God in the WW?

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 132233

> >>Rachael:
> <snip> 
> As well, I would like to add that I have godparents, though       
> neither my parents or I are Christian.  It was just done to       
> specify who would take care of my brother and I if anything       
> happened to my parents.

Betsy Hp:
Harry had more than just a godparent, though.  He had an actual 
christening.  And that would imply a priest or pastor of some sort.  
And it would imply some sort of Christian faith.  Otherwise it 
wouldn't be called a *Christ*-ening.  And, as another poster pointed 
out, the christening occured during a bleak and dangerous time.  So 
it must have had some sort of meaning for Lily and/or James other 
than a chance to have a party and get their names listed in the 
right papers.

But, I don't think this has a *huge* meaning for the books.  I think 
it adds a bit of flavor because it suggests a certain background for 
Harry.  It doesn't turn the books into a religous tale any more than 
Tom Sawyer going to Sunday school turns Mark Twain's book into a 
religious tale.

I would also add that there isn't anything in the magic practised at 
in the Harry Potter universe that really goes against 
Judaic/Christian beliefs.  At least as far as I've seen.  There's no 
calling on other gods, no raising folks from the dead, no 
sacrificing of virgins or anything of that ilk.  In a sense the 
magic is almost scientific with very strong cause and effect laws at 
play.  If you look at the magic practised in the "Buffy the Vampire 
Slayer" universe, where Willow calls on, and makes sacrifices to, 
various gods in order to make use of their powers, the Harry Potter 
books seem quite benign.

[Though, as an aside, Voldemort does seem to verge on breaking some 
pretty serious Judaic/Christian taboos in the graveyard at the end 
of GoF.  But as he's the main villain I think his implied 
blasphemies help add a certain flavor as well.]

It reads pretty obviously to me that several of the characters in 
Harry Potter are Christian to some extent.  However I'd be quite 
surprised if *all* the characters are.  With the amount of diversity 
JKR has given us in the Hogwarts student body I'm sure there are 
Jews and Muslims and Buddhists and atheists and agnostics, etc.  I 
do think most British purebloods are Anglican but that's merely an 
educated guess on my part.

However, I doubt that JKR will give us much more in regards to the 
WW's religous beliefs than she's already given us, because while it 
gives the universe a certain flavor it's not really important to the 
story.  Just as setting the story in England is important to the 
flavor but JKR is probably not going to have characters discussing 
their reactions to Britian joining the EU or their view on fox 
hunts.  It's background information not an important plot point.  

As to the morality of the story, I don't think JKR has set out to 
write a morality play, but I think there *is* a strong moral core to 
the books.  But I think the moral core is pretty universal and I 
think it strikes a chord in people no matter their beliefs.  I think 
that's part of the reason the books are so popular.

Betsy Hp (with warmest thoughts to the British folks on this list)