**spoiler alert**
If you haven't yet seen or read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but plan to, you may not want to read further...
The final movie came out today, so I decided to see it in the theatre (something I rarely do for numerous reasons). First off, I have to say that all of the books are better than the movies, but I was pleased at how the movies stayed true to the story.
Besides the fact that I enjoy reading a bit of fantasy now and then, one thing that pulled me into the books was the Christian allegory. From the very beginning you can see that it is a classic good vs. evil narrative. C.S. Lewis wrote somewhere that the best stories are those that reflect the Christian truth. J.K. Rowling also stated that her faith is key in writing (and reading) the Harry Potter books.
The final book and movie complete the Christology with the death and resurrection of Harry. He had to die at the hand of Voldemort in order to save humanity from the ongoing threat of an evil lord. But because Harry had been marked by Voldemort, and indeed was the horcrux Voldemort never intended to make, when Harry was attacked and killed he was able to return to life with his soul intact and unblemished. Then when he finally killed Voldemort, there was no way for V. to return to power as he had in the past.
Obviously no allegory is perfect, and neither was Harry. He made mistakes, lied at times, and didn't always treat people the way he should. But in the end he made the choice to sacrifice himself, and that made all the difference in the wizarding world.
Christians who object to Harry Potter probably also reject the Chronicles of Narnia and all sorts of fiction. In my opinion they are being shortsighted and they are trying to live in a safe, Christian bubble, totally divorced from the world. There are far worse books, movies, and videogames that young people are getting into. Rather than fear that Harry Potter may introduce a child to witchcraft, how about judging the books based on their moral character? Growing up I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, and some of it could and should have been thrown in the trash. So to me the Harry Potter books were a breath of fresh air-- one series that I like to reread about once a year. Now if I could just find out where to buy a wand... (kidding!!)
