What's the Matter With Harry Potter?

 

WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH HARRY POTTER?

Mary Ann Wray

As a former elementary school teacher, I understand the importance of reading to increase vocabulary, improve critical thinking and develop mores in young minds. What has greatly concerned me now that I am a grandmother of several small children, and a minister of the gospel, is The Harry Potter series, written by J.K. Rowling. Some may accuse me of being a hard-nosed dogmatic and rigid Bible thumper, but I will risk ridicule in order to speak the truth in light of what Scripture has to say about witchcraft and sorcery-Old and New Testament combined. Some argue that witchcraft and sorcery was forbidden in the Old Testament but not in the New Testament. This really is an absurd notion that reflects Biblical illiteracy on top of spiritual naivete’. The devil hasn’t changed one iota from the moment of his fall and being cast out of Heaven. We Christians need to be vigilant and open our eyes to the fact that God’s Word never changes either, nor does His character.

 Harry Potter, is set in a fantasy world where sorcery and witchcraft are central themes.  The seven-book series by J.K. Rowling has sold over 600 million copies worldwide.  It has been translated into over 80 languages.  The estimated book revenue is around $7–8 billion. The eight-film series grossed over $7.7 billion worldwide at the box office. The merchandising, home video, and streaming add billions more. Theme Park attractions (like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter) have dramatically boosted tourism, with attendance in the tens of millions annually. “Pottermania” has sparked a global reading revival among children and teens. Reading and making revenue is all good in a society that encourages free enterprise right? So, what is wrong with Harry Potter from a Biblical Worldview? Follow the money and you see the trend. Follow the popular trends and your liable to miss God altogether. There has been a noticeable cultural connection and trend between the rise of interest in witchcraft, spells, and related practices and the popularity of the Harry Potter series, though it’s nuanced. Here’s a breakdown:

The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was published in 1997. The series introduced millions of readers, especially children and teens, to a world where magic, witches, wizards, and spells were normalized. The subsequent books and movies made magic socially acceptable and exciting rather than scary or taboo. Surveys and studies show that interest in Wicca, modern witchcraft, and pagan spirituality increased in the 2000s and 2010s. Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube now feature “witch aesthetic” content, spell tutorials, and tarot readings, appealing especially to younger audiences. Pop culture shows (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Witcher, etc.) also contributed to this visibility, but Harry Potter is often cited as the gateway that “normalized” magical fantasy. Some researchers suggest that the Harry Potter series sparked curiosity about mythology, folklore, and magic. Young readers often explore herbalism, divination, or “witchy” DIY practices in a playful or aesthetic way, inspired by the magical elements in the books. It clearly acted as a gateway for creative engagement with magic, folklore, and fantasy-based practices much like marijuana is cited as the “gateway” to more potent street drugs.

So What’s the Matter with Harry as ‘mythical’ literature for children?

 1. The Literary Theme of Sorcery and Witchcraft

 Magic in Harry Potter functions like technology or special ability: a “tool” that characters use for good or evil. It’s “fictional magic”, drawn from myth, folklore, and British literary tradition. It portrays wizards and witches as born with “innate” magical ability. They attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn how to control and channel it “responsibly.” Spells, potions, charms, and magical creatures populate the world, forming the framework for moral and character lessons. So here we see a special school for witches and wizards to learn how to properly use their “tools”. Charming notion, isn’t it? No really. Let’s go on…

  2. Symbolic and Moral Themes

 The series uses “witchcraft” language, to convey messages that focus on good vs. evil. Noble themes indeed. They’ve been used for children’s literature for probably a millennium. What’s wrong with using fiction to depict good versus evil?  Inherently nothing. After all, Harry and his friends oppose Lord Voldemort, who uses magic for domination and destruction. Love and self-sacrifice are emphasized as important mores in Rowlings’ books. However, Rowling repeatedly shows that love is a stronger “power” than any spell. What kind of power? Love as a magical force versus God’s love that is Holy and righteous? Is there such a thing as good magic to overcome evil? Jesus didn’t use magic to cast out devils. He used His authority. He passed on this authority to His disciples to cast out demons in His name! The Bible says we overcome evil by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony-not magic spells to counteract darkness. This may be too strong of a message for small children, but certainly “good magic” to counteract “bad magic” isn’t exactly teaching them the truth either.

