The Seattle Times discusses the faith based side of the Harry Potter books and Ann Ditzler at ECFVP talks about Episcopal young adults:
The “Harry Potter” culture warriors surged into action one last time, adding their familiar notes of discord to the fanfares greeting the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.”
“It’s no secret that the Harry Potter storyline about both good and evil wizards has fueled global teenage increase in Wicca and the occult,” according to an urgent Christian Newswire news release.….
It mattered little that Rowling soon outed herself as a communicant in the Scottish Episcopal Church and told a Canadian newspaper: “Every time I’ve been asked if I believe in God, I’ve said, ‘yes,’ because I do. … If I talk too freely about that, I think the intelligent reader — whether 10 or 60 — will be able to guess what is coming in the books.”
Thus, the series unfolded, with each book containing waves of medieval Christian symbols, including many used by artists to point to Jesus — such as white stags, unicorns, hippogriffs, a phoenix and a red lion.
….
After years of debating Potter critics, Granger said he still finds it stunning that so many people can study Rowling’s work without seeing her extensive use of Christian themes and symbols. At the same time, her approach is “very English” and there is “no way anyone could call these books evangelical,” he added.
Ann Ditzler, writing for Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices discusses the impact on Episcopal young adults.:
Over dinner the interns and I started discussing our weekend plans: watching HP 7 Part 1 again at home on Saturday, then heading to the theatre Sunday evening for the new movie. Shannon, a 22 year old Episcopalian from Minnesota, discussed menu options for Potterfest: butterbeer, pumpkin pasties, and treacle tart. She’s hosted parties for all the previous movie releases, becoming an expert cook of magical food. I took delight in the anticipation and activities they described.
But my interest was piqued in a new way when Shannon began describing this moment as “the end of an era.” She was 10 years old when Harry started at Hogwarts school at age 11. Shannon was 17 when Harry’s quest climaxed at age 18, altering his magical world forever. It altered Shannon’s world as well. This is, literally, the story of a generation.