I report and link. You decide. - J :)
In a prior thread, Potter Magic Symbol of Technology, I linked several articles showing that Potter magic has much more to do with imagined technology than supernatural religion.
Following the google of "harry potter magic technology" to the second 10 results, the notion of mechanical versus occult magic made its appearance.
From a BreakPoint .org article, Witches and Wizards:
Witches and Wizards [/] By Chuck Colson [/] 11/2/1999
[...] It may relieve you to know that the magic in these books is purely mechanical, as opposed to occultic. That is, Harry and his friends cast spells, read crystal balls, and turn themselves into animals—but they don't make contact with a supernatural world.
Other parents are concerned with the dark themes and violence in the books. After all, Harry's parents are murdered in book one, and throughout the books, Harry is pursued by followers of a murderous wizard named Voldemort. But as the author, J. K. Rowling, points out, "the theme running through all of these books is the fight between good and evil." The plots reinforce the theme that evil is real, and must be courageously opposed.
As this theme unfolds, so do the characters of Harry and his friends. They develop courage, loyalty, and a willingness to sacrifice for one another—even at the risk of their lives. Not bad lessons in a self-centered world. [...]
From a CBN.com Spiritual Life article, The Potter Magic:
OPINION [/] The Potter Magic [/] By Anne Morse [/] BreakPoint Online -
[...] The books are great fun—but should Christian parents worry about their use of magic? After all, the Bible strongly condemns involvement with witchcraft.
It may relieve parents to know that the magic in these books is purely mechanical, as opposed to occultic. Harry and his classmate[s] are born with the ability to perform magic—much as real life kids are born with musical or mathematical ability. Students at Hogwarts learn to cast spells, read crystal balls, and transform hedgehogs into pincushions—but they don’t attempt to contact the supernatural world.
But isn’t it wrong to expose kids to any kind of magic and witchcraft? [/] Wheaton College professor Alan Jacobs has a wonderful response to this concern. In the journal First Things, Jacobs notes that it’s only recently that magic and science were viewed as occupying different realms.
"For much of their existence," Jacobs writes, "both magic and experimental science were viewed as a means of controlling and directing our natural environment." It took several centuries of dedicated scientific experiment "before it was clear to anyone that the ‘scientific’ physician could do more to cure illness than the old woman of the village with her herbs and potions and muttered charms." Magic was gradually viewed as a false discipline.
This history helps us understand the role of magic in the Potter books. The author "begins by positing a history in which magic is not a false discipline," Jacobs writes. Instead, magic, like science, is "a means of controlling the physical world." In this world, Jacobs writes, "magic works as reliably, in the hands of a trained wizard, as the technology that makes airplanes fly and refrigerators chill the air."
No less a Christian than C. S. Lewis makes the distinction between mechanical and supernatural magic in his Narnia series for children. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Father Christmas gives magical gifts to the Pevensie children. To Susan, he gives a horn, guaranteed to summon help during times of great need. To Lucy, he gives a vial containing an elixir that will heal even the deadliest injury. The magic of horn and elixir works without the need for the children to call upon supernatural beings. They are perfect examples of mechanical magic.
Like J. K. Rowling, Lewis has created a world in which magic works, and in these fictional worlds it is not magic per se that is morally troublesome.
In Prince Caspian, by contrast, Lewis describes a less innocent form of magical power. A dwarf named Nikabrik desires to bring back the long-dead White Witch to help the Narnians defeat their human enemies. When Prince Caspian realizes what he is proposing, he’s outraged. "So that is your plan, Nikabrik! Black sorcery and the calling up of an accursed spirit. And I see who your companions are—a Hag and a Wer-Wolf!" The prince and his animal allies instantly kill the three (Just, one might add, as the Old Testament commands).
In a sense, whether or not mechanical magic "works" in the Potter books is beside the point. At Harry’s Hogwarts School, one educational goal overrides all others: To help students develop the character and the moral discernment to use a particular technology—in this case, magic—for the common good.
In that sense, the Potter books teach children a great lesson: They, too, must develop moral discernment about real-life technologies—such as the Internet—along with the character to exploit them in ways pleasing to God.
If the Potter books can teach kids to harness technology for good instead of evil, then I say more power—scientifically speaking, of course—to Harry Potter and his wizard friends. [/] Anne Morse is associate editor and senior writer for BreakPoint. [My ellipses and emphasis]
