^{Actor Daniel Radcliffe in New York, on Thursday, July 9, 2009.}

^{(AP Photo/Peter Kramer)}

There are many people who have claimed that the Harry Potter books and movies made from J.K. Rowling's series Harry Potter are anti-Christian and promoote evil. Now that Daniel Radcliffe, the actor playing Harry in the movies, has come out as an atheist there will be more backlash from those focusing on religious issues that are not part of Rowlings books or the movies. Yes, the books and movies focus on young witches learning to practice magic, but there are no references to religion, atheism, Wicca or demon worship. In fact, the books convey a powerful message of the choices each person faces in choosing a path to follow the lightness of life or the darkness of life. While Rowling's purpose in writing the Harry Potter books was not to teach spiritual growth or religion at all, there are many positive things that can be learned from the stories of Harry Potter.

The focus on Radcliffe's statement that he is an atheist will continue to muddy the waters for many people about the meanings behind the Potter stories. While the books are not focused on religion of any type, they do convey meanings that can give us all a different way of looking at how problems attack the believer in life. These imaginative books (and also the movies) can be used as teaching tools for discussions about the harshness of life and even the challenges of the spiritual life.

Spiritual growth is often portrayed as a sugar-coated candy event that sweetens life. While spiritual growth CAN sweeten life, growth can just as often be painful and harsh. The Cloud of Unknowing, is an anonymous book written by a Christian mystic in England in the 14th century. The writer prefaces the book basically by giving what appears to be a warning to the reader; not because there is any devilment in the book, but because reading the book could lead to a change in thinking, could lead to transformation and the transformation process isn't always pretty.

The Harry Potter series is a collection of stories that tell the story of one young boy's desire to find out the truth about his parents and his own life. It so happens that J.K. Rowling decided to tell the stories through the imaginative world of magic, but to focus on that imaginitive world as being evil is to miss the point of the stories. Harry Potter fights to discern truth, fights even with his desire to understand the difference between good and evil, the dark and the light. The most important part of the story that is missed by many is that Harry Potter lives because of the loving sacrifice of his mother. He is marked on his forehead with a lightening bolt where he was singed by the dark lord, Voldemort, when his mother died. The important thing to look at is that the mark was not a mark of the dark lord's success, but the dark lord's failure. Voldemort had set out to kill the entire Potter family but because of Harry's mother's love and sacrifice, he lived because of the power of love. Instead of being killed, he had a scar from the event - a scar that protected him and at the same time warned him when the dark lord sought to cause others harm.

When choosing a spiritual path most often people seek a path of light, hope and goodness. Once a person takes the path, there are many unknown factors that cannot be anticipated. Becoming a Christian or a Buddhist, does not keep one from encountering darkness or evil, but only means that as dark events cross the believer's path, she is empowered to choose a less harmful way. As evil confronts the believer's path, he is freed to choose a higher path and stand up for goodness rather than to embrace hatred or murder. A higher path in all religions means to look out for the well-being of all involved (humans, animals, nature and self). The challenge comes when we, who wish to walk a spiritual path are confronted with ways that are not easily discerned as evil, bad or wrong. This is the type of reality that Rowling shows in her stories through the character of Harry Potter.

There are times when Harry makes an unwise choice and often it's because he is too young to discern what is happening, he trusts the wrong person, allows his emotions to cause him to react to a situation or his curiosity gets the best of him. This is a great way to open up talks with youth and teens about the challenges they will face in adulthood. In addition, the character sounds like every human being I know. The biggest challenge all face in spiritual growth is to find a way to accept our humanity, but not to allow it to get the best of us, to lead us into those events or choices that would cause harm to us, our friends, family or environment. Life brings us challenges that are much more like the challenges of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.

When we look at the life of Jesus of Nazareth, we see one where he is constantly confronted and challenged with evil, wrong doing and people seeking to kill him. The path he constantly chooses is love and light over harm and self-aggrandizement or self-promotion. This did not make life nice for him, in fact it took him to the cross to be crucified, the most excruciating type of torture known at the time. Jesus's message to the disciples was to expect this:

John 15:18-25 RSV

18 "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 It is to fulfil the word that is written in their law, 'They hated me without a cause.'

This message from Jesus shows a world that misunderstands even Jesus. When we focus on the resurrected Jesus Christ without also looking at the real person who suffered, was crucified and died, we miss the most important part of Jesus' message. That message is that life can can be hard, cruel and often times is full of hatred. There are people who choose to act in harmful ways but that is not the end of the story. For those who believe in Christ, you are marked with the cross of Christ forever for through his sacrifice and his great love each person is saved. This does not mean that you will have all the answers, that life will be easy, but that you have a choice. Through this choice and the mark of love placed upon us, we are empowered to live a new life.

Romans 8:17-25

17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. 18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes  for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.