Love wins!

*SPOILER ALERT* If you don't know the end of Harry Potter stop reading now!!!

So, I've "borrowed" the title from Rob Bell's latest book - interestingly one that has created a bit of a hue and cry because some folk have been led to believe that RB makes a case for everyone getting to heaven, irrespective of who they are, what they've done or how they've lived their lives. As someone who has read the book, I don't see this as the case, HOWEVER, it does raise questions and cause us to think about where we stand... and that's great... the ultimate point being God, who is love, wins - his perfect plan for the earth will be fulfilled... okay, enough of Rob Bell and onto Harry Potter.

I have some wonderful Christian friends who all but denounce anything to do with Potter - they see darkness, the possibility of young minds being led astray, an author who deliberately set out with an anti-Christian agenda (I've yet to learn whether that is true) or stories that are just too scarey for childen to hear... and I hear their points of view. Their concerns are real.

However, I've chosen to take a different standpoint.

I have always LOVED stories, and I still do. Every human being has a story of their own and often they make fascinating listening. Those of us who are blessed with the ability to read the written word, and are fortunate enough to have access to books, have a wonderful gift.

As Christians we have a library of 66 books, telling us the story of God - the Bible. It contains just about every genre of tale... biographies, action adventure, romance, mystery, history, poetry and more. There are wars and quarrels, light and shade, there are good people, bad people and people just like you and me.

Many pieces of classic literature contain graphic imagery, both positive and negative. I've always read a lot of fiction. Even as quite a young child, I recognised that I could lose myself in a story... but I knew it was just that... a story. I loved to pretend I was a character... many of them felt like old friends. Stories are great ways of exploring issues which might, in real life, be hard to handle. I could escape for a time but I was taught the difference between fantasy and reality.

Perhaps a wise proviso is for those who have an interest (particularly with children) is to talk about these stories... affirm the value of the story, whilst not necessarily subscribing to the actions or beliefs of the characters... discuss where they went wrong... how bad things can happen to good people and conversely how horrible things can happen too.

If we were alarmed every time there was blood, guts, gore or magic and as a result refused to read them, we'd never read classics like The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis.

Back to Harry... last night, my husband and I, two allegedly grown-up people, went to the cinema to see a double bill of the final Potter book - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

There was a war... good versus evil... at times it seemed the darkness was going to overwhelm the light. There was death, and it was gut-wrenching... good characters dying for what they believed in. There was witchcraft - used to control, hurt and harm... to manipulate minds and spirits. There was treachery and apathy, abuse of power and cruelty.

Why expose young people to this? Well, all of these things are in the world, albeit in different forms, and Potter provides a fantastic platform for discussion and exploration.

I remember thinking, as JK Rowling was writing the last couple of books, please, please, let there be redemption at then end of all this...

When Harry Potter was only a baby, his family was attacked by the most evil wizard of the age. Harry's mother gave her life to protect her son because she loved him. That love carried him through the whole series, prompting him to make choices out of love rather than hatred... sound familiar?

Anyway, as I sat in the cinema at 2am, watching the final scenes play out on the screen, I felt very satisfied, because in the end I was certain... whatever the story had been, whatever had happened, as far as Harry is concerned... LOVE WINS!