[HPforGrownups] 7 Heavenly Virtues: Faith (Long)

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 3526

Thanks Peg. I really enjoyed your Faith discussion. Even if it is a
"sugar-spun fantasy" on your part, it makes great reading and puts a new
slant on things.   

At first, when you mentioned the Seven Heavenly Virtues, I was puzzled. I'd
never heard of them either, at least not as a group. Then I started trying
to list them: 'Faith, Hope, Charity and... um, Patience is a virtue isn't it
and ...aaaargh... Being Kind To Animals?...erm?'.  So, I'm glad you posted
the URL of that site...

Okay, let's recap. Put simply, we can have faith in someone or something
[trust], we can have a faith [religion/belief] and we can keep the faith
[duty/loyalty].  

Faith, to me, is the foundation stone of friendship and that is demonstrated
clearly in the loyal friendship of Harry, Hermione and Ron.  The scene you
mentioned, between Harry and Ron, and the scene with the three of them and
the troll, are points at which friendships are unshakeably forged, and like
the product of a chemical reaction, it's enduring.  That's why any sort of
betrayal or distrust between the three of them is so painful - it shakes the
faith they have in each other.  On a more mundane level Harry has to have
enough faith in a highly illogical magical world to run at solid barriers,
use floo powder, touch portkeys and eat gillyweed.  Without a fundamental
belief in the magical world would any of these things have worked?  When it
comes to duty, Harry is singled out as special and does his duty to the
wizarding world - starting from the crib - and is still taking risks to
protect others, even if his motives are elsewhere.  

Sins are sins, mild or severe, but virtues are qualities which can be good
under control and damaging in excess. I'd say faith is only virtue if it's
kept in check. It has the potential to be quite dangerous, as in the "blind
faith" of some religions.  Being too trusting of people can lead to
gullibility.  Duty can lead to isolation.  Loyalty isn't always a two-way
street.  Every every shiny coin has another side...

Neil

            Flying-Ford-Anglia

 *****************************************

   "Then, dented, scratched and steaming, 
   the car rumbled off into the darkness, 
   its rear lights blazing angrily"

 [Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]

 *****************************************