Harry and Christ (Was Re: veil/Ddore's cowardice? (longish)

[feetmadeofclay]

No: HPFGUIDX 78016



> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "urghiggi" <urghiggi at y...> 
> wrote:
> > issues I perceive in OoP -- which is how does a person try to 
make 
> good/
> > obedient choices when his God/guide is silent? If this is one of 
> the themes 
> > she's exploring, the plot device makes sense. If not, then it's 
> really kind of 
> > lame.)

But isn't this problematic for the series.  The series has not real 
spiritual core. None of the kids refrence god with the latest 
exception of Luna's belief in life after death.  

And are we really meant to believe DD is the father? That to me is  
somewhat disturbing.  He's a man; not a god.  If DD is meant to 
symbolize Harry's spiritual guide, he's done a very poor job of it.  
Harry's entirely unprepared to be what he is.  DD has allowed Harry 
to think he's been breaking rules for years instead of training Harry 
to follow his path.  Essentially in books 1-3 Harry did what he 
wanted and what he felt was right.  DD was there to fish his fat out 
of the fryer but it was Harry who put himself there without 
guidence.  

It was Hermione who laboured to save Buckbeak and eventhough DD 
suggested they change history (or fulfill it - I hate time 
paradoxes), I can't see that as overriding his general hands off 
approach.  

Lupin guides Harry's moral/emotional development as much in POA as DD 
did in PS - perhaps more.

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Wanda Sherratt" 
<wsherratt3338 at r...> wrote:

WANDA:
> Also, when Mr. Ollivander tests it out, it spouts a fountain of 
> wine, which reminds me of Jesus turning water into wine, not to 
> mention all the other associations with wine in the New Testament.  


Goodness me...  I think I we should create a list.  


But doesn't anyone wish we had been given more than a silly sporting 
hero for about 4 books if Harry's going to be a Christ figure?

Shouldn't a spiritual allegory have the feeling of a spiritual core m 
as does CS Lewis' series even if you don't pick up the Christ 
allegory - laughably as a child many of my friends were wild about CS 
Lewis with its lions and what not.  But I never felt a spiritual core 
in HP.  JKR went so far as to make Hogwarts (and HP in general) 
particularly not secularly Christian instead of religiously so. There 
is no mentioned of a Chapel, no sunday services, no going to Church 
on Christmas.  No mention of the religions of other kids' names -
 'Goldstein' is a generally Jewish name and the Patils could very 
well be Hindu (or Christian or Muslim... I know) Seamus could be 
Catholic.

If you're writing a Christ allegory, shouldn't you inform your 
readers at the outset with something more obvious than a wand wood?  
We could have known from the outset about the prophecy (and let that 
frame the story as it does with the New Testament) and LV's 
determination to destroy the one who would set his star to fall. We 
could have had Harry being knowledgeable beyond his years in some 
areas instead of being such an average kid with Quidditch and flying 
as his gifts.  Or perhaps people could have treated him with more 
reverance and less like a TV star....

As a non-Christian I would not be happy with my (nonexsistant) 
children reading this series.  I won't be giving it to them nor when 
I have children will it even be in my home - that would just 
encourage them to read it.  If they picked it up by themselves I 
wouldn't censor it (or anything).  But we'd certainly be talking 
about why 'love' is not a force and why marytdom is not a solution to 
prejudiced facist overlords. 

That I guess is just my minority position...

Golly