of it as Christians. I offer my thoughts into the mix for what they are worth in the hope that they will be helpful and taken in the spirit they are intended - sincerely, honestly and with some measure of balance.
I have not read any of the books and have only seen the first five films, so please don't take me to be some hyper-diligent fan or commentator, but I will share what I think. There are plenty of Christians who would say that the HP films and books are dangerous, that they inculcate a hazardous interest in the occult among the young and impressionable and that we should follow the wisdom and guidance of Philippians 4 and dwell on that which is good, wholesome, right, praiseworthy and so forth. Others would say that the films and books are harmless fun, a benign portrayal of spells and potions no more dangerous than portrayals of enchanted crockery dancing in Beauty and the Beast.
Perhaps somewhat inevitably, my own views lie somewhere in between. I whole-heartedly agree that our overall orientation must be in line with Philippians 4, that we must focus on all that is right, fair and commendable. But to go on from there and say that we should therefore wholly shun and distance ourselves from anything remotely outside those parameters is, I believe, unrealistic, naive and unhealthy. What I am of course not saying is that we should wallow in as much occult and unwholesome cultural content as possible, in the interests of being terribly relevant and in touch. That sort of activity will swiftly contaminate our spirits and dilute our intimacy with God, but we are called to the world and we must therefore be in some sort of position to engage with it in a meaningful and informed way.
Like it or not, HP is a cultural phenomenon, a juggernaut at the box office. Each successive film has racked up hundreds of millions at the box office, with the latest entry The Deathly Hallows Part II looking like making over a billion dollars once all is said and done. That is something that we must engage with. Not to be trendy and hip, not to say that because it is successful it is important, but because it is on the lips and minds of those around us and we should want to use it as an opportunity to speak with people and debate the grander themes of the franchise. If your friends and colleagues bring it up in conversation, I would rather we were able to say something about the interesting portrayal of good and evil, about sacrifice, about the corrupting, seductive nature of a thirst for power.
Now, if the films really are not your thing (and to be honest I tend to be pretty indifferent to them at the best of times), then by all means give them a miss. I'm not saying you have to immerse yourself in them, but I do think we should look for chances to understand and relate to key cultural reference points.
The next question is of course, what do we do about our children? In the interests of openness, my children are not remotely interested in HP and so this is more of a theoretical question for me than a practical one. Yours may feel differently. I am not trying to encroach here on the sacred ground of parenting, but I do think some points deserve to be made. Firstly, if your children are old enough to see the films unaccompanied and they are determined to see it, forbidding them may prove counterproductive. We all hope that our children will honour our commands and authority, but it doesn't always work out that way and we know that human nature is such that forbidden fruit is hugely appealing. We might fare better if we discuss the films with our children, find out if they are interested in seeing them and why and if we are determined that they not see them, seek to build consensus rather than dictate with, "because I said so".
Secondly, I think there are worse films for us and our children to see. Although there is a difference in tone and subject matter, the HP films are more akin to fantasy films such as Lord of the Rings and Narnia than more overtly occult-oriented films like The Omen, The Exorcist or even Ghost. I'm not trying to claim that the HP films are wholly harmless, but it should be borne in mind that the films are much more oriented around magic wands, flying broomsticks and magic spells than seances, meditation and Ouija boards, which I would consider to be much more obvious and concerning routes into the occult for the young. Frankly I would have more issues taking my 10-year old son to see Transformers 3 than I would taking him to see HP. Harry Potter is very clearly and starkly about good and evil and its spiritual dimensions are worn visibly. By contrast, Transformers 3 is ostensibly about two sets of robots beating each other up and accordingly you switch off your critical faculties as soon as the lights dim. That becomes a massive problem as the film then relentlessly peddles a lascivious, leering tone in relation to its female protagonist, constantly objectifying her and lingering on her curves. It sneaks up on you, but is an enduring impression you are left with.
Thirdly and finally, I think as with all films like this, they represent a golden opportunity to engage with your children and build a relationship of trust and openness with them. Rather than forbidding them to see it and opening up the regrettable but obvious risk of them sneaking off to see it with their mates (I know I would have at their age), why not make it a parent-child outing, with the promise of a snack or milkshake afterwards so that you can ask them what they thought, share your own insights and help them to think about and evaluate what they watch?
As they move through their teenage years, our children are always in danger of slipping away from us and regardless of how good our relationship with them might be, we should always look for the chance to spend more time with them, to creates contexts where we might have their ear and feed into them.
Don't take my word for any of this stuff to do with HP. After all, I'm just a guy with an opinion. Think about it yourself, maybe read a few of the books or watch some of the films and decide what you want to do. But please take every reasonable opportunity to engage with our culture and to connect with your children. Both are so very important.
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