Muggle Practices/Religion/Weasley practices

[lziner]

No: HPFGUIDX 79134

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "feetmadeofclay" 
<feetmadeofclay at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lziner" <lziner at y...> wrote:
> >
> > I totally agree with Richard about time flow.  Most children know 
> > when Christmas and Easter occur (winter/spring).  They know they 
> get 
> > time-off from school. It makes sense to them that the Hogwarts 
> > students would have this time off as well.  
> > 
> > On another point, look at the backlash created in some circles 
> about 
> > the  books even with christian holidays.  Imagine the uproar if 
JKR 
> > created/used pagan holidays. 
> > 
> > lziner 
> 
> 
> What backlash?  Why would anyone object to the depiction of kids 
> celebrating Christmas. Unless they felt it was a kind of secular 
> Christmas but that just lumps Rowling in with modern culture so the 
> criticism wouldn't be only of Rowling.  
> 
> I would assume it would be fine either way.  If she was using pagan 
> holidays, we would simply assume they are not Christian.  That 
isn't 
> really a problem.  It would be entirely natural to assume an 
insular 
> society would retain its own religion. 
> 
> By having Christmas and Easter (plus Halloween - it is the 
CHRISTIAN 
> version) even if just as time markers I assume that Christianity is 
> the dominant cultural/religious force within the WW.  
> 
> Merely a choice in flavour.  Why would any object to Wizards having 
> their own religion?  That seems to me like objecting to India being 
> majority Hindu. 
> 
> Golly

Perhaps you misunderstood - Harry Potter books are the most banned 
books in the US.  Certain religious sects feel they are about 
witchcraft etc promote santanism etc.  I meant, to imagine if she 
added pagan holidays as well... mugglenet a few weeks ago posted a 
book burning involving Harry Potter books.  My point was that by 
leaving Christian holidays in the books - JKR provides a counter-
point (although unecessarily) to the belief that HP books promote 
witchcraft and evil.  

Bottom line - believe it or not some people object to these books. I 
was making the point that the uproar would be worse if Christian 
holidays were not mentioned.  I still believe that the sole purpose 
of JKR including holidays are for time frame and familiarity (earlier 
post)

lziner