Calvinism

[prefectmarcus at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 23593

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Aberforth's Goat" <Aberforths_Goat at Y...> 
wrote:
> Back to the Potterverse: I'm still wondering whether the same 
applies. There
> are a number of signs that the people who go to G-R-H always turn 
out good,
> whereas those who go to S always turn out bad. If so, Potter lives 
in a
> strange place. Distinguishing between the elect and the reprobate 
has always
> proved tricky in our world, since only God really knows what's on 
the
> books--but in Harry's world you would just have to check out a guy's 
school
> transcripts for a read on his fundamental moral status.
> 
> That leads to the two questions on my mind: (1) Is Potter's world 
really
> this way?

No, I don't think so.  Two statements of Dumbledore spring to mind.  
The birth versus what-you-become at the End of GoF.  Even more 
telling, his statement about choices versus abilities in CoS.  Before 
you can make choices, you have to have free will.  That kinda puts the 
kaboosh on Predestination.

When Sirius Black was discussing Snape's history he stated words to 
the effect that Snape hung around a group of Slytherins that almost 
all turned out to be Death Eaters.  That implies that not all 
Slytherins are evil.  If they were, the Sorting Hat would not have 
seriously considered putting Harry there, AND insist later that Harry 
would had been successful there.

Besides, Slytherin holds no monopoly on narrow-minded and 
mean-spirited-ness.  Remember the problems the good-old Hufflepuffs 
gave Harry in CoS and GoF?

Marcus