 3. The problem- The Biblical View versus world view

 God’s Word doesn’t treat witchcraft or sorcery as a harmless fantasy, nor does it use witchcraft to convey messages on love, self-sacrifice, courage, friendship and loyalty. Scripture treats witchcraft and sorcery as spiritual rebellion (see Exodus 22:18, 1 Samuel 15:23, Leviticus 19:31). The issue is not just how it’s used but who the power comes from.

 True power and wisdom come only from God. Seeking or wielding supernatural power outside of Him is considered rebellion in His eyes. So, from a biblical standpoint, portraying sorcery positively, even in fiction, is a moral contradiction. Some try to justify it as “just fiction” or “harmless imagination,” but others argue that believers shouldn’t glorify what Scripture forbids, even symbolically. As Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:22: “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” I agree with this assessment wholeheartedly.

 4. Source of Fictional Ideas

 Although Rowling confesses to be a Christian, she does not draw on scripture to create a fictional characterization of good versus evil such as what  C.S. Lewis did in his seven fantasy novels, “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Instead, she drew on European folklore — witches, broomsticks, wands, alchemy, and mythical beasts. Latin and Greek spell names used come from these roots (e.g., “Lumos” = light). Myth and legend parallels were drawn from  Arthurian knights and good vs. dark wizards. There are zero scriptural nuances or overtones in any of her works other than forbidden witchcraft.

 Using sorcery and witchcraft themes to teach moral lessons is a clear spiritual contradiction. The Bible forbids sorcery and witchcraft. Why would a Christian use it as a means to teach children good over evil? It’s a blatant offense of faith in Christ. Why would we as Christians want our children and grandchildren feeding and filling their minds with such a contradiction to scriptural absolutes? A deeper question would be, this: as gatekeepers of our children’s spiritual welfare, are we unwittingly opening the door to demonic influence and possibly tormenting fears and ideologies by allowing them to partake of this type of literature and “entertainment?”

The Bible is unambiguous in forbidding sorcery, witchcraft, divination, and any attempts to contact or control supernatural power apart from God (e.g., Deuteronomy 18: 9–14, Galatians 5:19–21, Acts 19:19). Those are portrayed in Scripture as forms of rebellion — humans seeking power or knowledge that belongs only to the Lord. As such, I have to draw the conclusion that Harry Potter is spiritually inconsistent with Christian mores and even dangerous, because it normalizes the use of spells and magic, which Scripture associates with darkness. Furthermore, using such themes “fictionally” blurs the line between good and evil and dulls discernment about what God clearly condemns.

In contrast, C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia), is a clear example of Christian allegory for sin and redemption.  He intended it to represent the fight between sin and temptation. Aslan, a main character, was a fictional representation of Christ and The White Witch represented Satan. The theme of Narnia emphasized forgiveness, mercy and redemption. The Pevensie Children grew in faith and responsibility as they trusted in Aslan’s and Narnia’s moral order. Edmund, one of the siblings who started out selfish, sneaky and resentful, betraying his siblings and siding with the White Witch after promising him power, later repented and changed. The thematic basis of C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe revolves around Christian allegory, and Biblical ideas, not witchcraft and sorcery. Fiction is a great way to teach children moral lessons, and the struggle between good and evil is something they must learn, but not at the expense of using magic and witchcraft as the main overarching themes.

 5.  The Wise Approach

  For Christians, the key is Biblical discernment. We must test everything by the Word of God and by the Spirit of God (1 Thess 5: 21). As adults and for our children, we should avoid any entertainment that celebrates or normalizes practices Scripture condemns. Remember that the enemy often disguises darkness as light (2 Corinthians 11:14).