Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Children, pre-teens, teens and adults alike are eagerly awaiting this coming Wednesday's release of the new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The ABC Family Network is running a Harry Potter marathon this weekend (July 6 - 8) in preparation for the new movie. Then two weeks from now the final chapter in the Harry Potter saga will be released, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Some people still look on Harry Potter with consternation, uneasy with the Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Magic. Afraid Harry might turn their child over to the dark side.

But, Harry Potter reflects the greatest in Celtic traditional lore, combining the stories of Tolkien, Lewis, Mallory, or further back into the oral traditions of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.

People who deny Harry Potter gladly watch The Lord of the Rings, which makes no sense. Saying you will not watch or read Harry Potter makes about as much sense as refusing to say aloud the days of the week because they are all named for pagan gods and goddesses. What day is today, oh yeah, Saturday, named for the Roman god Saturn. If you have a Geo, Saturn, or Mercury, you might want to get a new car, as those are all pagan gods. And, please, do not ever go watch the ORU Titans, as they are named for the mythical race of giants in Greek mythology. And, what about our most religious Christian holiday, Easter, named for the German goddess of the earth? Someone rename that holiday and quickly!

If we really stopped to think about it, there are so many more threatening things we encounter and use on a daily basis than Harry Potter. Turn on your tv and you will know this immediately. But, the fact is that we rarely do stop to think about it critically.

Harry's is the fundamental tale of good versus evil. Professor Snape says to Harry in Order of the Phoenix, "You won't last two minutes if he invades your mind." Even a child can make the parallel, and yet time and again Harry defeats Voldemort.

And that is one of the huge attractors of the story for young people, that even a child can overcome and defeat evil. One of the great stories of Christendom is Jesus as a young teen at the temple with the money changers. It gives children hope that even a young person can do something great to effect positive change for good in the world.

Aside from a superior plot line, this is one of the great draws of Harry's story, too. We have relegated young people to a spot of infantilism in our culture. They have no literary heroes as a prototype for emerging adulthood as valuable as Harry Potter. He shows that even children can be leaders and a force for goodness, justice, right and ethical behavior in an often topsy-turvy, sinister adult world in which money and power are king and ethical boundary lines often become fuzzy at best.

A prototype for good is strongly needed for our nation's children. Just this week two incidents involving preteens illustrates that the problem is not limited to just preteens and teens any longer. Two 9 year old girls broke into a house and kidnapped a baby from its home. A 9 year old boy stole a car and stowed away on two airplanes before being caught. I am not saying Harry Potter is an answer, but reading, and reading alot, is. Literacy is the key and even the likes of Harry Potter can open the door.