The Slander of J.K. Rowling

With great shame and sadness, I have witnessed the church's reactions to the Harry Potter books over the last several years. This isn't so much a blog to defend the Harry Potter books- although I have read them all and will read the seventh one after it comes out tomorrow night. The Bible clearly calls witchcraft a sin- particularly looking to a supernatural power to control the circumstances of life for your benefit rather than looking to God. This is the story of I Samuel 28. The question is can stories that exist in a world where people use magical powers be edifying and appropriate for Christians. First, let me ask for consistency. If it's the use of magic that makes the Harry Potter books bad, then Disney movies, fairy tales, the Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Narnia must also be regarded in like manner. The reality is all of these stories exist in worlds where we realize people have certain powers given to them that we don't have. We don't feel encouraged to try to seek out the wardrobe to find Narnia, nor to build orbs that will allow us to see as far as our wills will allow us, or to summon fairy godmothers. What these situations do is illuminate how people use the power they are given. Also, in the Harry Potter stories, the magic is taking place in an alternate universe that coincides with our own real world- much in the way that occurs in The Chronicles of Narnia. I don't want to go more into the biblical view of magic, imagination, and stories. Because in the attacks on JK Rowling, the author of the series, by Christians, they have not focused here. Instead, they have participated in the spread of lies to attack her character. In an article in the satirical, fictional, comedic paper, The Onion, they report how the Harry Potter books have increased the enrollment into satanism and quote several kids who are inspired by the characters of the story and demean Jesus Christ. Then, they even quote JK Rowling as even saying that she wants to lead people away from Jesus. This is all very satirical. The problem is that Christians have taken those quotes and spread them as real. There are websites that post them as if they are true. One sight claimed that the initials of JK stand for Jesus Killer. I have heard people tell them that they heard that Rowling's intentions were to have evil and darkness triumph in the end of series. On the eve of the seventh book coming out, I would be shocked if that were the case. This has been what has embarrassed and made me ashamed for the church. Nowhere is a Christian allowed to spread lies and slander about anyone in the Bible. Ephesians 4:31 says, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you." Christians are called to point out things they disagree with, and to point out and warn against dangerous ideas that are in our culture, but never is a Christian allowed to show disrespect towards another human being or to communicate in an unloving way with someone. In an age of increasing celebrity tabloidism when we feel free to comment on the lives of assorted movie and music stars, it's easy to de-personalize celebrities- to treat them as if they are not someone's daughter, someone's mother, much less a being created in the image of God. Our human sinfulness always wants to make ourselves superior to other people. It's easy to do that with celebrities by assuming the worst about them and cutting them down with our friends. Shame on us. We must always speak about people, even celebrities, as if they were in the room with us- in a way that expresses love and concern for them as a person. Let us all be quick to listen and slow to speak- even about people we might disagree substantially with.