[HPforGrownups] religion, that website, and HP

[John Walton]

No: HPFGUIDX 14091

Schlobin at aol.com wrote:

> That (more controversially)
> 
> pagans (also known as modern day witches..usually not
> wizards..usually male witches are called witches)

AKA also Wiccans, Druids, Shamans, or just Pagans. Interestingly, the
"default" name in the UK for Earth Religions is Paganism, while in the US it
appears to be Wicca, which is in fact a subgroup of Paganism. (i.e. Every
Wiccan is Pagan but not every Pagan is Wiccan.) You're correct in calling
male witches witches; another option is to call the Wiccan community as a
whole "The Wicca", as in "The Church" as a people.

> do not embrace, endorse or support evil
> worship Satan (Satan as the enemy of God is a Christian, Jewish,
> Islamic concept)

Entirely correct :) The JudeoChristian Satan is a corruption of the Pagan
Horned God -- except they turned the Horned God's antlers into bull horns
and made him the colour of a radish. Not to mention that silly tail.
Honestly! Talk about *totally* not-scary!

> Pagans are in general an earth-based spiritual tradition that
> invokes the Goddess and/or the God.....as positive forces in the
> universe....

The Goddess and God (some more feminist groups invoke only the Goddess, but
it doesn't work the other way round with masculist groups) are not exactly
"positive forces", more like Divine Creators. We embrace the shadow as well
as the light, the night as well as the day, seeing them as integral parts of
the Goddess and God and therefore the universe. We do not have a
Satan-figure to blame the Woes of the World (tm) on; rather, as day follows
night, we realise that good things follow the bad.

> That, in my opinion, JKR is not a pagan, nor a witch (in modern day
> understanding) and that the HP universe is a mythological construct
> and is magical, but not pagan in a spiritual sense.

Indeed. I have never flown on a broom, battled a troll (or, for that matter,
seen a flying car [sorry, Neil...]) or even an Evil Dark Wizard

> That, therefore, pagans and Christians and Jews, find much to
> resonate with in the HP stories...

People of all religions and people of no religion love HP!

--John

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John "Such a Witch!" Walton                 john at walton.to

Remember: socks then shoes.

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