intro & magic/technology question

[urghiggi]

No: HPFGUIDX 71461

Hi, I'm urghiggi, 40something devotee of Lewis/Tolkien/Rowling, glad to be 
allowed to join your group. I have read the 'must read' files and some of the 
archives (of course not all or I'd have to quit my day job).

Here is a question I've been thinking about -- fundamentalist Christians (I'm 
the latter but not the former) often object to the supposed occult/satanic milieu 
of the HP books. One of my best arguments against this opinion has been the 
oft-stated comment (think it was actually from Chuck Colson) that the magic in 
HP is primarily technological in nature. No demons are summoned; in fact no 
'supernatural' linkage appears to be operational in this universe at all, no one 
is invoking Satan or a Goddess or a God.... witches/wizards in HP seem more 
like a tribe with tribal ways of accomplishing the same kinds of daily business 
(light, power, transport, communication, medicine, etc) as Muggles use 
machines and other tech devices for in the 'real world.' (Why some object to 
the magic of a command like 'lumos' in HP but have no trouble with the 
equally magical light of the phial of Galadriel in LOTR is beyond me. I don't 
see why apparating/disapparating is any more 'evil' than using a transporter 
in Star Trek -- different names, both technology as far as I'm concerned.) 
Available jobs for adults in HP's world seem to correspond with available jobs 
in the muggle world -- medicine, governmental administration, human 
services, law enforcement (aurors), etc. It's an edifying concept that they ARE 
expected to have jobs (as discussed in the 'career advice' parts of OOP), not 
just sit around in self-sufficient estates creating stuff for themselves or jerking 
others around by magic.

In addition -- with respect to the notion of magic being evil because it is a way 
of tapping into dark outside forces to amass power --  there seem to be 
definite constraints (either legal or technical) on the use of magic to 
manufacture matter in the world of HP. You can turn something into 
something else (if you're talented) -- but you can't seem to make something of 
nothing, and (most notably) you can't seem to create wealth via magic. For 
instance, Mrs. Weasley can use her wand to cook, get knives to chop 
automatically -- but she & Arthur can't use magic to create galleons, knuts & 
sickles to fill up their bare Gringotts vault, or conjure new books/robes/brooms 
for the kids, and she has to grow a garden, not just conjure (or even 
transfigure) food. If it's a mere "rule" prohibiting the creation of wealth via 
magic, you might say, "OK, the Weasleys are good, they won't break that rule" 
(though Arthur breaks a good number of them, bless him). But even Ludo 
Bagman in GoF can't seem to manufacture real galleons to pay off his 
gambling debt (and he doesn't seem to be the kind who'd mind breaking quite 
a lot of serious rules).

Don't know where I'm going for sure with this, other than it seems to be a 
strong argument against the "arrrrggggh, magic, bad!!!!" objections out there. 
At least it would be a strong argument if you could just get some of the 
arguers to read the darn things instead of railing against them without 
cracking a cover.  (Which I find so disheartening in general as a Christian 
since I, like John Granger and a bunch of other people, find that HP is actually 
pretty edifying literature for a Christian path.... and I really liked that post about 
I Corinthians 13 that was sent here a few days ago, I thought that was 
wonderful stuff.)

urghiggi, Chgo