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Christians who love Harry Potter
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| FATHER |
[04 Apr 2012|12:30am] |
Shameless plug and an ethics question.
My friend and I wrote a fanfic (bordering on parody) of Harry Potter with the premise. "What if Lucius Malfoy had adopted Harry Potter?" Link: http://hogwarts-grads.livejournal.com/842307.html (It's done, posted the last chapter yesterday, just waiting for the mod to approve it.)
One of the ethical/spiritual question in Harry Potter is can bad stuff/hard times be good for us?
I have a lot of trouble with Harry being left with the Dursley's given the way they treat him. You'd think Dumbledore would check in on him once a year or so and go "hey, boys don't belong in cupboards". I've seen lots of kids placed with nearest relatives in foster situations, which is a reasonable place to start....but I seriously question the wisdom of placing them with the grandparents who produced the screwed up parent they were taken away from in the first place.
However, if you go with the vague spiritual metaphor of Dumbledore representing "God" and Voldemort representing the "Devil", then you can also hit on the "rejoice in the trials that strengthen you" mentality. Honestly I think Harry is both strengthened and weakened by his time with the Dursleys. He's far more independent and has a deeper appreciation for how it feels to be ill treated, thus a strong ability to feel empathy. But he's also far too reluctant to go to people who could help with his problems, and rather clueless in many interpersonal areas.
Anyway, one of the themes that came up in the story as we ran it through the seven years, is that yes, Harry's life is infinitely easier when he can go to adults with his problems and isn't in want of anything. However he's a far weaker character. Not really cruel, this isn't evil Harry by any stretch, but lacking the sort of willpower that would help with the world saving and moral guidance.
I have to admit that I'm a better person because I was ostracized and bullied a bit by my peers when I was young. But I had God and some good parents to see me through that and keep me focused. Still it brings up some interesting questions on suffering and just how much is "good" for us, because I think in an ideal world no one would bully each other.
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| Deathly Hallows Part 1 |
[21 Feb 2011|09:32pm] |
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To give you an idea of how busy I've been. Saturday was my first time to see Deathly Hallows Part 1.
I was pleasantly surprised. There are still things I would have liked to see done differently, but in general, I found it a vast improvement over the last few films.
And as an original H/Hr shipper, I did love the fan service. However, I think the Ministry infiltration was the best part of the film.
What did everyone else think?
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| The Harry Potter Lexicon |
[11 Sep 2008|12:44am] |
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b27815_rowling_rules_judge_halts_harry_potter.html
I'm a little upset that the website for the Lexicon has gone missing. I used it often to check story points for my RP and fanfic. I hope this is temporary.
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the book that was shot down. It was bad timing for it...and I'm a little surprised not to hear any objections from Lexicon contributors, cause I know Vander Ark didn't put the Lexicon together single handed. On one hand, I think Rowling has a point that it didn't fall under the same safe guards that a commentary would...on the other hand, there was a lot of word origin info on the site, which was speculation/research beyond cutting and pasting something that Rowling has said. Because she had announced the idea of doing an encyclopedia herself, it was a bit more in the direct competition line... on the other hand, more than one HP guide has been published without contest (or great amounts of originality).
And I'm sure any HP fan dedicated enough to buy the Lexicon book, would buy the "official" encyclopedia anyway.
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| What did Harry Potter do for you? |
[31 Mar 2008|09:40pm] |
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This question popped up on my general Harry Potter discussion group, and I took it as an opportunity to finally write out my testimony in this area. In some ways this just scratches the surface, since I don't go into specific passages or theological thoughts. But then I don't think they're needed here.
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| Pastor Melissa Scott |
[18 Feb 2008|09:48pm] |
okay, this isn't Harry Potter related, but it's Christian related. I've started catching Pastor Melissa Scott on late night, and I find her academic/linguistic approach to scripture refreshing. I was wondering if anyone else had seen her/had some thoughts about the University Cathedral.
While I'm at it, I'm interested in the state of Christian programming on TV. I think PAX/ION/TBN is taking a stab at it, but the quality is all over the place. My skyhigh dream is to someday create a commercial Christian TV channel/network...and I was wondering if you were programming a Christian station what would your ideal line up be? Any shows or types of shows that you would like to see?
What do you think of the current state of Christian television/mass media?
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| Runner-up Person of the Year |
[19 Dec 2007|10:16am] |
Jo made the short list for Time's annual recognition. The profile of her is at the following page:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/personoftheyear/article/0,28804,1690753_1695388_1695436,00.html
This article contains one of the longest and most complete statements I have as yet read about where she is in her own religious beliefs. I particularly found it interesting that she came from an unchurched background and decided to pursue it on her own. However, it confirms the previous indication that she is still somewhat of a seeker, and clearly denies Granger's premise that she was trying to emulate CS Lewis.
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| HP Senior Honors Thesis |
[04 Dec 2007|12:32am] |
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If anyone's interested, I've posted a partial draft of my senior honors thesis, "The Last Enemy: Harry Potter and the Problem of Evil," on my main journal page. Any comments and thoughtful criticism/edits would be greatly appreciated! :)
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| Some less serious squeeing |
[08 Sep 2007|07:50pm] |
I had the lovely opportunity this last weekend to shake hands with the Phelps twins and Matthew Lewis, as well as sit in on a couple of their panels. They seem like pretty down to earth guys in general...still rather in awe of their fan base.
