Christianity and HP

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 112602

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

Miz Storge:
> 
> I'm tackling the Christianity issue by looking for the 'basic 
bedrock 
> of the Christian faith' described in the Apostle's Creed - belief 
in 
> one God, the Father and creator, Jesus Christ the Son, born of the 
> Virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, risen on the third 
day, 
> coming to judge the living and the dead, the Holy Spirit who spoke 
> through the prophets, etc. If I am correct, these are the minimum 
> things one MUST believe to be a Christian, and these specifics are 
> what I haven't found in HP or LoTR. There may be symbols or 
allusions 
> in each work which may reflect or refer back to these tenents that 
> I'm missing, and if there are, please email me privately to discuss 
> them as I hate to incite the wrath of the House Elves with off-
topic 
> chatter.     
> 
> Agape, loving one's deity and duty to one's neighbor are concepts 
not 
> limited to Christianity or new teachings originated by Jesus or 
Paul, 
> but are facets of many religions from the Greek and Roman Mysteries 
> to Buddhism, Confucianism, Wicca and beyond. I agree, agape can be 
> found in HP and LoTR but IMO aren't enough to label the 
> works 'Christian'.

Geoff:
I repeat again what I said in my last message:
"You may not find Christianity per se in the books in the same way 
that JKR doesn't overtly refer to it."

I have /never/ tried to label the books as just Christian. What I 
have found cause to dispute over time is the idea taken up by some 
posters that there is /nothing/ Christian in the books.

If a writer sets out on a book which is a labour of love, a mirror of 
their own attitude to life, something which may have been started for 
their own enjoyment and pleasure, then I believe that the book will 
contain hints of what they believe in. If they are Christian, there 
will be glimpses, facets of Christian teaching which will be 
recognisable to those of like mind. This has been done by Jo Rowling, 
it was done by JRR Tolkien.

People who do not accept the tenets of Christianity may pooh-pooh the 
ideas or place a different spin on them but I hold to the view that 
such books mirror the writer's own personal point of view and for me 
Harry is a type of a Christian working through life rather 
haphazardly and bumpily but still with the right goals in mind. 

Having also read Steve Lexicon's post (message 112588), I must 
congratulate him on having summed up this so succinctly.

Geoff
See my views of Exmoor and the 
heritage West Somerset Railway at:
http://www.aspectsofexmoor.com