Jered Gering and the Tomes of Satan's Emissary
My Hogwarts Letter Came at Age 25.
For today’s Musings Monday, I’m going to take you on that journey, my journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—my first foray into the world of Harry Potter.
I was initially planning a blog post giving commentary on part of The Crimes of Grindelwald and some other things I’ve seen in the Wizarding World (a post which I’ll still be writing soon), but I realized something. Many of my friends and family know I never read the Harry Potter books as a kid. I know many of you actually don’t care, but I realized some may say, “Wait a second! How long has Jered liked Harry Potter?”
To answer your question, it hasn’t been long. My journey didn’t begin with Harry’s first release in 1997; mine started in 2018.
But, like most good stories, there’s a backstory: I didn’t not read the books because I wasn’t interested in the genre—I didn’t read them because I wasn’t allowed to.
If this piques your interest, read on. If you haven’t read the Harry Potter books yet but are still interested in my story, don’t worry—I will give spoiler warnings wherever applicable. This post will actually be divided into three parts: My Backstory; My Experience Reading the Books, Good and Bad; and My Reflections on the Stories and Themes After Reading Them.
Therefore, today we have part one, My Backstory, or…
Jered Gering and the Tomes of Satan’s Emissary
First of all, I grew up in a Christian home, something I’m happy with and proud of. If you’ve spent any time reading my blogs or stories, you’ve likely noticed my spiritual worldview shine through.
Before truly diving in to the story, I felt the need to make a few clarifications and disclaimers.
I not only was raised Christian, but I am a dedicated Christian. As with many kids raised in similar circumstances, there came different reckoning points in my life where I had to truly make a decision for myself, where I had to make my faith my own.
This story is NOT a falling-away story warning about the dangers of conservative Christianity. I happen to like and love my parents, along with my entire immediate and extended family. Though some aspects of the story might seem funny or melodramatic, the goal here is NOT to paint my parents (or Christianity at large) in a negative light.
Okay, disclaimers are out of the way. Let’s actually jump in.
Harry was evil to begin with…
I remember the first time I heard about Harry Potter. I don’t remember if I was in second grade or third grade, but I knew nothing about it. It was a quick, out-of-the-blue conversation with my parents that went something like this:
“Hey, have you heard anyone at school talk about Harry Potter?”
“No, what’s that?”
“It’s a bad book, and kids your age are reading it.”
It was at least a year or two later when I finally saw my peers reading those fateful books, and I knew, Oh, these are the bad books my parents warned me about.
Of course, the books grew to be an international phenomenon. It seemed EVERYONE was reading them. And then they started making movies! It was an exciting time for any book lover. I can still remember what the advertisement looked like in the elementary school library for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The buzz around these books is kind of hard to describe, especially for me, as an outsider looking in.
These kids don’t get it. They don’t know what they’re reading, what evil they’re allowing into their spirits.
I remember one friend in particular who was completely obsessed with Harry Potter. It was all he’d talk about. Getting his Hogwarts letter was literally his biggest dream.
Ultimately, I was happy that I wasn’t caught in such an obsession like he was, but deep down I was curious. If they’re this popular, doesn’t that mean they’re probably really good?
Like any good Christian who feels like he’s missing out on something when everyone around him doesn’t consider it wrong, I did the obvious: I developed an apologetic.
Of course, my parents shared information they’d heard with my brothers and me, and we talked about it. We also at one point watched a documentary about all the evils present in the Harry Potter books, from subliminal messages (down to an occult connection to the symbolism behind his first and last names) to “obvious” problems that would be harmful to subject to any unsuspecting child.
Though obviously I couldn’t articulate the points as well as the well-researched documentary did, I did my best to rehash these points to my confused friends whenever they’d ask.
My reasons?
One, Harry Potter promotes witchcraft.
There are real life stories of kids so obsessed with the Harry Potter world that through internet searches found real spells and witchcraft materials in connection to Harry Potter’s so-called fiction. As far as witchcraft is concerned, Harry Potter is much too realistic for a non-discerning child to take in innocently.
Two, Harry Potter glorifies evil.
According to what I was told, there’s no clear good and evil in these books. In fact, the good guys are constantly rewarded for breaking the rules and being bad. What a terrible precedent to set for readers. Such malleable children won’t know right from wrong. They’ll think, If Harry can be rewarded for breaking the rules and doing evil, maybe I can break the rules as well!
Incorporated with this reasoning is an entirely different apologetic: The reason The Lord of the Rings is great and moral even though it also contains wizards and magic. But I don’t gave time to get into that…
Suffice it to say, my friends through elementary school and middle school didn’t take any of these points seriously. But I stood strong and didn’t read any of the books or watch any of the movies all throughout school and even through college.
Over time, my stance on the books softened. Part of this came through dialogue with friends. Christian friends who read the books and loved the books. People saying, “You HAVE to read them someday!”
Then, I also heard rumors that the ending of Harry Potter even had Christian symbolism, which confused me even more.
How could the very tools of Satan be in any way Christian or at the very least Christ-like?
Maybe, just maybe, they’re just books.
But even the quality of the books started to come into question. I heard some people say, “Don’t read Harry Potter. It’s not evil, just poorly written.”
All the voices around me contradicted each other. “They’re the best books ever written! They’re magical! They’re nonsense! They’re satanic! They’re beautifully crafted! They’re badly written!”
After a while, I came to a conclusion: I can read the books themselves and make a conclusion for myself.
To be honest, even the thought was initially scandalous.
But, let’s be real. I’m in my twenties. Nobody’s holding me back from this. I sincerely doubt my parents still care, and even if they did, I’m in my twenties. But what’ll the Christians think? By this time, most you know have already read the books or watched the movies.
But…it’s Harry Potter. What if it’s evil?
But…it’s a fantasy book series with international acclaim. What if it’s good?
And there’s one more factor to consider: My Christian faith. Some Christians say it’s great. Some say it’s horrible. But what do I say?
I say I’m a Christian. Not only that, but I’m much stronger in my faith now than I was when I was in elementary school. There may have been a risk of me converting to witchcraft back them, but certainly not now.
Now, in my twenties, my faith in Jesus Christ is much stronger than it’s ever been. Maybe I should use discernment or “test the spirits” (to use biblical language).
Maybe instead of assuming something to be evil, I can let it be what it is and judge it based on its own merits. Maybe, just maybe, I needed to extend grace to both Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling.
Also, maybe, when you’re strong in your faith, maybe it’s okay to cross man-made lines. Maybe it’s okay to embark on such a quest by myself, along with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
Maybe, just maybe, I can read the Harry Potter series.
And starting last year before my twenty-sixth birthday, I borrowed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone from the library and did just that.
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My story will continues here with The Reader Who Lived, giving with my thoughts and reactions to reading the books.
I invite you to check it out as well. You can get the book or ebook from your local library for free or you can purchase it here on Amazon. [Full disclosure: This is an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.]
