As I have expressed, there is a clear dichotomy of opinion between two groups of individuals. Though you, no doubt, could identify these groups without my assistance, let me be clear. The one group is composed of those Potter-fans who usually partake of the "fever" aforementioned. The other group is composed of the individuals who find the Potter series to be an evil, or at least unwise, influence. I do not condemn either group here, though I admit that I have often been inclined towards the latter. Nonetheless, tonight I decided to face the issue head-on by watching the first film (Harry Potter: The Sorcerer's Stone). To a great extent, I believe I was simply curious; but I do also believe that I am/had been lacking a firm foundation for the opinion that I hold and that I was hoping by watching one of the films, I would gain insight that would help me lean in one direction or another for good reason. I am not overly fond of calling something evil "because my parents say so". I grew tired of that justification long ago and, though I do lean on the opinions of my parents since they are wiser and have had much more time to learn and consider the issues than I have, I do desire to make my own judgements based on my own research in the matter. I do my utmost to not make rash decisions or unfounded ones. So, tonight, after watching the first of the Harry Potter films, I wish to record my opinion - that is, my first impression.
"Harry Potter" is about a young boy of the same name who is orphaned, made to live with dreadful relatives, and then sent to Hogwarts to study magic. At Hogwarts, Harry becomes involved in a mystery involving "the Sorcerer's Stone" along with his best friends - Ron and Hermione. As this first movie plays, it seems to be a fairly innocent movie in the fantasy genre. Yes, there is magic. Yes, Harry and his friends are wizards/witches. Does this make it inherently bad? I admit that I was uncomfortable with references to incantations and cauldrons (mostly because it forced me into recalling my somewhat scarring experience reading and watching the play, Macbeth). These are clearly elements of witchcraft, as condemned in the Bible... Harry Potter is undoubtedly and undeniably about witches and wizards. Let us start with this rather obvious fact.
The main argument that I have heard against the Harry Potter series is that it is about witches and witchcraft - expressly condemned in the Bible. I find it difficult to refute this argument, as I know that it is true. Yet, because witchcraft acted out in reality is evil and condemned in Scripture, does this mean that is it harmful to make up fictional stories about witches - good and bad? I keep going back to the fact that these are fictional books. Fantasy. Though witches do exist, cannot the witches of Harry Potter be separated from real-life witches by the realization that they are completely different creatures in terms of moral implications? I don't know.
Yet another angle of this issue that I have not yet addressed is this: Harry Potter is not the only series (book or movie) to involve witchcraft, and if we reject the former on this ground, are we not similarly obligated to reject the others? One series that comes to mind is the Lord of the Rings. Gandalf, one of the main heroes of the series, is a wizard. The chief antagonists of the series are Saruman and Sauron - both wizards. I have rarely heard these characters condemned on the grounds of involving witchcraft. A part of me wonders, if this is the problem with Harry Potter, why not the Lord of the Rings as well? And, just to clear the air, I love the Lord of the Rings very much, both as books and movies. But I have to follow the moral implications of my decisions through to their logical conclusion - including their impact on other books, series, etc. Even the Chronicles of Narnia (one of the best series in history, in my opinion) contains magicians and some elements of magic. Again, is this wrong?
I think one of the main concerns that people have with Harry Potter is that it will impact youth into accepting and pursuing the lifestyle of witchcraft. I think that this is a fair concern when applied to the younger adolescents (those 16 and under, perhaps). However, at a certain age, one could hope that a certain discernment and maturity has developed to the point where a movie such as Harry Potter would not have such a powerful affect on one's morals that should already be fairly firm. In which case, I don't really see the harm in watching it. After all, how many movies do we watch daily in which there are couples who live together outside of marriage, or girls pregnant in high school? Why do these usually not get the reaction that Harry Potter does? What I have often said in response to questioning the ethics of watching such movies is that they will not affect me, because I already have a firm belief against sexual relationships outside of marriage. No movie or book is going to change that opinion. I stand by that. Yet, why can we not give the same justification for watching Harry Potter? I believe that people of certain maturity, standards, and beliefs can. Yet I also think that people, particularly youth, who are easily swayed and cannot separate an enjoyable movie from the lifestyle in reality should not watch it, lest it should tempt them to make unwise and potentially morally disastrous decisions.
I think this is a fair assessment. In the end, I believe it to be an issue of personal discernment including a knowledge of one's self and one's foundation. If it is a firm foundation, I do not think the Harry Potter series is a bad source of entertainment when kept in its proper place and as understood as a fictional fantasy series. However, if it is a weak foundation and you find yourself uncertain how such entertainment would influence you, I would advise you to stay away. In any case, I would not recommend the series to anyone under a certain age as such a foundation has not had a chance to become firm, whether it will in the future or not, and discernment is usually wanting.
Before concluding, there is one other thing I would add: As I have watched the movies, I find that the worldview-analysis training that I have received all my life and especially this last year at school is coming into play. I find myself constantly contemplating each statement and listening for its moral implications and origins. In this way, I think the Harry Potter series can actually be a helpful tool. With such training, I do not think I am as likely to fall prey to any negative ideas that may be portrayed in the series. Perhaps this is unwise of me, but, after carefully considering the series' impact on myself thus far and analyzing the morals of it, I do not think so. I can simply enjoy the series as a fictional story about interesting characters without this enjoyment at all impacting my moral beliefs on the issue of witchcraft.
So here I conclude. I do not put this post up as an objective source of wisdom or final opinion. I simply put it up as my own opinion after my own consideration.
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