The Curates Egg

Engaging with Culture 2 (The Occult)

Prologue

On July 16^th The latest Harry Potter book (No. 6 – The Half Blood Prince) duly arrived in our house. Once Rebekah had finished reading it (late that night!) I was allowed to start it and as I write this I'm about a third of the way through. Whilst the books have become a publishing phenomenon let us not forget that the films have also been hugely popular. In fact the first film (Philosophers Stone) is the third highest grossing film of all time, and the other two made so far are both in the top 14.

As a film franchise then they are financially on an equal par with Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (although when adjusted for inflation Star Wars does much better). Of course financial success doesn't make them great films, but they've all been pretty enjoyable and the third one (Prisoner of Azkaban) was definitely the best so far – which may bode well for 'Goblet of Fire' due in cinemas this November.

The general relationship between books and the films made from them is quite an interesting one (do we always prefer the one we read/saw first?) but following on from my article last month about Christian response to sex and violence in films I thought it worth briefly looking at the "occult" content of Harry Potter from a Christian perspective.    

Promoting the Occult?   

At a previous Church I attended the Vicar wrote an article in the church magazine telling us that we should not let our children read any of the Harry Potter books or watch any of the films. He was not alone in this view - a number of books have been written arguing the point and I know that Christians have protested outside our own Gloucester Cathedral; in which some scenes from the movies were filmed. The chief concern seems to be that because the stories are about wizards, witches and magic that they at best create a non Christian world view, and at worst may encourage children to dabble in the occult.

I think the key flaw in these arguments is not only that they underestimate the ability of children to recognise a story when they see one - but that they are based on too literal an interpretation of the stories and fail to look at the underlying messages given by the narrative. In other words (to quote Philip Plyming), "if Christians were a bit more prepared to read (or watch) Harry Potter with the imagination that as a story it deserves and not as a tract, they would be less worried about the effect the books (and films) might have on children". Viewed in this light we soon recognise that the stories are not really about the occult but are actually 'ripping adventure yarns' which explore issues of being 'different', of making choices, of good and evil, and of friendship; which are set in a fantasy world where magic is possible.

The need for us to engage with popular culture rather than avoid it applies to our children as well as to us. Whilst we do need to protect them from the genuinely unsuitable, we also need to teach them how to engage creatively and responsibly with secular films and other art forms within a Christian world view. Stopping them watching the films or reading the books will not only distance them from their non church friends but will also mean that they are unable to join in discussions about the stories and therefore limits the possibility of any Christian input.           

Epilogue

My recent cinema trips may not have contained magic but they have all been big budget and laden with special effects. I have managed watch some very different films at home however.  We recently rented 'The Story of the Weeping Camel' which tells, in a very gentle and beautifully filmed way, the story of a Mongolian family, their simple existence in the Gobi Desert, and a baby camel.  It's an opportunity to engage with a very different culture to our own and my whole family enjoyed it.

Tim