Devout Students at Hogwarts (WAS: Religion Again...)

[judyserenity]

No: HPFGUIDX 34302

Elkins argued that maybe there are devout students at Hogwarts, but we 
just don't see them:

> All that we can really deduce from Harry's POV, IMO, is that there 
> are no students in Harry's own circle of Gryffyndor friends who 
> object to Hogwarts' Christian culture.  For all we know, there's
> that one kid in Ravenclaw who complains *constantly* about it... <

Could be.  I was just arguing from what we've seen.  My actual guess, 
though, is that JKR hasn't worked out this part of the Potterverse.

I said:
>> I'd guess that there are no practicing Jews or Muslims at Hogwarts. 
>> I just don't see what they'd eat. << 

Elkins replied:
> I feel convinced that a school willing to make special arrangements
> for a werewolf would manage, somehow, to accomodate unusual dietary
> restrictions.  Real world boarding schools do so, and so do summer 
> camps -- and they don't even have magic to help them out....
> And when the regular dinner is Shepherd's Pie yet *again,* all of
> the other kids at their table are madly jealous of them. <

Well, maybe Hogwarts would make accomodations if any students need 
them. But since we haven't seen any special foods, I doubt that any 
students have asked for them, which makes me suspect that there aren't 
any practicing students of religions with dietary restrictions. Food 
is one of the best-described elements of the Potterverse, and we 
haven't seen any special foods.  Like you said, this is something the 
other kids would probably notice. 

On the topic of when would devout students pray, Elkins said:
> Just as in real schools, I imagine that special dispensation is
> offered to those students devout enough to request it.  The devout
> Muslims are allowed to slip quietly out of class to say their 
> prayers, and groups of devout Christians and Jews get ferried off
> to their respective houses of worship once a week. <  

Wow, the schools you've been to must have been *way* more accomodating 
that any place I've been!  My elementary school would deliberately 
schedule school picture day on the Jewish High Holidays every freakin' 
year! And, my job gives me trouble about holidays off, too.  

I suspect Dumbledore would try to be accomodating, but Snape wouldn't 
be accomodating at all. 


I said: 
>> my best guess is that Hogwarts is made up almost entirely of 
>> cultural Christians, but few if any of them are very observant. << 

Elkins replied:
> Thus reflecting fairly well the Muggle society it parallels, no?

I really don't know enough about British society to say.  I would not 
describe my own (US) society that way, no.  Lots of people here are 
quite religious, and at least where I live, there is an amazing mix of 
differnet religions, with Muslims as the second largest group. 

Just to make myself clear, I'm not complaining about the lack of Jews/ 
Buddists/ Muslims / etc. at Hogwarts.  England is mostly Christian, 
perhaps overwhelmingly so; therefore it makes sense that Hogwarts is, 
too.  I'm just reflecting in general on whether the wizarding world, 
as emplified by Hogarts, is religious.  From what we've seen, I'd have 
to say, "not very".