religion in the WW (wasRe: the missing godparent)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 88339

> > > Carol:
...edited...However, I'm surprised that the WW has godparents at all,
or that they celebrate Christmas, Easter, have monks, and friars ...,
or even .. use such expressions as "My Lord!" and "Bless my 
soul!" ....Christianity in all its variants, ..., is a
Muggle institution,  ...edited...
 
> > bboy_mn:
> (lots of insightful info snipped for brevity) 
> > That would mean that during favorable periods in history, witches 
> and
> > wizard would have been exposed, and indeed converted to the 
> Christian
> > faith. I see no incompatability between the witches and wizards we 
> see
> > in the HP series, and the possibility of Christian faith.
> 
> Ginger:
> 
> To address both bboy_mn and Carol, let's not forget the influence of 
> Muggleborns.  
> 
> I have heard the expression "Oh, my God" from people who deny the 
> existance of a deity.  It is merely an expression common in many 
> cultures.  A Muggleborn attends Hogwarts, uses the expression, and 
> *poof* it catches on.  Anyone remember the "cool" expressions that 
> went around school at that age?  It's like Ron saying "mate" 
> constantly in OoP.  
> 
> Muggleborns may also have come from Christian families (or atheistic 
> families, or Jewish families.....you get the idea).  One doesn't have 
> to leave one's faith behind when changing addresses.  It is entirely 
> possible that, over the centuries, some Wizards have become 
> Christian.  The customs, such as naming Godparents, may have 
> followed, whether the practicing of the faith did or not.  
> 
> For all we know, Lily may have mentioned having Godparents to James, 
> who thought it was a good idea to have someone designated to take 
> Harry should LV get them.  It would have been a wise precaution.  Or 
> Lily may have been a Christian, or of another faith which names 
> Godparents.  Or may have had a friend who was.....The possibilities 
> are endless.
<snip>
> Ginger, who actually used to use the expression "cooby George" cuz it 
> was cool back then.  I still have no idea at all what it meant.

But having godparents isn't comparable to using "cool" expressions.
The word "godparents" has God in it and relates to the ceremony of
baptism (or possibly some similar rite in other religions). If the WW
has kept the secular elements of Christmas (Father Christmas, aka
Santa Claus) and Easter candy but discarded the religious elements
(rather like American department stores), wouldn't they change the
term "godparent" to something else? Notice that they haven't gone
politically correct by bringing in Hanukkah and Kwanzaa or wishing
each other "happy holidays." It looks to me as if the WW reflects
Muggle Britain in, say, the 1970s. I can't tell whether the Christian
elements are wholly secularized or whether witches and wizards marry
in church (or a synagogue, if they're Anthony Goldstein's parents) and
baptize their children. Maybe JKR is trying to show that her WW has
nothing to do with Wicca and is really not all that different from the
mainstream Muggle world (despite outmoded instititions such as
slavery, which existed along with Christianity for hundreds of years).

Carol