There’s been a bit more discussion about Harry Potter over at Speculative Faith. While we focus on Harry there still exists the greater question of magic and other speculative elements.

Why do we have so much trouble with these things? The problem comes from the inherent fact that speculative fictions must have at least a little bending of perceived Biblical truths.

Notice I said perceived. There is a lot of assumed doctrine that isn’t completely supported by Scriptural passages. For example, we know that Christ will return, Armageddon will happen, etc, etc…Yes, we don’t know exactly when all this happens but we know it will. So how can we justify speculative stories set in the far future? Are we then denying Biblical truths by putting off the Second-coming indefinitely?

I propose that speculating in the future does not directly confront the idea of the Second Coming. That may seem obvious to many Sci-Fi fans but let’s look at the underlying principle. The Second Coming could happen at ANY time. That includes the far future. Therefore, the only "doctrines" compromised are those that state Christ must come soon – meaning the near future.

We can play this game with other speculative elements as well. Do you want dragons? Why couldn’t they have been on the Ark? How about aliens? Couldn’t God have created other intelligent races on other planets? That’s not expressly in the Bible, either.

Magic has been the hardest element to justify simply because of all the Biblical warnings against it. As I mentioned before, writers must tread carefully when dealing with magic. How can a Christian reader support any story that contains magic without compromising? Either all magic users are evil or else we have to bend a little. The question is: How much will we bend for an author?

There seems to be three basic views of magic: Godly Magic, Neutral Magic, and Evil Magic. I’m not at all sure about the titles, and I don’t want to use the label "Christian" because that has too many implications. There’s probably a whole scale we could create to fill in the gaps as well.

Tolkien and Lewis are popular with more conservative Christians because they do not require us to bend much at all. Although the term "magic" is used they have redefined the word to suit their purposes. Narnian magic is very obviously controlled by Aslan, while Tolkien’s magic is also obviously a spiritual power. Evil users are portrayed as corruptors of magic and are corrupted not by the magic but by their own evil. The Creator God remains in control. Reading The Lord of the Rings is like reading Ester: God is not mentioned but we know He is there.

Other stories require a little more bending. Take the Riftwar Saga by Feist, for example. Here magic also exists and can be used by those with "talent." Priests pray to their gods, magicians study, and other beings possess power outright. Magic in this world, however, is more like the Force from Star Wars. As Feist explains through some of his characters, even the "evil" gods work for balance aren’t truly evil. Order is maintained, balance is achieved. Magic is completely amoral and the "good" gods are part of a continuum, not necessarily in control. We still have to deny God is the absolute authority in these worlds – or at least believe he takes a "hand off" approach.

Then there are other stories that deny "good" outright and focus on the dark, evil side of magic. Demons run wild; God is certainly not in control and is often viewed as weak and ineffective. The Evil Dead comes to mind, followed by the comic books Hell Blazer. The God of John Constantine’s world is insane and the true evil in the universe. Magic is all about death, destruction, and sensuality. To enjoy these stories we have to completely deny the God of the Bible.

Should Christians read or watch any of the filth and garbage out there? Ony if they recognize it as such. We can't simply say "it's only entertainment" and pretend there will be no effect on us.

I can't say which category hold Harry. I'm pretty sure he's not in the first, though.