Wizard religion (was Excusssse me.)

[Anne <urbana@charter.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48104

Darla wrote:
> >   The wonderful thing about the books, I believe, is J.K's 
> > originality. Yes, it has a basis on our world- it has to for any 
> > believablity- but it's so much more then that; it's a world in 
it's 
> > own right. And to start attributing parts of our world/beliefs to 
> it 
> > when J.K has made no indication to support these beliefs... It 
just 
> > doesn't fit. 
....There is little 
> > to no cannon supporting it, and it's quite a grey area... 
> > Darla.
>
Then Diane replied:
> Just to reiterate Darla:
>  
> Diane said: I can only imagine that it (religion) isn't mentioned 
in 
> canon because JKR herself is only averagely religious and therefore 
> it just hasn't come up yet.
> 
> This goes for much of the UK where religious is tacit rather than 
> fanatical. I am inclined to agree with your point about being a 
> lapsed Christian (also grins) Christianity has appeared in canon in 
> the form of Christmas so all we can assume really is that Hogwarts 
is 
> nominally Christian much like the rest of the UK.

IMO, I don't think we can really assume that, unless you 
mean "nominally Christian" in the sense of "culturally Christian", 
that is, celebrating the standard Christian holidays, Christmas and 
Easter. I've read all 4 books (the first two twice, which admittedly 
is not a lot by the standards of this group) but I can't recall any 
mention in any of them of a chapel, chaplain, or any kind of 
religious services of ANY stripe. From what I can tell, Hogwarts 
celebrates Christmas culturally (huge trees, "decorations", holiday 
break etc.) but not religiously, and I'd bet the same goes for Easter 
(and I don't recall any kind of Easter- or spring-break holiday 
mentioned in any of the books, while we do hear about the students 
either staying at Hogwarts or going home over the Christmas holidays, 
which sounds like just about any British board school I've ever heard 
of). 

At any rate, I haven't seen any thing in HP canon that suggests that 
Hogwarts has any connection to any particular religion... which is 
absolutely fine with (and preferable to) me. 

Anne U
(who bets the Sorting Hat has put more than a few stout-hearted 
agnostics into Gryffindor :-)