Anyway, the recent Harry Potter film reminded me of one exchange. I asked simply, "Why is Harry Potter bad and Frodo Baggins good?" This was their response:
Greetings from Focus on the Family and thank you for your e-mail to our ministry headquarters. I consider it a privilege to reply on behalf of our staff.
Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding our perspective on Harry Potter versus Frodo Baggins. Having evaluated each of the _Harry Potter_ books in the series, our staff has found there are aspects that may give Christian parents reason to pause. Magical characters -- witches, wizards, ghosts, goblins, werewolves, poltergeists, and so on -- fill the pages. While the author certainly distinguishes “good magic” from “bad magic,” it’s difficult to ignore the trend toward witchcraft and New Age ideology in the larger culture and not consider the effect these stories (albeit imaginary) might have on young, impressionable minds.
From a broader perspective, we believe it is important for parents to pay close attention to the manner in which spiritual power is presented in *any* story -- not just the _Harry Potter_ books. It’s crucial to ask questions like, “Who is the source of this power? How is it portrayed? What are the results of its use?” Good spiritual power -- for example, the power by which the apostles healed the sick and the lame in Jesus’ name -- comes from God. He gives it to His people to accomplish His purposes, and it is always used for *His* glory. Occultic or evil spiritual power, on the other hand, serves the user’s own selfish interests. It is dangerous, destructive, and manipulative in nature.
As a sidelight, it’s worth mentioning that there are many cases in which the powers exercised by fantasy and fairy tale characters have no spiritual significance whatsoever. Such “magic” is simply a part of the make-believe world created by the storyteller -- a world which operates according to principles of its own and suspends the rules of normal day-to-day reality. Even books written by Christian authors from a Christian perspective -- for example, C. S. Lewis’s _The Chronicles of Narnia_, J. R. R. Tolkien’s _The Lord of the Rings_, and the fairy stories of George MacDonald -- make use of this device. The ability of Cinderella’s fairy-godmother to turn pumpkins into coaches, Mary Poppins’ talent for sliding *up* the banister, Peter Pan’s aeronautical skills, and Alice’s wild experiences with shape-altering mushrooms all belong to this category. Here again, parents must use discernment in determining which stories fit this description and which can be justly characterized as occultic in nature and intent.
With these thoughts in mind, we’d like to suggest the following rule of thumb for evaluating fairy tales, fantasies, and fictional stories of any kind. Any story that exhibits a tendency to romanticize the occult should probably be avoided. If, on the other hand, a work of fiction portrays the practice of witchcraft and wizardry in such a way as to highlight its evil nature and make it unattractive to the reader (as in the case of C. S. Lewis’s White Witch), then it is probably acceptable from a Christian point of view.
Thanks again for seeking our thoughts on this matter. We hope this response has been helpful. May God grant you wisdom and direction in the days ahead.
Ken Wolfe
Focus on the Family
Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding our perspective on Harry Potter versus Frodo Baggins. Having evaluated each of the _Harry Potter_ books in the series, our staff has found there are aspects that may give Christian parents reason to pause. Magical characters -- witches, wizards, ghosts, goblins, werewolves, poltergeists, and so on -- fill the pages. While the author certainly distinguishes “good magic” from “bad magic,” it’s difficult to ignore the trend toward witchcraft and New Age ideology in the larger culture and not consider the effect these stories (albeit imaginary) might have on young, impressionable minds.
From a broader perspective, we believe it is important for parents to pay close attention to the manner in which spiritual power is presented in *any* story -- not just the _Harry Potter_ books. It’s crucial to ask questions like, “Who is the source of this power? How is it portrayed? What are the results of its use?” Good spiritual power -- for example, the power by which the apostles healed the sick and the lame in Jesus’ name -- comes from God. He gives it to His people to accomplish His purposes, and it is always used for *His* glory. Occultic or evil spiritual power, on the other hand, serves the user’s own selfish interests. It is dangerous, destructive, and manipulative in nature.
As a sidelight, it’s worth mentioning that there are many cases in which the powers exercised by fantasy and fairy tale characters have no spiritual significance whatsoever. Such “magic” is simply a part of the make-believe world created by the storyteller -- a world which operates according to principles of its own and suspends the rules of normal day-to-day reality. Even books written by Christian authors from a Christian perspective -- for example, C. S. Lewis’s _The Chronicles of Narnia_, J. R. R. Tolkien’s _The Lord of the Rings_, and the fairy stories of George MacDonald -- make use of this device. The ability of Cinderella’s fairy-godmother to turn pumpkins into coaches, Mary Poppins’ talent for sliding *up* the banister, Peter Pan’s aeronautical skills, and Alice’s wild experiences with shape-altering mushrooms all belong to this category. Here again, parents must use discernment in determining which stories fit this description and which can be justly characterized as occultic in nature and intent.
With these thoughts in mind, we’d like to suggest the following rule of thumb for evaluating fairy tales, fantasies, and fictional stories of any kind. Any story that exhibits a tendency to romanticize the occult should probably be avoided. If, on the other hand, a work of fiction portrays the practice of witchcraft and wizardry in such a way as to highlight its evil nature and make it unattractive to the reader (as in the case of C. S. Lewis’s White Witch), then it is probably acceptable from a Christian point of view.
Thanks again for seeking our thoughts on this matter. We hope this response has been helpful. May God grant you wisdom and direction in the days ahead.
Ken Wolfe
Focus on the Family
Is that clear? Anything C. S. Lewis and Tolkein write is good because their magic is imaginary. Whereas the magic Harry Potter uses is real... and Harry Potter is a selfish occultist wizard, and that's bad. Got it? Still I do give them credit for advising parents to make their own judgments on the issues. Isn't that really the only answer? Of course, that should beg the question as to why they endorse one but condemn the other, but who's keeping track?... people like me.
