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Checking out blogs this afternoon, DaveLoneRanger had a post that pointed out a TIME Magazine article about the Harry Potter books.  The second paragraph presents the point the writer wants to make

Rowling’s work is so familiar that we’ve forgotten how radical it really is. Look at her literary forebears. In The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien fused his ardent Catholicism with a deep, nostalgic love for the unspoiled English landscape. C.S. Lewis was a devout Anglican whose Chronicles of Narnia forms an extended argument for Christian faith. Now look at Rowling’s books. What’s missing? If you want to know who dies in Harry Potter, the answer is easy: God.

TIME magazine noticing that there is no God in Harry Potter… that’s rich, coming from one of the most secular, liberal, “news” magazines of our time; in fact, the very one that asked “Is God Dead?” all the way back in 1966 (3 years before the article writer, Lev Grossman, was born).  TIME magazine, the same one that goes out of its way to make sure every Christmas and Easter we’re treated to cover stories questioning the Bible, Christianity, the existence of Jesus Christ… in TIME magazine’s world we get a lot of lip service towards the idea of faith, but certainly, if God exists, it is only in the addled minds of simple and superstitious folk.  A pox on TIME magazine!

And if you’ve read the Potter books, you might be tempted to suggest that the TIME magazine writer has NOT.

“What does Harry have instead of God? Rowling’s answer, at once glib and profound, is that Harry’s power comes from love. This charming notion represents a cultural sea change. In the new millennium, magic comes not from God or nature or anything grander or more mystical than a mere human emotion. In choosing Rowling as the reigning dreamer of our era, we have chosen a writer who dreams of a secular, bureaucratized, all-too-human sorcery, in which psychology and technology have superseded the sacred.”

Harry’s power, magic, doesn’t come from love.  Voldemort and the Death Eaters do not love, yet they have magic.  Yes, Harry’s advantage derives from love and his fullness as a human being not fixated solely on himself (at least, no more so than any normal muggle teenager), but to say that the power of magic in the Potter books comes from “mere human emotion” is simply a twisting of the facts.

Actually, I think the writer of the TIME magazine article has a huge case of Potter envy, and lets his hissy get the best of him… how else would you take this opening?

Joanne Rowling has three fancy houses and more money than the Queen, but she still doesn’t have a middle name: the K. is just an empty invention, added for effect when she published her first book. Starting with that first letter, she has orchestrated a sustained dramatic crescendo unlike anything literature has ever seen. By selling 325 million books in 66 languages, she has almost single-handedly made the case that the novel can still be a global mass medium.

Nasty little mudblood, raking in all those galleons, when everyone knows the only real writing comes from purebloods…

For an interesting counterpoint to the idea that there is no God in Harry Potter, take a look at this article in the Seattle Times this morning

Harry’s death would show that his character’s path is modeled on the Gospel accounts of Jesus’, and, that the link between him and wizardry-school headmaster Albus Dumbledore is patterned on the most essential relationship in the Christian Bible — that between Jesus the Son and God the Father.

Critics have long enjoyed noting similarities to Jesus in fictional characters. By the second Potter book, I began to think that was the case here: that the relationship of Harry and Dumbledore was underpinning the narrative in a supernatural, and distinctly Christian, way.

This is not the first author to note Christian symbolism in the Potter novels.  John Granger, for one, has written a book on the subject, and while many disagree with this idea, it is interesting (although I don’t know enough classical literature and alchemy to follow some of his more technical points).  He definitely makes a case however.  Of course, there are many Christians who condemn the Potter books, and anyone who defends them, simply because of the magic in them.   That is a bit confusing, considering the magic, wizardry, and other assorted evil in Tolkien and Lewis’ works, but some see a difference.   And until next weekend, when the seventh and final book arrives, anybody’s idea of what Rowling is doing here is still on the table…

We saw the fifth movie the other day, and I’m nearly finished with the second time reading through the whole series of books (only 150+ pages of Book 6 to finish before next Saturday).  I have thoroughly enjoyed it, and I have great respect for what J.K. Rowling has accomplished.  I expect to be surprised by the last book, as she has surprised me in each of the first six.  And I expect to read the whole thing again, in years to come, just as I did Tolkien’s books.  But I have to say, I never read these to find out about God, or Christianity.  I have a Bible for that, a Godly man in the pulpit every Sunday, and a bookcase stacked double deep with theology, commentary, and both contemporary and classic Christian writers.   I don’t see Harry Potter as a threat.  And no, I don’t think he is to a young person either.  Our children are smarter than we give them credit for sometimes.  And if Jo Rowling can get millions of kids away from the TV and give them a burn to read and really think about what it is they are reading, I’m all for it… because THAT is an open door.

I can hardly wait till that book hits my doorstep next Saturday!

Here is a little early morning reading that caught my eye

Over at Riehl World View, he has a story that looks at the progress made in Iraq over the last year and a half.  Progress HAS been made, and you can see it mapped out here.

…we are the strongest nation with the strongest military on the face of the Earth. That in and of itself makes surrender ridiculous. We elected these people to lead and to win, not quit because of some headlines.

I get frustrated when I read about how much money we send to other governments, with so very little return… we have to be the world’s most generous nation, but at the same time, the world’s biggest patsy.  For all the real progress made in Iraq, progress with out “allies” in Pakistan is not quite so evident.  Here’s a prime example, over at ABC’s The Blotter

“The U.S. has provided $5.6 billion in coalition support funds to Pakistan over the past five years, with zero accountability,” said Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-Calif., at the hearing.

“Why is Pakistan still being paid these large sums of money, even after publicly declaring that it is significantly cutting back patrols in the most important border area?” he asked.

I have to say, that is an excellent question.

…the rugged mountains of Pakistan have emerged as a safe haven for al Qaeda and the Taliban.

“They are the central front for al Qaeda,” said Seth Jones, who studies the area for the RAND Corporation, a national security think-tank. “They are the area al Qaeda has based its international and regional operations. It is a very serious threat to the U.S. security,” he said.

Pakistan continues to deny al Qaeda enjoys a safe haven in its territory.

The main point of the story is to let a Taliban leader blow hard and threaten new and more deadly attacks.  Alright.  What are we going to do about it?

How about a story from Washington State that illustrates once again how screwed up the whole illegal worker situation is?  Check this out

…Two Eastern Washington fruit growers and the labor contractor they used to bring legal Thai workers to their farms three years ago have been ordered to pay $1.8 million to some 600 Yakima Valley farmworkers — some of them illegal immigrants — who claim they were displaced.

Let’s see, a company brings in legal, federally certified guest workers, and they lose in court because they have “displaced” the illegals?  You’ve gotta be kidding me!  I wonder if Senator Craig knows about this?  Maybe when he quits his lawmaker gig, he can get the Idaho franchise…

And did you see that China is retaliating against the U.S. food industry?  I guess they don’t like that we’ve banned the phoney toothpaste and the tainted pet food, so they’ve banned some of our poultry and pork products…no chicken feet for you.  The best line of the story is this

…Beijing has taken significant steps in recent days to clean up its product safety record, including executing the former head of its drug regulation agency for taking bribes and banning the use of a chemical found in antifreeze in the production of toothpaste.

I feel so much better now.