One thing I learned that I didn't know before is that Matthew Lewis is *really* skinny (not unhealthily so, he's about the same size as the Phelps twins). Apparently he wears a fat suit and prostetics to play Neville. I feel kinda bad for him, but I can understand where the studio is coming from (trying to be consistent with the character). On some level, I feel it's much better than the studio telling Lewis to gain weight for the character (which isn't an uncommon practice in Hollywood). Better to let him be healthy.
One thing that really kinda touched me was Matthew talking about how it was really hard for him to watch the early movies. He didn't linger on the topic, but it stuck out to me. I've lost a lot of weight since I was younger, and it's really hard to look at pictures of myself sometimes.
All the guys were great to listen to, they had a good attitude and sense of humor (Lewis completely held his own humor wise with the Phelps). You can tell they keep a pretty positive attitude with each other on the set, and that makes me feel good. I think it's more fun to watch actors who enjoy their jobs.
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| Dragon Con anyone? |
[23 Aug 2007|09:55pm] |
I'm hitting Dragon Con this year! My first time. I've been wanting to go for nearly a decade. Anyone else going? I think there's supposed to be some HP stuff. I think I'll be Amidala (black feather headress) on Friday and Hermione on Saturday....still working Sunday/Monday costumes.
I was wondering if anyone else is going to be there?
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| Part 3 of the Abanes Q&A |
[13 Aug 2007|09:05pm] |
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The brackets on the next to last question again indicate a place that I may edit out or down for the website version. It's a strange question, and may be a bit out of place since it opens a can worms, without taking time to properly explore it.
Thoughts welcome as always. :)
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[12 Aug 2007|01:53pm] |
I just wrapped up the interview with Mr. Abanes. I probably could have gone on longer, but he's busy. And I probably need to devote some time to other things too. I think we covered the main points though. The moral issue is something I think people will be debating for a while, and that's okay. I just enjoy the fact HP gives us opportunities to talk about this stuff.
I'll try to get the last bit posted later.
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| This is how not to respond to a Potter critic |
[10 Aug 2007|01:03am] |
I'm posting this seperately, because there's still some tension between Granger (or those in his "camp") and Abanes. I'd rather that didn't overshadow other points in interview, but I do want to talk about it a bit.
Anyway this is what I got from Richard:
I want you to read something (and I hope you post it) that I received today from someone who is a fan of John Granger's. This is the kind of hate mail I am getting from so-called brothers and sisters in Christ who are saying how wonderful Rowling is and how HP has brought them "closer" to Christ. It is a perfect example how Granger is making some troubling zealots out there who have lost sight of what it truly means to be a Christian:
"Richard, you are STILL too stubborn to admit that the Potter books are written by a CHRISTIAN author with CHRISTIAN meanings. Why did Harry go to "King's Cross" when he died? You say that we "twist and pervert the books into what they want them to be -- i.e., a blatant Christian allegory," contrary to the words of J.K. Rowling. Uh, when exactly did she say the books didn't have Christian content? Since you're so big on quotes, I figured you could give me one by Mrs. Rowling where she makes such a statement . . . And just a word of adivce, quit being so stubborn! You're making a fool of yourself and Christians everywhere. You were wrong about the Potter books. Get over it. Your arguments have about a tenth of the validity of John Granger's. I don't even know why he wastes his time talking to you. Well, at least he's not wasting any more time than he was previously. Smart man. Harry Potter has made me grow closer to Christ than ever before. I thank God every day for using J.K. Rowling to spiritually edify me and people around the world. Hopefully you won't do any more damage than you're doing now by lying to people about the books' Christian content. Because of you, many people are missing out on a greater appreciation for Christ, something I gained by reading the final Potter book. You are preventing others from experiencing that same fulfillment. I hope you realize the damage you're doing to the Christian community and readers everywhere."
I would ask you to appeal to all those Christians you know who love HP and implore them to avoid these kinds of personal attacks. They have no bearing on truth. They only cause deep dissension. They are hurtful. And they certainly do not represent Christ.
I truly believe that God can use Harry Potter, and He's certainly used it in my own life. But even at his best, Harry is a tool for faith, not the source or measure of it.
God commanded us to love both our friends AND our enemies (and I'm assuming everyone in between...including people we disagree with). It's okay to disagree with another Christian/person, even strongly disagree, but I think it's important to watch our tone when we do so. Try to stick to the issues and not attack the person.
And I'm not just trying to defend Richard here. I think this applies to more extreme anti-Harry peeps like Laura Mallory, Kjos, or even Caryl Matrisciana (who honestly scares me a bit). Remember that a gentle answer turneth away wrath, and we are to praise those that persecute us (or our fandom).
In John's defense, I don't think he ever intended to pick a fight, and I can easily see why he feels gratified by DH... nor do I hold him responsible for what other people do... but it would do us all good to remember the importance of leading by example even when we might not fancy ourselves as leaders.
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| Richard Abanes Q&A part 2 |
[08 Aug 2007|09:47pm] |
I pitched this idea as a public discussion/interview, and I couldn't resist rambling a bit in this chunk. There are two or thee places where Richard broke up what I said to respond. I generally followed his breaks, so there's a bit of editing to try to help the flow, but everything important is still intact. Anyway, if the flow seems awkward that's why.
( Part 2: Christian themes/symbolism/allegory in Harry Potter? )
I'm still taking questions, and mary_j_59 , I hope we cover the questions you had as we go.
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