Universitality of Harry Potter

[Miles]

No: HPFGUIDX 143684

abhikush wrote:
> I was also wondering
> if there are other religions in the wizard world besides Christianity.
> I would like to know the views of others in the group.

Miles:
I think, the answer to this can lead us to a general question. As far as I
remember, there is not a single piece of any specific religion mentioned
(apart from more or less folkloristic items) concerning the entire Harry
Potter series. We can assume, that there is a more or less Christian
background within the British wizard community. But we learn about wizards
in Uganda, Africa in general and all over the world, so we can assume other
religious backgrounds for wizards e.g. in India, Arabia, or Australia.
Rowling does not mention the role of religion in wizards' world, but she
deals with basic ethical questions, which matter in any religion as well as
for atheists, agnostics a.s.o. And in the Potterverse, there is a soul
within every human being, the soul being a nonphysical part of them, which
can exist inside and outside these human beings.The believe in a soul is
part of almost every religion I know, and will meet the agenda of most
possible readers all over the world, at least they all can understand the
general idea from their own cultural and religious surrounding. And as we
know, Harry Potter is popular all over the world.

I do not know whether this undetermined position towards religious aspects
is taken intentionally by Rowling. We could discuss this, there are some
hints in interviews. But the outcome of this position is a big part of the
"mystery" about the world wide success of Harry Potter. You do not need much
religious background to understand the questions which are important in the
story. It is about good and bad, about love and hatred, about to be true or
untruthful, about friendship and care. To understand this, you have to be a
human being - not more.

There are some cultural details that distinct Harry Potter as an English boy
and his sorrounding as British/Irish (the Weasleys are surely from Ireland
;) ). I do frown reading about kidney pie, certainly. And a reader from an
Islamic country or a Jew may be disgusted at people eating pork. But these
details are not decisive for the whole story, they are just folklore. The
core of the story is universal.

There is something else making Harry Potter universal: We see Harry Potter
entering a new world, which is only slightly similar to the world we all
know, and merely on some points connected to it. The wizarding world is new
to us - a reader from India would have to explore it only slightly more than
a reader from Britain to understand it.

When reading about Christian fundamentalists condemn Harry Potter as unholy,
and I bet Islamic or Hindu fundamentalists would join their choir, I just
think: well done, Joanne K. Rowling.

Miles