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

[feetmadeofclay]

No: HPFGUIDX 78051

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Laura Ingalls Huntley" 
<huntleyl at m...> wrote:
> GOLLY said:
> >If you're writing a Christ allegory, shouldn't you inform your 
> >readers at the outset with something more obvious than a wand 
wood?  
> 
Laura: 
> 13) And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the 
greatest of these is love. 
> -------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Laura (who isn't really one for quoting scripture all over the 
place, but felt it was applicable to this thread)
> 

Yes, I am decently versed in the New Testament (for a non Christian) 
but that wasn't really my point. Why keep that a secret?  It may not 
be a strict blow by blow replay but if your work is going to be 
series about a religious belief - namely the ethics of the New 
Testament and the role of a messiah - surely you should frame your 
story as what it is rather than hiding it for over half the series.  

What about those who would like to know what they are getting 
themselves into? I thought I was reading a nice story about evil vs. 
good with a standard nod to majority culture. Christanity is just so 
much a dominant force in Western culture that of course any good v. 
evil story will reflect that.  This goes way beyond the traditional 
treatment.

This is into full blown ethics.  Frankly if I was a non Christian 
parent of an HP loving child I would be furious with JKR.  It is 
subversive and not very respectful of minorities (or even majorities 
in places where it is translated).  Parents who are of minority 
faiths already have a very difficult time battling the more obvious 
pressures on their children's faiths - they don't need to start 
worrying about the literature their children are reading too when it 
is simple mainstream adventure stories.  Had I been a parent, I would 
have had no idea I should have been building up my child against 
Rowling's ethics from the start.  For me, my faith is well solidified 
by children are very influenced by such ideas. Openess might have 
been nice on JKR's part to at least allow parents and readers the 
chance to choose and discuss before we were already involved.    

If she was basing it on a story that has already been written there 
was no reason to be cagey about it - after all it isn't her story.  
She's not exactly the first writer to base a story on the New 
Testament.  She could have simply been honest with the press by 
saying that she was intentionally exploring the New Testament and 
that she thought the all the naysayers were being ridiculous.  She 
could have said she shared similar goals to C S Lewis and such. 

But most writers don't hide their main themes for 4 books.  

Golly.