Harry Potter is Jesus Christ.

Upon reading such a wild claim, I would guess 10 percent of people reading this column just scoffed out loud. Another 10 percent are shaking their heads and all of the Harry Potter fans probably think I’ve lost my mind. 

I’m a huge Harry Potter fan myself and I was surprised as much as anyone to find out that the Harry Potter story line has a lot in common with the story line in the Bible. In a conference set to discuss her last book, Rowling confessed to her Christian faith, saying, “To me [the religious parallels have] always been obvious, but I never wanted to talk too openly about it because I thought it might show people who just wanted the story where we were going.”

I think it’s pretty obvious this is proof that the movies are a Christian allegory.

So the question becomes, does the wildly successful Harry Potter series encourage Christianity?

Warning! This column contains spoiler alerts.

When I say Harry Potter is Jesus Christ, what I really mean is he symbolizes Jesus Christ. For those unfamiliar with the Bible, Jesus was basically the chosen one, sent to earth to save all mankind from sin. He sacrificed himself on the cross in order to do so and then rose from the dead to prove he was in fact special. Sound familiar?

In the series, Harry Potter is also considered the chosen one, born to defeat Voldemort. In the last movie, he sacrifices his life to save the world. To everyone’s surprise, he rises from the dead, and the good guys win. 

Dumbledore symbolizes God. He is characterized in the movie as an all good —some might say holy — force, worthy of complete trust. It was almost as if all the good wizards had “faith” in him.  He is portrayed as the most powerful wizard in the world, but still needs Harry’s help to defeat Voldemort, aka the devil. Dumbledore is constantly directing Harry on how to overcome Voldemort — just as God directed his “only son” on how to liberate human beings from sin. When Harry dies he finds out there is life after death when he ends up in a glorious, peaceful bright-white train station that clearly represents heaven, and who does he meet there? You guessed it, Dumbledore. Not to mention Dumbledore has the exact same hairdo and beard as God is usually pictured having. 

In the Bible, Lucifer and God are friends to start off with. Lucifer is even an angel, but not for long, as he eventually turns on God and becomes the devil. He starts hanging out with demons and is the ultimate symbol of evil. The devil often appears as a serpent in the Bible.

Similarly, Tom Riddle (Voldemort) and Dumbledore get along at first. Riddle eventually turns on Dumbledore and becomes so evil that people are scared to utter his name. Part of his new group are soul-sucking tormentors, which I’d say are symbols of demons. Voldemort also has a thing for snakes. He can talk to them and keeps a boa constrictor by his side most of the time. 

A snake is the mascot for Slytherin, the house of wizards known as the bad guys. The mascot for Gryffindor, the good guys, is a lion — Jesus is often referred to as the lion of Judah. This is another representation of good versus evil that holds true in both Harry Potter and the Bible.

The Internet highlights plenty other examples, but these are by far the most obvious.

There is absolutely no proof that the Harry Potter movies have led to a boost in the Christian population. It is also highly likely that Rowling had no intent to convert any of her fans into good-hearted Christians, and that her personal beliefs simply leaked into her work.

Nonetheless, picture teenagers who have grown up as Harry Potter fanatics. They have seen all of the movies five times each, read all of the books and have often hit the streets on Halloween with a lightning bolt on their forehead and wand in hand, waving it around like they just doesn’t care. 

Let’s say when these teenagers turn 18 they are exposed to Christianity, the Bible and the story of Jesus Christ for the first time.

They are told about how Jesus is the chosen one, guided by a God to defeat his fallen comrade, the devil, even when he appears as a snake. Jesus has faith in God and eventually sacrifices himself to save his people. When he dies he finds out that there is life after death, but he doesn’t stick around long. He comes back from the dead to save the day.

I personally don’t find it so far-fetched that teenagers, having loved the Harry Potter story their whole life, might make an immediate connection with Jesus’ story, and therefore develop an immediate appreciation for Christianity. This is why I think it’s possible that J.K. Rowling encourages Christianity through the Harry Potter series.

No proof exists that this hypothetical situation describes the life path of any real person, so what’s the point of examining the similarities between the plots of the Bible and the Harry Potter movies? Well, at the very least, it’s an interesting tidbit of information to have in your back pocket the next time you sit down with your family to watch “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” As the intro credits are rolling, simply blurt out, “Did you guys know Harry Potter is Jesus Christ?” and watch your little brother almost choke on his popcorn. 

J.K. Rowling’s spinoff book/movie “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is set to be released in November of this year, so if you see it, keep an eye out for more Christian symbolism.