Looking at the symbolism in the JK Rowling creations, other people have gone so far as to claim that Harry Potter is even a symbol to represent the Son of God - Jesus.
"As we approach the release of the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series, Potter friends and foes alike are in for the surprise of their lives," wrote Abigail BeauSeigneur in an article on the most-visited Harry Potter fan site, Mugglenet.com. "The story of Harry Potter is, and always was, a Christian allegory - a fictionalised modern day adaptation of the life of Christ, intended to introduce his character to a new generation."
To back up her claims, she cites examples such as their prophetic births, personality traits, life events, opposition to authority, battles against evil, unfair trials, as well as similarities between Lord Voldemort and the devil.
So the question that remains is whether or not Rowling is a Christian in disguise.
"Rowling is a genius to tell a Christian story in the unexpected disguise of a witchcraft tale - people who would never pick up an overtly Christian story are reading Potter by the millions, attracted to it by its modern themed packaging," concluded Brown in a statement. "Christianity has always produced great writers. Tolkien, Lewis, Percy, Chesterton to name just a few. I believe JK Rowling is a Christian writer."
But then again, there are many Christians who would disagree.
"[T]he movie version of 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' is liable to still do great business at the box office," stated Dr Ted Baehr, founder of MovieGuide.org, as the fifth instalment of the "Harry Potter" film series released last week.
"Regrettably, however, this means that even more children will be lured away from God and His Infallible Word, which says that witchcraft is evil and abhorrent. Instead of dreaming about the joys that God gives us through Jesus Christ, they will be dreaming of casting spells, using magic spells, riding brooms, and rebelling against their parents."
According to the Associated Press, "Deathly Hallows" has a print run of 12 million in the United States alone, and Internet retailer Amazon says it has taken 2.2 million pre-orders for the book. The Royal Mail says it will deliver 600,000 copies on Saturday; the US Postal Service says it will ship 1.8 million. Over 20,000 requests were received at Amazon.com on July 17 alone.
