Muggle traditions at Hogwarts? (Was - Re: Religion)

[feetmadeofclay]

No: HPFGUIDX 78844

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, jazmyn <jazmyn at p...> wrote:
> 

> > --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "say543" 
<hesdead_dealwithit at h...>
> > wrote:
> >  > Since religion is basically nonexistent in HP, how was there a 
St.
> >  > Mungo and a Fat Friar? After all, God's miracles wouldn't be 
too
> >  > impressive if you could do the same thing yourself.

Well I figure they perhaps even have a different bible or 
interpretations.  Sure Seamus can turn water into rum but he can't 
raise the dead.  There are still rules.  Things no wizard can do.  
And alchemy was studied by Christians for a long time.  Different 
Christian groups have different attitudes to magic and witchcraft.  
But those who are most fundemntally against magic (and HP) actually 
believe it exsists where most modern christians who find stories like 
HP fun don't.  So who is to say what is real and what is not - 
especially in a religion with as many factions as Christianity.  

Perhaps Mary Magdalene was a witch and that is why her gospel was 
suppressed.  Perhaps their beliefs revolve around the Gospel 
according to Mary.  I always thought it was because she was a woman 
and that would entirely change the way Christians viewed women and 
their role in the Church.  But it could be something else. 

Perhaps they believe Jesus was a wizard.

Jazmyn: 
> It might be the observance of 
> 'popular' holidays parallels the muggle schools and in fact, may be 
more 
> an influence from wizards who have come from muggle backgrounds.  
Or the 
> overall influence  of being based in the UK.  If it were wizards in 
> China, I am sure they would celebrate popular Chinese national 
holidays. 
>   I would bet that American Wizards celebrate Thanksgiving.
> 
> All I see is the observance of the popular 'national holidays' 
> celebrated in that country (the UK), not evidence that all wizards 
are 
> Christians or any other one religion. I am sure there would be a 
close 
> percentage of the same religions or lack of religion in the WW as 
in the 
> muggle world.
> 
> 
> Jazmyn

If Wizards cannot manage to even imitate the proper dress of muggles 
and most don't care to bother, why would they bother with Christmas 
or Easter.  And if that was if, why are they so accurate and 
comfortable with the traditions.  When we see wizards dealing with 
Muggle things they botch them more often than not. These are people 
who cannot even spell 'electricity' properly. (I realize I am 
ignoring the train and bus.  But I've never been able to make those 
more modern inventions fit in to the WW if even carpets are 
considered muggle objects.)

Wizards and Witches don't have much of an interest as a society in 
Muggle traditions.

Molly couldn't care less about Muggles.  Arthur is looked upon as a 
odd for being so interested.  Yet Molly celebrates Easter and 
Christmas will all the same traditions.  There are trees and lights 
and gifts and candy eggs and such. 

It seems to me that Wizards are mostly Christian at least by heritage 
and tradition even if they secular in their practice. There is of 
course no reason there could not be those that hold to the old and 
ancient ways.  But they must be a minority of Wizarding culture.

  It could be that like our society, Christian wizards just don't go 
to church and such.  Look at Muggle church attendance.  It is 
entirely possible that Wizards are not Anglican or Calvinist but part 
of some seperate denomination like the Wizarding Church of England 
and Scotland... The physical wizard Churches would be concealed from 
muggles.  

But it is incongruous with the whole nature of Wizard culture to 
assume they are adopting muggle traditions.  Men like Malfoy would 
never send their children to a school that did something like that.  
It is bad enough they let Muggleborns in.  He wouldn't want Draco 
participating in Muggle traditions.  

At no other time do we see anyone adopting muggle traditions. It 
seems to be just the opposite.  Hermione is adopting Wizarding 
traditions. She is a witch. The only thing she seems to bring with 
her are modern muggle ethics. 

 (But I really find it hard to believe that she is the only person in 
the WW who thinks slavery is wrong.  And if she is, there has to be a 
reason why no one else agrees.  The WW is not morally bankrupt.) 

Golly