Dementors - How do you defeat them?

[corinthum <kkearney@students.miami.edu>]

No: HPFGUIDX 50302

Annemehr pondered:

> Dementors are supposed to suck out your soul so that it is "lost 
> forever".  Well, as a Christian, I just can't get over something
>that 
> can make you lose your soul apart from your own actions.  The
>"willing 
> suspension of disbelief" won't extend so far when I read this part.
> I 
> just put getting "soul-sucked" into a cubbyhole in my mind marked 
> "fate worse than death" and kind of pass over it.  I wonder how many 
> other people (of whatever faith) have this same problem with the 
> dementor's kiss?  The best I can muster, if I stop to think about it 
> at all, is that the souls can be lost inside the dementor, in
>torment 
> perhaps, until the end of time or the end of the dementor, whichever 
> comes first (harsh, isn't it?) -- and then it's finally on to "the 
> next great adventure."  But in that case, of course, they would not
> be 
> lost forever.  I sure would appreciate seeing anyone else's thoughts 
> on this!

Me:

On one level, this question can't be answered.  After all, wizards
don't seem to know any more about the realities of the afterlife than
we muggles do (well, with the exception of ghosts).

I've always interpreted the "soul-sucking" from the living point of
view.  Having one's sould sucked seems to basically render one
brain-dead.  Still alive, with a fully functioning body (possibly even
able to move) but unable to form any thoughts.  However, the person's
body will eventually die of natural causes.  At this point, I think
the "soul" would be released to whatever afterlife there may be.  The
"fate worse than death" interpretation is really just an opinion from
the living person's point of view...Would you rather die now, or be
rendered a senseless thing for a hundred or so years before dying?

Just my thoughts.  :)

-Corinth