Book Reviews: Christian, Philosophical Critiques of Harry Potter Books
Harry Potter has become wildly popular all over the world. That popularity and the ways in which it has manifested itself can tell us a lot about popular culture and the ways it can influence ideology and how childhood is constructed. Most people who read the Harry Potter books don't even begin to think about such things, but they can provide a great deal of insight on the culture around us and is worth the effort.
The Harry Potter books are wildly popular, but are they just children’s stories, or do they contain substantive themes that merit philosophical analysis and exposition? It’s arguable that any book series which can attract so much attention is probably not fluff, but instead appeals because of the good use being made of serious themes, ideas, and concepts.
First as books, but now as movies, video games, and a multitude of toys and kitsch, Harry Potter has become an important feature of modern popular culture. As such it is becoming the subject of critical, cultural studies designed to help us better understand what the phenomenon says about modern culture as well as what sorts of influences it is having on that culture.
Is the Harry Potter series anti-Christian? That’s the argument made by many conservative and evangelical Christians. They object to the Harry Potter books’ depiction of magic and morality. This is not, however, the only possible Christian reaction. There are many Christians who argue that Harry Potter is not only acceptable, but in fact presents a Christian worldview.
