Harry Potter and God

[Geoff Bannister]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Nightbreed" <md at ...> wrote:

Geoff:
> I'm not quite sure what you mean by "Christians share many different
> beliefs". 
> I interpret this as referring to different practices followed by different 
> denominations. This gives me the impression that you are not a Christian 
> nor sympathetic towards believers because our faith is founded on a 
> number of statements made by Christ. Any other additional rites or 
> practices are peripheral to our basic belief that salvation comes from 
> accepting Christ into our hearts and lives. Hence, any linking of Christian 
> faith to alchemical teaching sends out all the wrong messages.

md:
> I was raised Baptist, attended protestant church, decided god was a
> construct and defected to atheism, but I believe in things that have not
> been scientifically proven, so I don't have any anti-"god" sentiments, I do
> not however, believe in any way, shape or form in organized religious
> practices where a small group interprets a document and tells the many 
> what it means and what they are to do, to me, that's the largest problem in
> society, organized religion, not god.

Geoff:
That clarifies your viewpoint. However, it also suggests from your 
biographical detail that you were never introduced to the real Christian 
faith. That, by the way, is not a criticism of any sort – it is just an 
observation. Let me explain a little further.

A few years ago, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, was 
being interviewed on the BBC "Breakfast" programme. In response to a 
point raised by the presenter, he replied "Ah, but you are confusing 
Christianity with `Churchianity'". In the UK, if you go round and ask 
people what their religion is, 80% or more will reply "Christian" – or 
possibly "C of E" (Church of England). If you then press them further, it 
is often revealed that, for many of them,  the only time they attend 
church is for a christening, marriage or funeral (the famous "hatched, 
matched or despatched" trio). But there are also a large number of people 
attending church because they were brought up that way and go through 
the routines of their denomination – such as prayer meetings, mass, 
confession, Bible studies and such like – since they appear on the church 
diary. Obviously, the items mentioned do not actually belong to one 
specific church. If you tackle them about personal Christian experience, 
they may look surprised having gone through the sort of progression 
which you mention and believe that that is the sum total of faith.

At the risk of being boring, I have said on many occasions that the 
bedrock of real Christian faith lies with some comments made by Christ 
when he was on earth. "For God so loved the world that he gave his 
only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal 
life" (John's gospel chapter 3 verse 16) and "I am the way and the truth 
and the life. No one comes to the father except through me" (John 
chapter 14 verse 6). This all hinges on "belief". I can believe that if I get 
on a train at Taunton railway station, it will take me to Paddington 
Station in London but  I will not get to London until I put that belief into 
practice and actually board the train.

Looking further at the question of what we are expected to do as 
Christians, another analogy struck me,. Let's consider playing tennis. 
As youngsters, we know nothing about the game initially. Then perhaps 
we see the game or a friend or relative talks about it and we begin to 
learn how to play. It may be played with a cheap racket on a public 
tarmac court while we wear ordinary trousers and jumpers and perhaps 
trainers. Others who want to go further may want to join a club and be 
coached, play on good quality clay or grass courts, get the right clothing, 
buy expensive rackets and so on. The fact remains that the trainer-
wearing guys playing on the public courts and rescuing their own balls 
after serving are just as much tennis players as the well-to-do and the 
famous.

I have never not believed in God. As a teenager, I had a very hazy belief 
that we were all Christians because of Jesus and we would just get to 
heaven in the end(!) 

In my last year at teacher training college, I became close friends with a 
guy who was the president of the Christian Union; we met playing chess 
– against each other and also side by side for the college. As a result I got 
to know many CU members and there was something about their life style 
which was attractive. As a result, I became a Christian – I spoke about 
having a "Damascus Road" style of meeting with God in a recent post. 
For the next couple of months until I left to start teaching, I mixed with 
Anglicans, Salvation Army, Methodist, Baptists, Free Evangelicals, 
Congregationalists to mention but a few. Despite them having different 
ways of worship within their own churches we all got on together because 
we all accepted the two things said by Christ which I quoted.

I have been a member of the Baptist Church for the almost half century 
since that day; but that does *not* mean that I think this church has all 
the answers. It is merely the place where I believe God has led me to 
worship and be of service to other around me. As any real Christian 
should, I consider myself a Christian first and a Baptist second (for 
Baptist, substitute whatever church you attend).

To some extent, we actually have a measure of agreement!

No.Limberger:
(in response to md's post)
> I couldn't agree more.  When something has been experimentally 
> demonstrated or repeated multiple times, or when there is overwhelming 
> scientifically-gathered data to support a theory, then there should be no 
> issues in accepting these as being sound.

Geoff:
I'm not quite sure I see the tie-in with what md wrote but what you 
are highlighting are concrete, measureable facts.

You cannot use this approach when you dealing with things which 
cannot be quantified in this way. you cannot use scientifically gathered 
data to deal with concepts such as love, faith, conscience or hope – to 
name but a handful.