Christianity and HP

[Bill and Diana Sowers]

No: HPFGUIDX 112526

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "mizstorge" <lszydlowski at h...> 
wrote:

> Read LoTR lots of times. Found Beowulf, found the historic 
landscape 
> of Great Britain, found Anglo-Saxon ideas of Kingship, found 
Jacobite 
> Rebellions, but NEVER found Christianity per se there. 

And as much as I respect your view here I would say that many others 
would disagree with you.  Tolkien was not only wrapped up in pre-
Christian myths/religions/legends but there have been several 
studies of Christian themes in his books as well.  Tolkien's 
religious background, Roman Catholocism, is rich with it's own 
legends, stories, saints and sinners.  Some of these themes 
supplanted earlier pre-Christian mythic tales.  I would say that 
Tolkien's tales weren't Christian on the surface but many of the 
ideals of that religious belief system are present in his works... a 
product of the author's own devout beliefs.


 
>Later, when I learned Lewis admitted 
> praying to Apollo at Delphi, I realized how Aslan was much more 
like 
> Sol Invictus or Mithras than Jesus.

C.S. Lewis, a classicist and medieval and Renaissance literature 
scholar, had a great respect for pre-Christian religions, notably 
the Greeks and Romans.  Somewhere in his writings he says that many 
of these old religious belief systems had great similarities to 
Christianity... Struggle, death, resurrection (notably present in 
the change of seasons) are themes of many faiths.  In fact there are 
many similarities between the story of Mithras and Jesus.  But I 
have a feeling that Mr Lewis, though smiling, would have told you 
that he was writing about Jesus when he wrote about Aslan.  This 
doesn't mean that you can't interpret the stories however you 
like... no more than those who read Harry Potter and see a Christian 
theme in the books.

 
> if you want validation for your religious beliefs from her [J. K. 
Rowling] books, I 
> don't think she minds as long as your beliefs run in the general 
vein 
> of: love your fellow beings as yourself.

I would agree with you except that I'd use the words, "find a 
reflection of", rather than "want validation for".... sounds a bit 
more positive, no matter what the reader's religious/nonreligious 
beliefs.

Bill Sowers