Harry Potter Author Reveals Books' Christian Allegory, Her Struggling Faith

Christian Post Reporter

Thu, Oct. 18 2007 12:00 PM ET

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After years of averting questions on whether Christian themes were present in her wildly popular Harry Potter books, author J.K. Rowling finally opened up this week about the Christian allegory in her latest book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

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(Photo: AP Images / Scholastic, Matt Sayles)

J.K. Rowling speaks at a press conference at the first stop of the J.K. Rowling Open Book Tour at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday, Oct. 15, 2007. Ms. Rowling will be reading from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, answering questions and signing books for 1,600 students from the Los Angeles Unified School District.

During a press conference at the kick-off of her “Open Book Tour” on Monday, the British author told reporters that while religious themes were always present she purposely refrained from referencing any particular religion in order to conceal the ending.

“To me, [the religious parallels have] always been obvious,” Rowling said. “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.”

And where did the story end up? (Spoiler warning: Read no further if you don't want to find out what happens.)

Apparently, the last installment of the series is about resurrection and life after death.

In “Deathly Hallows,” Harry visits his parents’ graves at Godric’s Hallow and sees two biblical references on his parents’ tombstones, reading: “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death,” and "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

The first refers to 1 Corinthians 15:26 and the second is a direct quote from Jesus in Matthew 6:19.

By the end of the book, Harry becomes the "Master of Death" and “resurrects” from the dead the spirits of his parents, his godfather, Sirius Black and his old teacher Remus Lupin.

"They're very British books, so on a very practical note Harry was going to find biblical quotations on tombstones," Rowling explained. "[But] I think those two particular quotations he finds on the tombstones at Godric's Hollow, they sum up — they almost epitomize the whole series."

The book also begins with two religiously-themed epigraphs – one Christian, the other pagan.

Even though her books contain religious themes, the church-going author revealed that she struggles with believing in a basic Christian tenet of life after death.

"The truth is that, like Graham Greene, my faith is sometimes that my faith will return. It's something I struggle with a lot," Rowling admitted. "On any given moment if you asked me [if] I believe in life after death, I think if you polled me regularly through the week, I think I would come down on the side of yes — that I do believe in life after death. [But] it's something that I wrestle with a lot. It preoccupies me a lot, and I think that's very obvious within the books.”

Rowling was raised Christian in the Anglican Church and currently attends the Church of Scotland.

However, many conservative Christian leaders have strong denounced the author’s books as anything but detrimental to Christians and children, saying that it promotes witchcraft and the occult.

James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, had publicly criticized Harry Potter books.

“[I]t's difficult to ignore the effects such stories (albeit imaginary) might have on young, impressionable minds,” said Dobson in a statement noting the trend toward witchcraft and New Age ideology.

Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, had even condemned the books, writing that their “subtle seductions, which act unnoticed ... deeply distort Christianity in the soul before it can grow properly.”

But Rowling has yet to take warnings on her book’s potentially adverse influence seriously, retorting, “I go to church myself.”

"I don't take any responsibility for the lunatic fringes of my own religion,” she added.

Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries, advised parents in a past commentary on Harry Potter to teach their kids to be discerning like Daniel, who read pagan literature but “didn’t defile himself.”

Colson also recommended Christian-themed alternatives such as C.S. Lewis's Narnia books and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy.

“These books also feature wizards and witches and magic, but in addition, they inspire the imagination within a Christian framework—and prepare the hearts of readers for the real-life story of Jesus Christ,” said Colson.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final of Rowling’s novels on the fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has been out since July 21 and has sold more than 350 million copies worldwide. It is currently on the best-sellers list of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

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naija

Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:56 pm
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i believe judgement is for God. if Jesus were here will he say what ur all saying?

humble10

Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:43 pm
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Do we really need Jesus to be speaking out of Harry Potter? Can we not just enjoy this book? And why are Christians "Liars" who claim to looooove H.P. books? Like we are defrauded and must be dissalusioned by satan. Why does the christian industry and market have to approve books for us first anyway? Just because Dr. Dobson says they are bad does that mean they must be? I really like Dr. Dobson but don't hold authority by everything one man says. for those of you opposed to masturbation, dr. dobson holds to it being ok. I am sold out for Christ and I think H.P. is brilliant and refreshing. I don't think masturbation is such a great idea for regular practice. Is one of us not a christian? Rowling is private about so many statements regarding the spritual nature of her books and if she did not intend to claim any religious theme then let it be and we can decide as it was meant to be done, by reading it ourselves.

