God in the WW - Religion and Religious

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 132228

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "zgirnius" <zgirnius at y...> wrote:
> Ffred:
> > I have two theories. The first one is that wizarding folk 
> > relinquished religion very early in history, when they 
> > discovered that their abilities were not divinely given, but 
> > were inherited. The Muggle world continued in the same manner 
> > as our own, and the cross fertilisation accounts for things
> > like Harry having a godfather and the like.
> > 
> > The second one is that religion in the Potterverse doesn't 
> > have a prohibition on magic anyway...


> zgirnius: 
> It seems likely that Muggle religions in the Potterverse were quite 
> similar to historical Christianity as regards magic. I forget which 
> book it is where the summer assignment for History of Magic was to 
> write an essay regarding witch-burning.
> 
> -zgirnius

bboyminn:

I'm not sure if I have anything to contribute other than a side note. 

First, we must make a distinction, both in the real world and the
wizard world, between 'religious' and 'religion'. In this I mean we
must make a distinction between the moral, theological, spritual, and
philisophical aspects of religion, and the petty, frequently corrupt,
often power-mad, always self-serving bureaucracy of religion.

There have been terrible atrocities, perhaps some of the worst in
history, commited by religion in the name of being religious, when in
reality the 'religious' aspect was merely a cover screen for the
wholly corrupt, completely unreligious, self-serving, power-mad ends
of hopelessly flawed human beings acting in the name of religion. We
need only look at the history of the Catholic Church and modern day
Islamic extremist to see the truth in that statement.

Wizards have every reason to reject the corrupt bureaucracy of 'named'
religions, they have every reason to reject those named religions
based on their atrocious action in the past. But that doesn't mean
they have to reject the core values and philosophy of those religions.

There are many people in the real world who reject the corruption, and
the tedious pointlessness and hypocrisy of 'Church' while as the same
time identifing themselves with a named religion, and making their own
personal peace their their own personal God, which, by the way, is
exactly how it is suppost to work. The bible, somewhere in Mathew I
think, says that it is not those who speak the words of God, but those
who live the life of God, who will truly enter the Kingdom.

I really see no conflict between wizards and general religion. Since
in JKR's world, magic is not founded in the calling up of demons and
evil spirit, since it is an innate inherent gift of life, it is not at
all incompatable with any existing religion.

I can easily see wizard, exactly like humans, reject the bureaucracy
that has so horribly persecuted them through out history, while at the
same time embracing the philosophy even to the point of identifying
with specific named religions.

So, in the shortest number of words, I see no incompatability between
JKR's wizard world and religion. 

As far as why we don't see more religion in the books, it's simply not
part of the story. It's no more part of or relavant to the text of
this story than pointless pages of Harry and Ron taking a shower (If
that's what you want, there is plenty of HP Slash fiction out there). 

On a more general level, it really isn't necessary to cram religious
references into every single aspect of our lives. The underlying moral
subtext is there, if your willing and able to see it, then that is
enough. 

It is far better to come to religion by revelation, the true bringer
of wisdom and truth, than by explanation.

For what it's worth.

Steve/bboyminn