When it comes to Harry Potter and Religious content, author Connie Neal determines how many scenes and characters compare to the Holy Bible of the Christian Religion. Here are some of her examples of how she outlines each novel:

 

 

The Sorcerer Stone

 
   Within the first novel, Harry Potter and The Sorcerers' Stone", many elements of religion occur when the reader is introducer to the main character, Harry Potter. Known as "the great mystery" by Hagrid, readers are introduced to Harry's life story which includes his brave mother. Harry Potter is known as "The Boy Who Lived" and readers later find out why.   When the character of Lord Voldemort, the Lord of dark magic, and Harry's arch nemesis was on a mission to kill the son of Lily and James Potter, he was stumped to be unsuccessful. Courageous Lily Potter shielded her precious son and the curse of the Dark Lord placed to kill, reflected back onto himself and Harry lived.

  Within the book, The Gospel According to Harry Potter: The Spiritual Journey of the World's Greatest Seeker" by Connie Neal, the author outlines this scene and a lot of others and relates them to the Holy Bible.
 

"The love Lily Potter demonstrated for her infant son-to the point of being willing to lay down her life for him-can remind us of the love of Jesus Christ: "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:6-8 NASB)."

Connie W. Neal. The Gospel According to Harry Potter: The Spiritual Journey of the World's Greatest Seeker (Gospel According to) (Kindle Locations 282-285). Kindle Edition.

  When it comes to the character of Lord Voldemort, it is obvious that he is the evil figure, similar to Satan. Throughout the entire saga of Rowling's creation, we learn more about this in a subtle way. For example, according to Neal, Harry's "lightening scar" being more than just a wound.

"So the lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead can serve as a reminder that the curse of death was broken (which is what happened when Harry got his scar) and that good is more powerful than evil. Jesus gave his disciples the power to "trample on snakes and scorpions"-demonic influences-"and to overcome all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19 Ntv)."

 

Connie W. Neal. The Gospel According to Harry Potter: The Spiritual Journey of the World's Greatest Seeker (Gospel According to) (Kindle Locations 302-304). Kindle Edition.

  
    Another example of Religious content outlined by Neal within the first book of the series has to do with the Sorcerers' stone. She outlines how both Harry's story and the Christian story containing a villain, have the same aims (Page 537). Her question arises on immortality, the stone's purpose being of wealth and a prosperous long life. For this, the question arises of God and Professor Quirrell, the stone's keeper, having anything in common when it comes to doing "good".

"God is not trying to keep us from immortality, but to let us have it when we are ready for it. Even Dumbledore showed concern over people using the Stone to have as much life and money as they wanted. He saw to it that the Sorcerer's Stone was destroyed, but we get the idea that he is not opposed to immortality. He did make sure Harry understood that there was a way in which death was not the end, but "the next great adventure" (Book One, p. 297). We do not know the end of Harry's story yet, but we can read the end of our story in the Bible. Humanity will not be deprived of immortality. Once sin, death, and evil are out of the way, God says, "To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7). Then we won't need the Sorcerer's Stone to live forever; the paradise God promises gives eternal life and everlasting riches."

 

Connie W. Neal. The Gospel According to Harry Potter: The Spiritual Journey of the World's Greatest Seeker (Gospel According to) (Kindle Locations 545-551). Kindle Edition.

 

The Chamber of Secrets

 
   When it comes to the second novel, disobedience becomes more common and an older, much wiser Harry Potter is introduced to the game of "Quidditch". He is positioned as a "seeker" and when team captain, Oliver Wood explains what his job is, the attention is turned on what is known as "the golden snitch". This flying golden ball is very important in the game of Quidditch and it is the seekers job to catch it, earning 150 points for their team, ultimately winning the game. Connie Neal has her own perspective to this, relating it back to the Bible once again.

"As a Seeker, Harry has a knack for spotting things other people do not, but he also devotes himself to training with all his heart and strength. God says, "When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD" (Jer. 29:13). Such dedication is sure to pay off in spiritual and practical terms according to these promises made by Jesus: "But seek first [God's] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [food, clothing, etc.] will be given to you as well" (Matt. 6:33 NIV). "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened" (Matt. 7:7-8 NIV). In life, as in a game of Quidditch, it is usually the best seekers who win the game."

Connie W. Neal. The Gospel According to Harry Potter: The Spiritual Journey of the World's Greatest Seeker (Gospel According to) (Kindle Locations 809-810). Kindle Edition.

