Christian motifs but not Christian allegory? (Was: JKR a Calvinist? Potterve

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 121560


this post replaces one deleted. only one line was removed. And I 
didn't know what I was doing. Sorry folks.
So think of this one as really the one before Carol's response. Sort 
of a timeturner event here. ;-p

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "potioncat" <willsonkmom at m...>
wrote:
>
>
> > Carol, not at all willing to read the book as a religious
allegory but wondering how JKR's version of Christianity can be
used to help us interpret the books
>
> Potioncat:
> I looked. Honest I did. I swear, they've moved it. Somewhere
there is a quote from JKR that acknowledges she believes in God (I
can find that) that her church has been an important part of her
life, (I can find that too) but she goes on to say that if she told
us exactly what she believes, it would give the rest of the HP story
> away. (I can't find that part.)
>

Tonks here:
Yes there was a post that was quoting an interview with JKR and she
said something like 'if I told what I believe than the intelligent
reader whether 8 or 80 would know what the books are about.'

Granger in his book "The Hidden Keys to Harry Potter" says that JKR
is an Inkling like Lewis and Tolkien, and I agree. Lewis said "let
sleeping dragons lie", when talking about the writings being made
for the subconscious mind, and slipping past the ego. And so does
JKR in "never tickle a sleeping dragon".

It was clear to me from the first book, that there was something
going on in the writing from a Christian perspective.  There is a 
concept in hypnosis that all you have to do
to put a person into a trance (like the one we are all in) is to
cause an internal search. What I mean by that is this: When JKR
writes about a giant delivering a little baby boy on a flying
motorcycle to the Muggle world while the magi (magi=wizard=
Dumbledore and McGonagall) watch on, she is not telling the
Christmas story as we know it, but close enough to cause an internal
search in our mind. Maybe we don't *get it* on a conscious level,
but the part of us that needs to hear does.

Now my view of what is being taught in the books is somewhat
different from Hans, but both of us see this subconscious connection
and are hoping that the whole world is changed by the message that
is quietly sneaking past the *dragon*. I think that JKR is one of
the greatest gifts we have been given. (One could even say that she
is fulfilling her destiny.) She brings the Christ child alive for
us, but some do not see that yet. And it is OK if they never do, as
long as that deep part of them that needs to hear it does.

Tonks_op