There is a certain segment of Christians who are opposed to the Harry Potter series. They will not read it and if they have children they do not allow their children to read it. Their reasoning is because of the occult themes throughout the book. In their belief system magic, spells and witchcraft are tools of Satan. The fact that Harry Potter is fictional doesn't make any difference. Although I don't agree with this perspective I also don't make it a habit to mock and belittle other peoples' religious beliefs. (Even when they don't respect mine. I just like to think that I am a little better than that.) What I find interesting is that many of the Christians opposed to Harry Potter have no problem with the Twilight series. They approve of the chaste relationship between Bella and Edward. They like that one of the main characters, Carlisle, was raised by a pastor and strongly believes in an afterlife, and atonement, afterlife and respect for human life are themes throughout the book. They also justify reading Twilight because well, vampires aren't real.
Here's a little reality check. Neither are witches and wizards. Just like people can call themselves vampires, buy fake teeth and have weird parties where they drink blood, people can call themselves witches and cast pretend spells. I can call myself a banana, but that's also not true. The occult is not absent in Twilight. Not only do vampires have special powers conferred on them (just like the wizards in Harry Potter), they are immortal due to their vampiric state. They are not human. In Harry Potter the characters are mortal, even the powerful ones. Even though they may be wizards they are still human. Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster at Harry's school and the most powerful, wise wizard in the book and is not immune from death. The themes of afterlife are certainly present in Harry Potter as well. During the last battle scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry spends time with the souls of Dumbledore and his parents (among others) before sacrificing himself in order to save the world, and in the ultimate confrontation between Harry and Voldemort he refuses to use a killing curse on Voldemort and asks him to show remorse, both of which are themes that sounds awfully similar to the actions of Jesus before his crucifixion. There are no themes of chastity because Harry Potter isn't treading the waters of pornography like "Twilight". It's a series about an epic battle between good and evil.
This leads me to question if the objection to Harry Potter is really about the occult themes. On the surface, it actually appears that Harry Potter contains many themes that Christians value; in fact far more then are found in "Twilight". There is one big difference between the two book that I see, and I question if that difference is really what makes very fundamental Christians uncomfortable. The difference is between the female protagonists. In "Twilight", Bella Swan is completely consumed by her relationship with Edward Cullen. Other than her love-bordering-on-obsession, we know very little about her and her interests. When Edward leaves in second book, Bella's life is completely shattered. She cannot do anything for months as she copes with her loss. He bullies and controls her, dictating who she can be friends with, where she should go to college, and ignoring her wishes about what she wants to do with her future. These are all things that are explored in many other places. Ultimately, Bella is incapable of taking care of herself and this is shown numerous times throughout the series. Every time she gets into a dangerous situation it is Edward (or another major male character, Jacob) who must come in and save her. She is completely reliant on the male protagonists to provide for her well-being.
Now, compare Bella Swan to the character of Hermione Granger, the main female protagonist in the Harry Potter series. Hermione is smart, independent and often more capable than the male characters during a crisis. She falls in love with another main character, Ron Weasley and she, Ron and Harry embark on quest in the last book in order to finally defeat Voldemort. The three get in an argument and Ron leaves. Unlike Bella, a heartbroken Hermione does not lie down in the fetal position and give up. She continues on her mission. She continues to be level-headed and make intelligent decisions. Ultimately the showdown between good and evil are more important than her sadness about Ron's departure. I can't help but wonder if fundamental Christian objection to Harry Potter has more to do with the strong feminist characters in Harry Potter. Strong women are not, to my knowledge, a typical feature in most Biblical stories. Women may be important, but they aren't empowered. Could the discomfort they feel towards Harry Potter have less to do with the occult and more to do with the fact that the woman in Harry Potter don't need the men?
(I just want to add: I know that many Christians don't object to Harry Potter. I know some object to both. My specific questioning is of those that object to Harry Potter but not Twilight. M'kay?)
*Picture quality isn't all that great but I couldn't find a better one in a pretty basic search and I really want to go to bed.