 

 

The Prisoner of Azkaban

  
    In this novel, elements of deceit and betrayal appear when it comes to a man known as Peter Pettigrew. Readers find out that this character, who was supposed to be protecting Harry's parents, Lily and James, instead gave them away to the Dark Lord when he first became fixated on destroying the Wizard World. This, according to Neal, is another example of the Bible. She explains that when Jesus lived on Earth, he had twelve disciples, one of them turning against him. Judas offered to betray Jesus to the people who were against him. "The Bible says how Satan entered Judas and he began to lead a military force against Jesus (Luke 22:47-48). Neal compares this to Pettigrew and gives another example of the comparison between the two on page 1234-1235 of the Kindle edition.

"Sirius understood the demands of friendship and confronted Peter Pettigrew after forcing him to reveal himself (after he had been hiding as a rat for over a decade). Peter pleaded that he had given in to Voldemort because he was afraid the Dark Lord would have killed him. "'THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!' roared Black. `DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!' " (Book Three, p. 375)."

 

The Goblet of Fire

 
   An example from this novel is what is known as the "Muggle Protection Act" placed by the "Ministry of Magic". Here, the reader sees good versus evil once again when the act is first put into place. This act is set out to protect all "Muggles" also known as non-magic people in order to protect them from dark magic, as well as any other form of magic making its way into their world. Having the Weasley's, Dumbledor (Hogwarts Headmaster) and Harry in favour of the idea, against someone as conniving as Harry's bully at Hogwarts, Dracco Malifoy's father, the battle  between good and evil commences, according to Neal. She compares this to the Bible by saying:

"The Muggle Protection Act can be seen as a parallel of how God loves the whole world, not just those who are already in the kingdom of God or even aware of the goings-on of the supernatural world. It reminds me of how Jesus treated the crowds of all sorts of people who came to him."

Connie W. Neal. The Gospel According to Harry Potter: The Spiritual Journey of the World's Greatest Seeker (Gospel According to) (Kindle Locations 1304-1306). Kindle Edition.

The Order of The Phoenix

   This novel is a continuation of Harry's struggle of battling Lord Voldemort, with elements of strength occurring for both characters. Harry is now faced with Voldemort invading his thoughts and mind. He is virtually attempting to control his mind. With the attempted help of Professor Dumbledore, Harry struggles to block him out but is somewhat unsuccessful, but gains more strength because of this. With Neal's ideals, she relates this to a Bible passage:

"A similar kind of mental torment is noted in Psalm 13:2: "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?" (NIV). The apostle Paul described a kind of aggressive guarding of our thoughts when he said, "We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor. 10:5 NIV)."

Connie W. Neal. The Gospel According to Harry Potter: The Spiritual Journey of the World's Greatest Seeker (Gospel According to) (Kindle Locations 1922-1924). Kindle Edition.

 

Half Blood Prince
 

   With Harry Potter constantly defeating everything Voldemort throws at him, this novel is no exception. Now believing to be "The Chosen One" by a prophecy, Harry can be seen as a "Christ Figure", according to Connie Neal. Although she disagrees to an extent, she quotes the Old Testament prophecies of Messiah and says:

"Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will reveal justice to the nations. He will be gentle-he will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush those who are weak or quench the smallest hope. He will bring full justice to all who have been wronged. He will not stop until truth and righteousness prevail throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction. (Isa. 42:1-4 NLT)"

Connie W. Neal. The Gospel According to Harry Potter: The Spiritual Journey of the World's Greatest Seeker (Gospel According to) (Kindle Locations 2133-2136). Kindle Edition.

The Deathly Hallows

 Being the last novel of the series, this book in particular shows more religious symbolism than any other, in my opinion. When visiting the gravesite of his parents, Harry sees what is known as a "patronus" of a silver doe said to be his mother, Lily Potter. Sacrificing herself (much like Jesus did for his people), Lily leads Harry to a great silver cross, known as the sword of Gryffindor which has helped Harry defeat Voldemort on many occasions. Neal compares this with the Bible, stating:

"The bright silver doe-Harry's mother's love projected in light-leads him to a great silver cross; surely this potent symbolism was not lost on such an astute author as J. K. Rowling. The one who died that Harry might live was reflected in the light that directed him to the cross. This also directs readers to the symbol of the cross, pointing to the One who died in our world so that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life."

Connie W. Neal. The Gospel According to Harry Potter: The Spiritual Journey of the World's Greatest Seeker (Gospel According to) (Kindle Locations 2676-2678). Kindle Edition.

  

Conclusion

 
With all of these examples, any countless others within Connie Neal's book, it is easy to see how J. K Rowling has possibly intentionally developed religious themes within her series. Neal's book was an easy read and opened my eyes to how similar scenes can compare to the Holy Bible. Her opinion on Harry and other characters is developed easily and can be compared to Christianity in many ways. Her argument on the series being a way for J.K Rowling to express her faith is very believable and puts some critics to shame for saying there is no religious content. It is up to Neal's readers to determine their own perspective on things, but her extensive research and knowledge speaks for itself in my opinion.