[HPforGrownups] Re: Religion in the Potterverse

[Leon Adato]

No: HPFGUIDX 40683

Bluesqueak said:
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Ooh, gosh, religion in the Potterverse; now there's a thorny subject.
Especially when you drag in Exodus 22:18.
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Maybe I missed a few things here, but according to "Navigating the Bible"
(Davka Corp, viewable online at http://www.bible.ort.org), Exodus 22:18 is
summarized as "Whoever lies with an animal must be put to death". I'm not
sure this is the line we really want to discuss in relation to Harry Potter.
Although I'm sure someone could link it to "Evil!Hagrid" if they gave it a
little thought.

http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?action=displayanchor&pentid=P2129#P212
9

Exodus 22:17 is the "witch" line in this case. It's also important to note
that it falls in between two different bans on sexual behavior (22:16 being
a punishment for lying with a virgin if you didn't marry her and 22:18 being
the aforementioned livestock issue.). This is important only because they
key foci seem to be divination (also appearing in this section) and sexual
temptation. Not levitation, unlocking doors, etc.

While I am not, in any way, trying to invalidate the text of the Torah
(bible, old testiment, pentateuch, etc), even as it relates to HP; nor am I
trying to shoehorn a RL religious text into the context of the Potterverse:
still I wanted to clarify that JKR has not to overstepped the boundaries of
even that sacred ban. Future discoveries about Hagrid notwithstanding.

Bluesqueak continues
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There's also Sirius, who is Harry's *godfather* (PoA and GoF) (In the
UK, this is a title given to someone who's made certain promises at a
child's Christian baptism)
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Actually, the Jewish religion supports this tradition as well, in two forms:
First, many parents select a close friend or relative as godparent, usually
someone who will oversee the child's religious upbringing in some way. In
practice this is anything from a titular honor only to naming the person who
will tutor the child in their b'nai mitzvah.

The second form, practiced more routinely, is that of "sandek". This Greek
word literally means "godfather" and is the person who holds the male child
while the circumcision is performed. Obviously this is a task of great
honor, importance, and trust.

When Paul introduced the change from circumcision of the flesh to that of
the spirit (Philipians 3:3) the tradition changed accordingly.

Bluesqueak returns to the subject of witchcraft
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That sounds more like a
gift from God than a pact with the Devil.
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The problem here, in terms of comparing the biblical definitions to HP, is
that there is no devil (per se) in Jewish tradition. So pacts with the devil
are extremely difficult.

The really sticky wicket is Divination, of which the Bible (torah, tanakh,
scriptures, etc) are very clear.

On the other hand, what's the difference between divination and prophesy
(which seems to be OK in the Bible as long as you're not a fraud). And is
Prof. Trelawny bad if she performs fake divination but true prophesy?

Leon Adato
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