Fascinating to see from the latest of the Bible Society's Newswatch emails that, "Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has told a TV audience that her stories draw on Christian themes and reflect her own ‘struggle’ to ‘keep believing’":
"During a question and answer session on an NBC news magazine in the USA on 29 July, she said that calling Harry Potter ‘the Chosen One’ revealed the series’ ‘religious undertone’. She said ‘it had always been difficult to talk about’ because divulging some of the books’ Christian motifs ‘would give away a lot of what was coming’. Deathly Hallows, published last month, shows Harry visiting his parents’ grave where the headstone bears the inscription ‘The last enemy to be destroyed is death’. The finale features Harry choosing death so that others might live and includes a last battle resulting in death and resurrection. On her own faith, Ms Rowling said she is a Christian but her ‘struggle really is to keep believing’."
Given the ill-informed criticism of the books from many Christians, based on the simplistic equation that writing about witches and wizards equals promoting the occult, it is amazing that Rowling should wish to emphasise this aspect of her work and discuss her faith. Thankfully, Giles Fraser is around to reassure us that not all Christian comment is so simplistic as he gives a resounding vote of approval to Deathly Hallows in his current Church Times column, which should only be read if you have already finished the book!
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