[HPforGrownups] Re: Christianity in HP? (WAS: Dumbledore's Death)

[Rachel Crofut]

No: HPFGUIDX 151080

>Rachel
> > It seems to me that JKR wouldn't use witches and wizards (often 
>associated
> > with being in cohorts with the devil, see the Salem Witchcraft Trials, 
>the
> > term "witchhunts" which refer to looking for the bad people, and many 
>other
> > negative associations) to express Christianity.  Also, I would assume 
>that
> > JKR would respond to the Pope and insist that she was attempting to 
>teach
> > children Christianity, I don't see her allowing the Pope to suggest such
> > things about her series if she was really trying to instill Christian
> > morals.  Rather I see her encouraging children to learn more about the 
>world
> > in which they live and, also, to live morally.  A book doesn't need to 
>teach
> > Christianity to teach morality.
>
>Geoff:
>I speak as a evangelical Christian and my response to your first sentence 
>would be "Why
>not?"
>For many years, I allowed myself to be swayed by members of my church into 
>thinking that
>the HP books were bad without looking for myself <snip>

Rachel:
Precisely.  I'm not saying that ALL (or even most) Christians will be chased 
away by JKR's use of witches and wizards, however you clearly demonstrated 
that there are some Christians who (most likely without even reading the 
books) disagree with its use of magic and therefore regard the books as some 
form of evil incarnate.

Geoff:
>Those who argue along the lines of your first paragraph cannot see - or 
>refuse to see - a
>level playing field. C.S.Lewis and J.R.R.Tolkien were both staunch 
>Christians - Lewis a non-
>conformist and Tolkien a Catholic. Both of them use the concept of witches 
>and wizards in
>thier books which are considered perfectly legitimate reading material for 
>Christians. Lewis
>gives us the White Witch who, like Voldemort, seeks the complete domination 
>of Narnia
>and has progressed a good deal further along the road to this than JKR in 
>her Wizarding
>World while Tolkien gives us at least three wizards (Gandalf, Saruman and 
>Radagast) who
>started on the side of good (white?) although Saruman has been seduced to 
>the side of
>evil. Sauron can in in many ways be compared to Voldemort although in 
>Tolkien's cosmos,
>he is probably far more evil, being a fallen angel comparable to Satan.

Rachel:
I concede on your points that both use witches and wizards to illuminate 
Christian ideals (especially within Lewis' work), however within Narnia the 
White Witch is clearly a representation of evil.  Within the Lord of the 
Rings, although the wizards tend to be in the spotlight (especially in the 
case of Gandalf and Saruman), the hobbits are the characters through which 
the reader is meant to identify with.  Tolkein also expresses a need for 
accepting various cultures (see Legolas and Gimli and their developing 
friendship throughout the trilogy).  The wizards in both cases are used in 
supporting roles and are not the characters that the reader is meant to 
identify with.  Within Harry Potter however, the witches and wizards are 
almost all the reader has to identify with.  I agree that connections can be 
drawn between Sauron and Voldemort, however I do not see Voldemort as being 
a "fallen angel".

Geoff:
>So, is our line of demarcation revealing discrimination which is misplaced?

Rachel:
Quite possibly.  I just want everyone to read and enjoy the books :-).

~ Rachel