WiccanTexan

Thu Nov 01, 2007 8:50 am
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gmp: "Are they really any different than the early church?"

No, but your initial statement wasn't about the Taliban, etc. It was about the Inquisition. That's all I'm referring to.

docgoodheart

Thu Nov 01, 2007 3:34 am
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Fanatism is always dangerous, but if genuine Christians don't take a stand now against the Pink Agenda, our definition of 'normal' will soon become 'abnormal' - it will be abnormal to be heterosexual. Laws are being passed that protect the perverted, while moral values are being attacked. If the public knew the true facts of homosexual practices, they wouldn't be so tolerant. What is done behind closed doors would turn any stomach, but they want our children to be brainwashed into accepting homosexuality as normal. Political correctness is just another term for cowardice in taking a stand against 'popular' issues, and no one claiming to be Christian can go along with any of these issues that compromise christian principles. Martin Luther stood up to 'the powers that be' and freed the masses from tyrannical domination - if nothing is done soon, 'normal' people will become victims of the tyrannical domination of the Pink Agenda. They don't just want tolerance, they actually want to force their deviant lifestyles on everyone. Its time that christians in government put a stop to the Pink invasion and for once and for all call it for what it is - sexual perversion.

gmp

Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:40 pm
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Persistent? Thats an interesting descriptive term. Is that how you would describe Al Qaida and the Taliban? Are they really any different than the early church? Is the Jihad against the western culture, really any different than the crusades, or the war against heresy? I think not.

WiccanTexan

Wed Oct 31, 2007 2:53 pm
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gmp, when one thinks of the persecution you orignally mentioned, they don't tend to think of historial timeframes outside a particular area. I keep my eye on the ball by keeping to the context, and not assuming too broad a context for the statement. Even including your examples, however, I would still dispute the "millions" number.

Regardless, though the Church fanatics throughout history were (and are) pretty darn persistent, I actually see a much better future in general for a global interfaith community getting along.

gmp

Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:42 pm
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Ok smartie, The 50-60,000 you refer to includes the roughly 250 years from about 1450-1700 in Europe. It does not include all of the inquisitions, some of which began as early as the 1000s and occurred elswhere. These inquisitions were tribunals of the church for the suppression of heresy - of which witchcraft is considered. The Spanish Inquisition alone, set up by Ferdinand and Isabella, extended to the new world, and many sources place the death toll in the americas alone as in the millions. Dont forget the crusades either, where Moors and Pagans (all of whom were suspected of whichcraft) were killed in the name of Christianity.
We can debate numbers all day, but thats not the point. Lets keep our eye on the ball.

WiccanTexan

Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:16 am
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gmp: "Your comments on witchcraft sound frightningly similar to the witch hunts of the dark ages where millions of innocents were tortured and murdered by the church on suspicion of witchcraft."

I just had to correct this one statement. Current records show that the amount was not "millions" (a number made up by Matilda Gage), but more like 50,000-60,000. Executions were primarily done by secular, NOT church courts. Most were Christians who got caught in local political fights, or healers who turned in rival healers. That's not to say that church fanatics haven't done a great deal of persecution throughout the centuries, but I want to make sure that we have our facts straight.

gmp

Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:45 am
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dannygirl,
my greatest fear is that there are many others who feel like you do. Religious fanatacism in any form is evil, be it christian, muslim, hindu, or whatever. It shows arrogance, and leads to hate and resentment of others. Many of the darkest chapters of human history were written by fanatics like yourself who justified persecution and killing in the name of god. Your comments on witchcraft sound frightningly similar to the witch hunts of the dark ages where millions of innocents were tortured and murdered by the church on suspicion of witchcraft. One would think our society would have advanced farther than that by now.

BaptistBoy

Tue Oct 30, 2007 12:52 pm
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don't be so frothy and distracted by this frivolity. it's a smoke screen. the republican party has Christians running around burning up all their energy on gays and abortion while they take from the middle class and give to the super rich. people will not starve and go to hell because dumbledore is gay. but good people will suffer and go hungry in this very country while you pour all your energy into this. this is the real stuff, not a fictional wizard who isn't even identified as gay in the actual books and movies. besides which, who cares? it's comparatively nothing in the face of the issues we have to face in this wold.

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