Jesus Potter Harry Christ
by Derek Murphy
Holy Blasphemy Pub.
Copyright © February 2011
ISBN 9780615430935
490 Pages
$14.99 Paperback
.99 Kindle
For the last decade, if you’ve worked in a bookstore then you probably have a Harry Potter story. You probably worked a late night HP Party when a new book came out, or you probably had interesting discussions with customers who berated Potter for teaching kids about wizardry. My own story begins in the year 2000 when I first started working in a bookstore.
I had never heard of JK Rowling or Harry Potter, but I knew where to find them. We had a huge center aisle display that housed all the books and merchandise. I remember even thinking Rowling was a man for a few weeks until our children’s department manager corrected me.
When the fourth book came out, I lucked out and didn’t have to work the midnight release. I didn’t even go near the store that night. But all week long, I got to listen to tons of complaints from “Christians” who were peeved that the entire back cashwrap display was promoting Harry Potter, wizards, and witchcraft. It was perfectly okay though when we did a Tim LeHaye Left Behind display, and guess what? Not one HP fan complained about that.
To this day, I have never read one single Harry Potter book. I don’t have to be reminded about how good they are and that I should read them. I tend not to read what’s popular. And with a franchise that spans eight movies and millions of dollars in merchandise, I’d say Harry is quite popular. But public ridicule given to books that opened a whole new door for interest in reading amongst a young generation (and old) does have my attention.
And that’s why I definitely wanted to read Derek Murphy’s Jesus Potter Harry Christ. Murphy takes the great debate between Christians and Muggles to a whole new level and parallels the lives and storylines of their two great leaders: Harry Potter and Jesus Christ.
At a lengthy478 pages, with a 20 page Index and another 20 pages devoted to Notes, Murphy has done his homework. Just check out the Bibliography which is another 12 pages. The book is divided into three distinct parts covering a wide range of information based on the beginning, the middle, and the end of both of our lead character’s stories and their many followers, citing the likes and differences.
This debate is not new. And Murphy does a brilliant job of keeping his facts and his own opinions separate. He acts as a proctor between the debaters, presenting a wealth of quotes and citations from numerous scholars, reporters, Christians, readers, priests, and more. We get equal opinions from those who support either side and many who support both.
You have those who are dead set against HP because its paganism and against the rules of the Bible. You have those who love HP for its value in literature and readership. And then you have believers, like Murphy, who believe in what the Bible says but approach Potter in a more open-minded light. As one quote in the book suggests, Christianity and its values change with each generation and culture.
Murphy clearly outlines the likes and differences between Potter and Christ from both having a miraculous birth, both having to go into hiding, both having to battle against evil, and both dying and coming back to life. There’s also distinct symbolism that mirrors itself in each story such as evil (or Satan) being represented by a snake.
Probably my only problem with the book is that the information is repeated quite a bit. Its often broken up with lengthy quotes and references to back up Murphy’s points, but still repeats itself at times as Murphy solidifies the arguments. The section on the history of paganism was fascinating though and even complete with photographs and illustrations. Rowling fans will also learn a lot about her as as author and a mother with her own personal beliefs and motivations.
I’ve always been a person who’s enjoyed the effects a book can have on people. I don’t just mean someone saying, “I loved that book.” But how did the book affect your life? How did it affect your thinking? My review probably holds no precedence since I admit I haven’t read the Potter books and that I never will, but how many of you have read the Bible from cover to cover? Potter is still as much a part of my history as any one elses and will be for a long time to come despite the series being over.
New readers are being introduced to him for the first time every day – both Christ and Potter. And as long as people are reading, for whatever reason, then there will always be debate. Murphy presents a healthy and spiritual look into the lives of two of the world’s most popular literary characters and in the end, still leaves you to decide on your own whose right and whose wrong – or is there a truce to be met somewhere in the middle between fans and followers. And to be such a large book, you can’t beat the hard copy or Kindle price.
If you approach this topic with an open mind and consider the facts (and the myths), which Murphy has presented here in a magnificent well-researched volume of information, then you will come away informed and enlightened. In the end, what YOU believe, is all that really matters.
I’m a late-comer to the world of Harry Potter (They’re awesome, Shannon. That’s why they’re popular. You should totally read them. hahaha!) and am about half-way through JPHC. It’s a fascinating read.
Maybe one day when I’m old and gray and have nothing left to read.
Oh. My. Lord. That cover looks fantastic. The book sounds even better. I’m a lapsed Catholic, so these sorts of debates–and the arguments therein–always appeal to me.
Lapsed Baptist here, Will. (Don’t judge!) Yes, I love the cover too and would wish I still worked in a bookstore just so I could here the snooty comments and see the jaws drop!