Searching For Christian Imagery In 'Harry Potter'

August 22, 2009

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August 22, 2009

When the Harry Potter books were first released, the conservative Christian community condemned them for glorifying witchcraft, spells and potions. Now that the series is completed, some religious scholars argue that the books actually follow the plot of the Gospel and use Christian imagery.

GUY RAZ, host:

Welcome back to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Guy Raz.

Have you ever wondered what would Harry Potter do? Well, it turns out dozens of religious scholars are asking that very question. After years of being pilloried by the Vatican and conservative Christian groups for, among other things, promoting Satanism, the boy wizard is getting a second look by those very groups. And academic journals are teeming with new interpretations of J. K. Rowling's series as Christian allegories.

Professor OONA EISENSTADT (Chair, Religious Studies, Pomona College): The line of the plot definitely follows the Gospel.

RAZ: That's Professor Oona Eisenstadt, chair of religious studies at Pomona College and author of one of those recent studies.

Prof. EISENSTADT: She has two Christ figures, Dumbledore and Harry, each of whom die a kind of death experience, a kind of rebirth, and she has two Judases, Snape and Malfoy.

RAZ: Professor Russell Dalton, who teaches at Brite Divinity School in Texas, wrote a book called "Faith Journey through Fantasy Lands: A Christian Dialogue with Harry Potter, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings."

Professor RUSSELL DALTON (Christian Education, Brite Divinity School): One theme that's very present in Christian theology, that all of us are fallen. And so there's this scene where the Sorting Hat is put on Harry's head, and he whispers to it.

(Soundbite of movie "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone")

Mr. DANIEL RADCLIFFE (Actor): (As Harry Potter) Not Slytherin.

Prof. DALTON: And the Sorting Hat tries to convince Harry, says, you could be great in Slytherin. You could become this - a great evil wizard. Harry chose not to take that path.

Prof. EISENSTADT: The wand seems to me to represent God, the Father. The stone which confers resurrection represents the Son. And the cloak of invisibility clearly stands for the Holy Ghost.

Prof. DALTON: You're on a quest to find your identity but also to combat evil. You're called to something greater. You find out that you have powers that you did not know that you had.

(Soundbite of movie "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone")

Mr. ROBBIE COLTRANE (Actor): (As Hagrid) Did you ever make anything happen? Anything you couldn't explain when you were angry or scared? You're a wizard, Harry.

Mr. RADCLIFFE: I'm a what?

Mr. COLTRANE: A wizard.

RAZ: But in case you thought Harry Potter has been co-opted by weighty intellectuals, Professor Eisenstadt says not to worry.

Prof. EISENSTADT: Don't get the idea that I didn't enjoy these books. I love these books. I love them, and I love to think critically about them. For me, it's just an extra added layer of delight.

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