Why /I/ Love Harry Potter

Ah, Harry Potter. Quote possibly the most controversial series among teenage Christians.

The reason is, of course, witchcraft is specifically forbidden in the Bible. You're told not to mess with it.

I know this. I completely understand and respect it if that's why you stay away from Harry Potter.

Here is what I don't like: when people refuse to say anything good about Harry Potter.

I think that the whole wizardry and Hogwarts and magic stuff, those aren't actually the main point. That is the setting, the fictional part.

The actual story set in this fictional world is beautiful.

It deals with themes that kids and adults face all the time. It also got tons of kids reading, which I appreciate more than words can describe.

The themes I'm talking about are love, friendship, death, depression, fear, hope, courage, sacrifice, corruption, and so, so many other things.

And they aren't like, petty things. They stick with you. 

So could you please not immediately call the books evil and stupid and such? Yes, everyone has opinions, but could you possibly research your opinion before you choose it?

I was not allowed to read the books until maybe three years ago (2010, the year The Deathly Hallows Part 2 came out). My Mom was extremely reluctant to let me read them. But I still knew bits and pieces about the books from my cousin and the two minutes from one of the movies. So I never really understood how people thought they were "evil".

I had a debate about this via text last year with a kid at school. I'm sorry, but it was one of those cases where he honestly did not know what he was talking about. It didn't help his case that I miiiight have been judging his grammar the whole time. *cough*

I also didn't really see how people could hate on Harry Potter for being about wizards and stuff and then love The Lord of the Rings, which also has wizardry and magic. The boy I debated it with last year just said "Well no, da Lord of da Rings is a classic" which made me want to smack something. The length of time a book has been in existence does not, contrary to popular belief, change whether or not it is good (I love the Lord of the Rings, of course. But I would love them even if they came out a thousand years ago or yesterday). One girl I know said she could watch/read Lord of the Rings because they were written from a Christian basis, and Harry Potter was not, which I liked and understood much, much better.

Now here's why I love the books. This is me and my opinion, and I wish I had more quotes to back me up, but I don't own the books. >_<

First, like I said above, they deal with normal, everyday themes. Love is one of the huge foundations of the books. The reason Harry is alive at all is because of his mother's love for him. She shielded him with love so that Voldemort's curse bounced off of Harry. And then there's the Weasley family, who is so totally loving it's ridiculous. Mrs. Weasley meets Harry once (ONCE!) and makes him a Christmas sweater just like he's one of their family because Ron told her he wouldn't have presents. Honestly, this is something I wish Christians would be like way more. And then there's the friendship love, between Harry, Ron, and Hermione (well, less so between Hermione and Ron, but that's another story). They all stick together through (almost) everything. But they still have issues, still fight sometimes (Ron) and sometimes have to leave to clear their thoughts(Ron), and they don't always get it right (Ron). But they forgive, forget, and move on to the next save-the-world thing they have to deal with. 

Death is a depressingly large part of the book. Harry's an orphan, for starters. His parents died saving him. And then in the fourth book, a student is killed, which I think seriously shows us how very ruthless Voldemort is as a villain. Before, all the bad things he did were in the past, to characters we had heard of but didn't know. Now it's a Hogwarts student dying, now it's real. And then in the last book tons of people die. I found something on Pinterest... *looks*

Aha. Nah. Too many spoilers.
But I do think a lot of the deaths weren't just random characters. They did all represent something. And they all died fighting and defending Hogwarts and good things and Muggles and freedom.

Courage. Oh, my dear Neville. :) In the first book, Dumbledore gives Neville a bunch of house points and says something like "It takes courage to stand up to one's enemies, but even more to stand up to one's friends" (pretty sure I botched that quote, but that's the gist of it). I think this is super applicable to Christian life. I know I've been terrified to talk to my friends about Jesus and stuff for fear of losing their friendship. So I think I should remember that part and apply it to life. 

Sacrifice. Ah, this plays into the love and death part again. But there's also smaller sacrifices, too. Harry gives money to Fred and George to start their shop (which, since Harry is rich, isn't actually that much of a sacrifice, but I'm making a point). Hermione and Ron give up their last year of Hogwarts to help Harry. Hermione makes her family forget her to save them. Dobby... nope. Not going there.

And then there's the fact that HALF OF THE TIMES THEY SAVE THE DAY IS BECAUSE HERMIONE IS A GENIUS and she's like "Let's go look this up." If that doesn't show kids to read and study and stuff, I don't know what will.

Luna is one of the kindest and most patient and forgiving characters ever, even if she is a little crazy. People should emulate her attitude as well, her appreciation of everything, and her patience with jerks and her kindness to Harry and the Threstrals (is that how it's spelled?) and the Hippogriffs. I love her. u_u

The books also show the epic power of chocolate. u_u

In conclusion, the Harry Potter books are about courage and friendship and loyalty and love and family and confronting your fears and standing up for what's right. It's well-written, original, with a deep plot. The characters are well rounded and seem real, with personalities and characteristics. The books are funny and intense and good. As for the evil part, well that's your decision. However, the books are works of fiction. They also emphasize the light side of magic. The kids are trained in Defense Against The Dark Arts. If they were bad books (literature wise), I kinda doubt there would be 8 movies, a huge fandom, an amusement park, and three musicals about it.