The End of an Era

Over the past 2 days I am bombarded with Facebook & Twitter's Harry Potter mania...while I love Harry Potter, I have mixed feelings over all of it. 


I embarked on the Harry Potter journey in high school.  So for me this is a long end to a farewell.  I'm so sad that 7 books and 8 movies later the epic of all epics has come to an end...yet part of me rejoices for what Harry Potter stands for and what Harry Potter means to the world.


While many Christians stand up against Harry Potter stating that the book is evil and purports magic and pagan elements, this is partly true.  However, I encourage all Christians to see beyond the "spells" if you will.  What Harry Potter has done for the world is once again reignited the flame of good and evil.  And I ask you...(spoiler alert) who wins in the end?  It is the same that wins in the end of mankind...it is good.  It is Harry Potter and his group of unlikely heroes!  It is not the menace, hatred, and cunningness of Voldemort (who some Christians say is Satan himself)...Voldemort loses the battle!  For those of us who grew up in the Star Trek and Star Wars ages, we know and relish what fantasy is...just that FANTASY!  It is not religious in nature, it is not evil in nature...it is a story, NOT based in reality.  I encourage those of you who are against Harry Potter for religious reasons and see what I see.  


I asked my grandparents to watch this with me...one of whom was extremely against Harry Potter for religious reasons.  We watched the first movie together and I asked them just to watch it.  And after the movie, when it was finished, my grandmother said to me..."Well that was no big deal...it's certainly not what I thought that it was!"


In a lot of ways JK Rowling rebirthed the fantasy novel (even if it was intended to be for kids) and I have read NO OTHERS that can even compare to the Potter series in imagination. While Lord of the Rings (and its prequel The Hobbit) are awesome fantasy adventures, they are most certainly drawn out.  Rowling successfully engaged the imagination asking even the reader to become part of Hogwart's reign of students.  And...it worked!  In just one book she had people talking, and by the second she had even reader-haters reading her imaginary tale of good versus evil / right and wrong story plots revolving around an unlikely hero, Harry Potter, and a cunning mad man, Voldemort.


So before I go and see movie #8, the final farewell to an imaginary tale that captured the world, I must say "WELL DONE POTTER", you will be missed!  However, I am so happy to know that the epic of all epics resides on my bookshelf for continuous enjoyment, whenever I need to escape the "real world" and enter a fantasy world of intrigue, mystery, enchantment, humor, and pure delight with every flip of the page.