The Harry Potter Controversy

Right.
I just finished the Harry Potter series. I am now a Harry Potter fan.
I would like to say, now, a few words to everyone out there who isn't convinced that Harry Potter is OK for Christians to watch. Ready? I'll try not to be offensive, but be warned, I am a passionate kind of person.
To begin we'll have a little dialogue:

Well Meaning Person: Hi!

Oblivious Kid: Ah, hey there.

Well Meaning Person: Whatcha been up to?

Oblivious Kid: Weeeelll, I failed my maths exam, and I had a normal teenage breakdown where I yelled at mum, and had a cry, and got some medication.... Oh, yeah, and I watched Harry Potter.

Well Meaning Person: Err... Ah...What did you say???

Oblivious Kid: ( head tilted, best ' I think you're a bit silly, but I'll say it again, shall I?' voice) H.a.r.r.y P.o.t.t...

Well Meaning Person: HARRY POTTER IS EVIL. AHHHHHHHH. POOR CORRUPTED CHILD!

Ok, now don't get me wrong, I was not entirely convinced of its virtues either, until I watched the movies. All of them. It's no use seeing the first one and thinking " I'm not gonna learn anything from this 'magical' trash."
Good things take time.

One thing about media, is that part of what you get out of a movie is what you choose to get out of a movie. This is a very personal thing, which has to be honestly thought out by the individual. THE INDIVIDUAL.
As a Christian, God has shown me great things form watching 'secular' films, and they have helped me.
Of course, that doesn't give the license to watch everything, but it is a valid point.

One big issue with the series, is the magic. ( this is the time to gasp, stammer, cover your children's eyes)
Magic. What I got out of Harry Potter was a great fantasy backdrop to a fictional tale of love, forgiveness, doing what's right even when it hurts, friendship, and, what a secular person would say was chance, but what I would say is God protecting someone who doesn't deserve it. In other words, grace. (Of course this is fiction, but we should have a biblical mindset even when indulging in fantasy. God is God no matter what, where or how. If the story was real, it would have been God who was in control the whole time.) ANYWAY, do you really think that most thirteen year olds are gonna watch a kids' movie, and then go out and try blowing stuff up with a stick? If they do, they will be disappointed.
Oh, and remember, this isn't a movie for ten year olds.

There is another point I really need to stress. LOVE. It is a powerful thing, and we see a lot of it in Harry Potter, as well as its antonym, hate. I got really touched. I don't so much mean the 'romance' that comes in the later movies, but the 'normal' love. I was BAWLING MY EYES OUT AT THE LOVE IN THE MOVIE. I would love to go into details, but I would have to give away big spoilers, so I won't.
But we, like Harry, have something that Satan, like Voldemort, no longer has.
We have love.
In fact we have more than Harry. For the Christian has Love Itself. We have Christ.

Now, by this time you're probably like, "OK, Harry Potter is saintly." Wrong!
I mean, talk about secular! The only time God comes up in the story is in blasphemy. Sadly, like most media today, people don't find this a problem. I do.

Also, harry is not particularly respectful to his aunt and uncle, or teachers, etc.

Probably the best thing to do in this case, is to talk about the genre, to talk about the attitudes and problems in the stories, and to highlight the fact that even the best of people, like Harry Potter, are sinners, and need to forgive, and be forgiven.

In my personal opinion, HP is well worth watching. The plot is a masterpiece, the characters relatable, and  it raises some great issues.
Oh, and it also has some very cool quotes:D