Religion and Persons of Straw

[John Walton]

No: HPFGUIDX 34273

>> Gwen asked:
 
>> So, may I ask exactly why it's such a big deal that this Western-centric work
>> of fiction assumes the culturally expected religion--and does it as only a
>> background for the rest?

> Amy Z replied:

> I think you're knocking down a straw man here.  IIRC, no one objected to
> Hogwarts being structured on a Christian calendar the way most British schools
> are.  It is completely realistic for JKR to arrange things that way, and (IMO
> anyway) completely realistic to think that magical children in Britain would
> celebrate Christmas and Easter the same way their Muggle peers do:  some
> devoutly, many as more of a cultural thing.  The objections came from people,
> myself included, who said we could not then call Hogwarts purely secular.

While we're on the subject of knocking down straw men (O! O! Gender-based
violence! Non-inclusive language! Shock! Horror! ::grin::), I think that the
objections raised were also slightly strawy. Though I've been slightly
preoccupied recently, I can't remember anyone saying that it was possible to
call Hogwarts purely secular. Rather, IIRC the argument from this side was
that Hogwarts was *no more* and perhaps *less* religious than British
society as a whole.

Oh, I do hope that nobody throws forty-seven quotes at me to refute that :D

--John
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"Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova. I will not ignore
Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God. And if this ever happens again,
Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out."
        --Commander Susan Ivanova, Babylon 5

John Walton || john at walton.vu
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