Why I’m not buying the Harry Potter stamps

Last week, the United States Postal Service issued a booklet of 20 stamps featuring scenes from the Harry Potter movies. Time will tell whether or not the stamps will sell as well as postal officials might like, but I will not be buying the stamps for my own collection for several reasons.

First, even if we accept the argument that Harry Potter is a subject worthy of a commemorative U.S. postage stamp—something of which I’m not at all convinced—there is absolutely no reason that 20 different stamps are needed. The issuance of these stamps is nothing more than a money grab by the USPS.

Second, the stamps have absolutely nothing to do with United States history or culture. The Harry Potter books were written by a British author and the movies (on which the stamps are based) featured British actors. I have nothing against Britons, mind you, but there is nothing American about Harry Potter. For decades the United States had a reputation as a country whose stamps had some national connection, but no more.

Third, the designs of the stamps show a complete and total lack of creativity or artistic design value. They are nothing more than still frames captured from the Harry Potter movies. I could create the exact same designs with nothing more than my computer and the movie DVDs.

Fourth—and this is for me the most critical reason, though many may disagree—I don’t believe Harry Potter is compatible with Christianity. Deuteronomy 18:12 refers to sorcery as “an abomination to the Lord”; Galatians 5:20 mentions sorcery in the same breath as murder; and Acts 19:19 indicates that early Christian converts burned books related to magic. Laugh if you will, but I simply cannot justify spending my money to support the honoring of sorcery—even if “it’s just a children’s book”—when it is clearly identified as evil.

As far as I’m concerned, the USPS can keep its Harry Potter stamps. I’ll wait for something more appealing.

Published 2013-11-24