Currently ReadingLooking for God in Harry Potter
By John Granger
Everyone seems to be talking Harry Potter these days. The 5th movie is doing well at the box office, and 11 million copies of Book 7 were sold in just the UK and US on the release date. I can't say I'm a die-hard HP fan, but I have read all the books and seen all the movies. One thing that kind of bugs me, though, is that I keep hearing Christian organizations condemning the series. That's the reason why John Granger's book caught my attention when I was browsing the library shelves.
I don't think I'll read through the entire book with great attention, but it's refreshing to hear the other side's argument. Granger is a Christian home-schooling father of seven, and he sure has spent a ton of time analyzing every aspect of the series.
Here's what I've found interesting so far:
- Godric Gryffindor: Godric = godly, worshipful; Gryffindor = French for "golden griffin" which is a symbol of God
- Slytherin: movement of snakes, a symbol of Satan
- Hermione and Ron: symbolic of the alchemical process, using mercury and sulfur to purify a base metal. Hermione's initials are HG (chemical symbol of Mercury), and Ron the red-headed, passionate boy represent sulfur.
