Harry Potter and the Bible

[foxmoth at qnet.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 17576

	I for one am enjoying the discussion and hope we can continue 
politely.  I am not Christian or pagan, so I can not discuss what is 
consonant with these beliefs. I would like to put in my two knuts about 
how moral issues are presented in HP.
  I am bewildered by the statement that Harry never suffers any 
negative consequences from lying. In Goblet of Fire, he finds that his 
credibility has been severely damaged. Even Harry's dearest friend and 
the members of his own House (his family at Hogwarts) think he is lying 
about putting his name in the goblet. The text does not make this point 
overtly, but it was the first thing I thought of when I asked myself, 
"Why doesn't Ron believe what Harry is telling him?" Ron knows that 
Harry is a skillful liar, and Harry suffers for it.
	As for Hagrid's drinking, it is shown to make him careless (when 
he gives away Fluffy's secret in SS/PS)  and ridiculous (when he tries 
to sober up by sticking his head in the water barrel in PoA), which in 
my opinion is a far more effective method of reaching children with a 
message on the dangers of alcohol than a lecture on the evils of drink 
would be. 
Pippin