Smrt Lernins

[Today's Secular Thursday post was guest-written by The Mama of Concordia Classical Academy. I really appreciate her insight into the Christian perspective(s) on the Harry Potter series and I think it provides a nice point of discussion for Secular Thursday. You can also read The Mama's previous guest post on a religious homeschooler's perspective of secular homeschoolers.]

Why I let my kids read Harry Potter

I suppose it’s inaccurate to say I let my kids read Harry Potter–only one is currently reading. I have let the preschooler watch it with her big sister, though.

The debate around Harry Potter isn’t new. The books have been out for quite a while and there is a ton of information available about the content and appropriateness. I’ve recently seen it crop back up and had to make the choice myself on whether or not to allow it for my kids. These are my thoughts and why I didn’t feel that Harry Potter was an issue to avoid despite our conservative Christian faith.

There are a LOT of people who really adamantly feel that reading Harry Potter’s adventures will damage the faith of their children. That it’s entertaining evil, or just that it’s a waste of time that could be spent reading something that will increase faith.

The main arguments against Harry Potter seem to be:
a) it’s magic and magic is of the Devil.
b) bad things happen in the books and it’s too dark for kids.
c) the magic is worse then magic in other books because it’s the protagonists using it.
d) the writing isn’t great.

I’ll address these as I thought through them and discussed them with my husband.

a) Yes, magic is present in all of the books. It’s even a central idea–Harry is different because of magic, he goes to a magical school, and he lost his parents because of a dark magician. The magic portrayed in the books isn’t really anything different then any fairy tale or fantasy; it has little to no relation to reality. I don’t know anyone who can transform objects with a wand and a short incantation. Nor would I ban all books with any magic–there goes the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Disney movies, Star Wars, and a myriad of other books, movies, and tales. It’d be a pretty narrow world if you took out all of the material with magic! I mean, it would never occur to me to worry about my kids watching Dora because they would start trying to converse with monkeys and foxes, even though Dora can. It’s make believe and I actually think it’s healthy to encourage pretend and fantasy in kids–as long as they know what is real.

b) Bad things do happen in the books. People died. They are betrayed by people they trust. The kids lie to adults and sneak around. Bad things happen in real life, too. That doesn’t mean you need to dwell on it, but it does mean that exposing kids to it through literature can actually be a good, healthy way to discuss these themes. Part of the appeal of Harry’s world is how realistic it is in the way life goes for the characters. They experience loss and disappointment. They get injured. I have found that it’s actually helped my daughter to read about someone having a problem similar to one she’s had, having, or will have, as long as we talk about it. Kids shouldn’t be set loose in a void to puzzle morality through on their own. These books provide great leaping-off points for discussion. The books also have huge examples of love, self-sacrificing devotion, loyalty, friendship, and courage. About accepting people who are different. About standing up for the little guy–and about coping with being the little guy. It shows how to stick with your convictions and how to treat people how you want to be treated. It’s not all bad by far, folks.

c) This argument seems to play in the same sandbox as the one that the Chronicles on Narnia and the Lord of the Rings were intended as Christian allegory, so it’s OK. I’ll reiterate first that I don’t think most kids read these books and expect to learn to fly or transform things as a result. Even so, is it confusing to see the good guys doing something that could be seen as bad? I suppose for some children it might be, but isn’t this a reason to sit and discuss, rather then avoid something? If faith is so uncertain and tenuous that reading a book where the good guy has unusual powers causes a significant shake up, perhaps there are other issues to address. Just because someone is a hero, doesn’t mean all aspects of him/her are good. Most heroes have flaws that are visible and a big part of them; think of Odysseus. Think of sports stars. Politicians. Isn’t childhood the proper place and time to talk about taking the good and sifting the bad (if fantasy magic is bad)? I’ll take all the chances I can get to help my kids learn discernment with me there to assist.

d) I heartily disagree. I like Harry Potter! I think it’s some sort of snobbishness that I’m in no hurry to leap into to call Harry Potter poorly written or immature. To be sure it’s not an old classic, but it’s incredibly widely read and loved. Just because something is popular doesn’t make it bad. It’s not inferior just because it’s not a century old. It’s appealing, has a cohesive and coherent storyline, and has inspired lots of people who aren’t readers to READ. Isn’t that a mark of great literature?

I can’t tell you to let your kids read Harry Potter. I can’t tell you that they will be deprived without it. The world is full of books. I can tell you that they aren’t some super stealth faith destroying series, though. It’s no different then allowing any fantasy into a child’s life.

To me, Harry Potter is somewhat akin to a sugary donut. It’s not all I want my kids to eat, but it sure is fun.

I have fairly regular bouts of insomnia. This is bad for several reasons, but chief amongst these is that it means I’m lying awake in the middle of the night thinking about things. After I’ve exhausted all the things about which I must anxiously and obsessively worry, my brain starts going to weird places.

Last night, I spent about a half-hour mulling over how unschoolers would respond to their children receiving letters from Hogwarts.

Seriously. These are the kinds of things that go through my sleep-deprived brain.

If we did live in the Harry Potter ‘verse, though, how would an unschooling parent react if his/her child received an invitation to attend Hogwarts?

Would it change based on whether or not the parents themselves had magical ability? Would the wizard unschoolers keep their children home and expect that they would learn through going about a magical life with their parents? Would the muggle unschoolers expect the magical abilities to unfold naturally if their children weren’t forced to channel them through specific incantations? Would they leave it entirely to the child’s choice, try to influence them, or make the decision for them?

And what about those unfortunate incidents that occur when the latent magical powers reveal themselves (like Harry disappearing the glass on the snake cage, Lily flying through the air off the swing, or Neville bouncing when dropped out of the window)? Without guidance, wouldn’t those incidents continue, putting the child at risk of some sort of magical legal trouble? Can magic be learned through modeling and real-world application only, especially with the legal limitations placed on underage wizards?

Would magic be viewed as something completely different from academic education, due to the potential danger of inadvertently blowing up one’s aunt, and unschoolers would have no problem sending their children off to Hogwarts? Would those who opted to home-magicschool their children use a more formal curriculum for it? Would they still allow the child’s interests to be more self-guided (no need to learn potions if they don’t show interest) or expect a basic level of proficiency in all areas?

Inquiring minds want to know. If you are an unschooler, how would you respond if your child received an invitation to Hogwarts (outside of the “OMG, I can’t believe Hogwarts really exists!!!” response)?