Christianity in Harry Potter

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With every generation comes a story that captures people’s imaginations; alters their outlook on the tangible and intangible. A story that, that generation can proudly call their own. The impact of this story on millions of readers is ineluctable. This story receives universal accolade, prompting thousands and thousands of zealots. What makes said novels such a phenomenon? What causes this fervid obsession with something essentially chimerical? The answer is that these novels, unlike many in the common day, briefly fulfill our deepest conscience or sub-conscience desires. Readers become addicted to living vicariously through the characters in the novel, who complete some sort of longing they have for themselves. More often than not, this longing is the one our Creator placed in each of our hearts. The longing to discover our origins, to know what sets humans apart from all other living creatures. The longing to know our God. The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling does just this. With more than 400 million copies sold, it is clear that they are more than just fantasy tales of a heroic young wizard (Bassham). As predominantly portrayed in the last installment of the Harry Potter saga – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- readers can conclude that the Harry Potter tale is actually a very powerful Christian allegory. “To me the religious parallels have always been obvious, but I never wanted to talk too openly about it because I thought it might show people who just wanted the story where we were going” (Adler). However, many critics denounce that the series is not religious at all, but infact “..the perfect primer for teaching the occult” (Brown). Most Potter readers would agree that this idea is risible. The Christian symbol... ... middle of paper ... ...-53 Granger, John. How Harry Cast His Spell. Illinois : Tyndale House, 2008. Hol, Amanda. “Biblical Symbolism in the World of Harry Potter”. Original Editorial. 2004.www.mugglenet.com Johnston, Susan. “Harry Potter, Eucatastophe, and Christian Hope”. Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture. University of South Alabama Libraries. 2011. pgs 66-90. Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. NY: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2007. Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. NY: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2000 Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. NY: Arthur A. Levine Books, 1999 Whitehead, Ashley. “God, C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling?, Christian symbolism in Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia.”. Senior Study. Marian College. 2006.45pgs.

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