[HPforGrownups] Re: _Harry Potter and the Bible_

[John Walton]

No: HPFGUIDX 17492

on 4/23/01 1:42 PM, Amy Z at aiz24 at hotmail.com wrote:

> What goes on in HP has nothing to do with Paganism other than its
> positive valuation of magic and the word "witch."  This is enough to
> send people like the HP and the Bible author around the bend.  A lot
> of Christian fundamentalists don't need to know anything else about HP
> or Wiccanism, because the Bible says "you shall not suffer a witch to
> live," and that settles the matter for them.  Never mind that it is
> quite unclear what the Bible means by a witch.

::nodnodnod:: As a Wiccan Pagan, I'm very glad to see that this is
recognised by at least *somebody*...

> On the other side, HP's positive use of the word "witch" is enough to
> make some Wiccans cheer for it--but HP is not about Wicca, witchcraft
> in the religious sense, or Paganism.

I do cheer for it -- as a *fictitious* book with characters I enjoy. Much as
I'd cheer the Narnia series, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon books, Bernard
Cornwell's Arthur trilogy (need I go on?). These are all books in which we
see magic at work. It doesn't have to be ritual magic, but the magic that's
inside all of us. </mistyvoice>
 
> Plenty of Christians are able to see Paganism as a separate religion
> that doesn't threaten their own any more than Judaism or Islam does.
> And plenty of Christians =and= Pagans are able to see that HP isn't
> really about either of their religions.

::enthusiastic thumbs-up:: Precisely. I have no bones about Christianity. In
fact, it's rather nice that early Christians felt that they should celebrate
their own holidays at the same time as us Pagans -- Christmas falls soon
after Yule, Easter falls around Beltane time, Hallowe'en is Samhain
(pronounced SOW-inn [sow as in pig, not as in reap]), Candlemas is Imbolc,
and so on throughout the year.

I also like how Christianity has taken elements of Paganism into its
"mysteries". (By "mysteries" I mean the central tenets of the religion, not
hocus-pocus.) The Virgin Mary (mother of God) is similar to the mother
Goddess. The sacrificed Christ figure is very reminiscent of the sacrificed
God who is born again in the new year. So, if you take a cold hard look at
the two mysteries, there ain't all that much between 'em :)

> So far, so good.  But neither is Wicca, the religion, "occult" in the
> sense that its critics often mean it.  I expect that one thing the
> author of _HP & the Bible_ means by "occult" is "Satanic."  Wicca is
> not about Satan-worship--quite the opposite.  I would be cautious
> about implying "HP is good, occultism is bad, HP isn't occultism,"
> because it accepts the all-too-vague (and pejorative) definitions of
> occultism.

Yeah. The whole "you're a witch, therefore you worship Satan" really gets my
goat (Mike G., are you there?). Heck, I don't *believe* in Satan, let alone
worship him. I honestly believe in taking responsibility for my own mistakes
rather than the (IMEverSoHO) cop-out of saying "Oh, gee, it's Satan's fault
I did X or Y".

Also, as I explained to my parents: "Wicca is occult, not a cult". There's
no one charismatic leader, nor even one lone sect or type of path to follow.

--John
____________________________________________

Remember: Socks then Shoes.

John Walton -- john at walton.to
____________________________________________