JKR a Calvinist?Potterverse Destiny

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 121353


Renee wrote:
> In its strictest form, Calvinism does deny free will. But firstly, 
> not all Calvinist churches and theologians adhere to the strictest 
> form of Calvinism. Secondly, even though it has implications for 
> everyday life, the denial of free will pertains to salvation, the 
> state of the soul before God. 
> 
> As long as JKR avoids controversial references to God and Christian 
> doctrine in the HP books, she's pretty safe. Authorial comments such 
> as that about the "innate goodness" of the Trio ought to go down 
> less well with Calvinist theologians, though. It's this kind of 
> remark that makes me think that if JKR is a Calvinist, she can't be 
> a strict one. Which is just as well with me, for otherwise the 
> notion that our choices *show* who we are, would come uncomfortably 
> close to the Calvinist predestination doctrine.  

Carol notes hesitantly:
I'm stepping into territory I don't know much about, so please bear
with me. As I understand it, JKR is a member of the Church of
Scotland, which is Presbyterian (not a branch of the Church of
England, which is of course Anglican). But does Presbyterianism equate
with Calvinism?

A Calvinist, I would think, would not have much tolerance for
Christmas celebrations, but JKR's site had an Advent calendar and the
Christmas decorations were left up for the Twelve Days of Christmas
and taken down at Epiphany as a proper Anglican would have done. (As
an ex-Episcopalian, I took mine down today, too.)

My thinking is that her Presbyterianism leans a bit toward Anglicanism
and away from Calvinism. also she has said that she doesn't believe in
fate, which would also mean that she doesn't accept the doctrine of
predestination.

Please don't hit me with anything for my ignorance here. I know about
the Episcopal and Anglican churches but I know very little about
Calvinism after the seventeenth century.

Can anyone help me out here without being too OT? It's important
because of the question of fate and "innate goodness" vs. free will
and choice in the books. Also I think there's something like a
Christian view of death in OoP and elsewhere, but it's very ambiguous.

Carol, who still believes in Christmas even though all the rest (for
her) is Auld Lang Syne