I’ve decided to banish all Harry Potter and similar media from my life. From reading others fan-fiction to creating my own, I am no longer going to be diving into this alternative universe by J. K. Rowling or Buffy the Vampire Slayer or fandoms that depict magic against how I will lay out in this post. I have quite a few reasons for making this decision and in this post, I’ll try and lay them out for you.
Reason #1: Against what I believe is the way Harry Potter is depicted
In both the books and movies, magic is shown is an innate part of the person – either you have it or you don’t. This goes against what the Bible teaches. In the book of Deuteronomy, all forms of magic are banned and are punishable by the death penalty of being stoned alive. If you compare this to famous Christian writers like J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis, it’s a clear contrast. Their books have a clear boundary about who can and cannot use magic and humans are excluded by both from using magic and when they do, it always turns out for the worse! Those who are permitted to use magic in their books are never human – they are former stars, angels disguised as old men, Father Christmas, elves, talking beasts, etc. A good example is Gandalf who is Maiar or “angelic being” rather than a human who learned the craft.
Reason #2: Magic is a crutch
In Rowling’s series, magic is used as a crutch—it is applied to everything from combat to mundane chores like cleaning. This creates a fundamental dependency; if you strip a wizard of their wand, they lack the basic life skills or physical resilience to survive. Compare this to The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia, where humans must rely on their own strength, wisdom, and courage. When they do use magical objects, such as Lucy’s cordial, the item is a specific gift for a specific need. These characters do not manufacture their own power; they remain human, while the magic remains a rare and sacred exception.
Reason #3: The source of authority and pride
In Harry Potter, magic is source of authority and pride. Your power belongs to you if you have it and it is yours to command. This leads to a sense of self-reliance and in some cases pride – a good example are the Malfoys. If Lucius wants something done, he either uses his magic or the generational wealth and status that being a ‘Pure-blood’ wizard provides him. Need a law passed or Harry Potter persecuted? Just grease the hands of Minister Fudge and put in a word and let someone else do the dirty work!
Compare this with The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings, where magic is treated as an act of divine providence or a tool for a specific, selfless mission. In these worlds, when humans try to seize or abuse magic for their own ends, it leads to their downfall. The power is never truly “theirs”; it is a stewardship. Those who are redeemed often find peace only when they step away from the magic they once tried to control and return to a humble, human life.
Reason #4: The Loss of Wonder in Harry Potter
In Harry Potter, magic quickly loses it’s wonder and just becomes the ‘technology’ of the magical world. Need protection from bad people or bugs? Ask a Warder for help. Need to be healed? See the local med-witch or visit the magical hospital, St. Mungo’s. Even something like a very venomous snake and the curing by Phoenix tears isn’t seen as out of this world by the time you get to that point in the series.
We see this same ‘industrialization’ of magic in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. By the middle of the series, magic is treated like a science experiment or a quick fix. When characters can just look up a ‘de-ratting’ spell or a protection enchantment in a dusty book to solve a Tuesday afternoon problem, the supernatural is no longer something to be feared or revered—it’s just another errand. This mundane approach to the occult ignores the gravity of dealing with forces beyond human understanding.
Compare this to The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, every instance of magic is treated as an amazing, precious gift. It is an extraordinary intervention that often leads the characters to a sense of gratitude and awe. Because magic is kept rare and sacred, it never becomes mundane; it remains a pointer to a higher power rather than just a shortcut for daily life.
In Conclusion
Deciding to walk away from these stories wasn’t just about the plotlines; it was about the principles. When magic is reduced to a mundane utility, a source of personal pride, or a shortcut for the soul, it loses the weight and wonder that God-honoring stories should possess. By returning to the works of authors like Tolkien and Lewis, I am choosing to dwell on stories that respect the boundaries of the supernatural and celebrate the inherent strength of the human spirit when it relies on providence rather than power.
I know this is a big shift for the content here at Swagnilla Ice, but I am excited to explore new worlds—both in my writing and in my video series—that reflect these values. I hope you’ll join me as I move forward into this next chapter.
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