Christianity in HP? (WAS: Dumbledore's Death)

[Miles]

No: HPFGUIDX 151095

I don't see any contradiction between "JRK is a Christian, she uses
Christian symbols and transports a Christian message" and "Harry Potter is
universal and its message is as well". It's possible to find at least two
possible synthesises for it.

First synthesis: The message of the book is not theological, it is about
moral. Assuming Rowling's personal moral is based on her Christian faith,
and assuming that she puts her moral into the HP series, the result does not
have to be distinctively Christian. If you just look at Christian rules how
a good person should behave towards other people (love them, be true, don't
bear false witness, etc), you will find very similar rules within most
religions, and only few atheist thinkers would object these rules.

Tonks wrote:
> I was at a HP convention in Canada in 2004 in which someone
> presented a paper entitled "What is a Good Jewish Boy Doing in a
> Place Like This" (paraphrased).  The author made a good case for
> Harry from a Jewish point of view using Jewish symbolism.

Miles now:
Apart from the origin of Jesus' doctrine, it fits into my first synthesis:
If you don't know whether a good person is Jewish or Christian (and we know
that in the HP series there is not a single word about 'formal' religions up
to now) you won't be able to distinguish the good Jew from the good
Christian (or good Buddhist, Asatru.....) only because of his doings.
Christian writer, universal message - it's all the same in the result.

Second synthesis: We do see many Christian symbols and allegories in the
books. This wouldn't be a surprise even with JKR being an atheist - she is a
well-educated European, and Europe is mainly affected by Christianity. So,
if Rowling wanted to use symbols her readers can understand, she had no
chance to find many symbols without Christian meaning. But - in two thousand
years, Christianity adopted  many, many symbols of older religions it
displaced. They got new interpretations (Christmas Tree, Easter eggs, Easter
fires (known in England/US?).....), but they are older than Christianity is.
The basic miracle of Jesus' birth (virgin), death (sacrifice) and
resurrection is not an Christian "invention", the principles are very, very
old and we know them from ancient religions all over the world. So again,
being Christian and being universal, and Christian and universal symbols are
the same or better: can appear identical - thesis and antithesis merge.

Don't misunderstand me: I do think that Rowling's faith is important for
Harry Potter, and for me the truth of Christian faith is not watered-down by
its universal qualities, on the contrary the truth is deepened. But I think
it's important that Harry Potter is for all people, not only for Christians.

> Rachel:
> The new Pope is indeed against the Harry Potter books, though I do
> know he
> does not speak for all Christians, not even all Catholics.

Miles:
There is no official position of the Roman Catholic Church concerning Harry
Potter. If there is any inofficial position, it is mildly positive. See:
http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/home.php?page=docs/pope

> Tonks:
> It seems to me that many
> people appear to be very hostile to the idea that JKR might be using
> Christian ideas and symbols in her work. If she is, what of it?  It
> is not a book FOR Christians. It is a book with symbols from her own
> religion and she is sharing what she believes. I don't think that
> she is doing this to `save the world' or the reader's soul as the
> bible thumpers might do.

Miles
... agrees so far.

> Tonks:
> I think the message as I said before is a
> universal one, but that does not negate the fact that while she uses
> many symbols that are part of the collective unconscious, she is
> also using symbols and ways of putting them together that can not be
> interpreted in any other way then by the Gospels.

Miles
... disagrees here.
I'd be happy if you could point out symbols and combinations that are
"originally" Christian. I doubt very much you can find very much, if any.
As I mentioned, even the core elements of Christianity had been very old two
thousand years ago. Another example: the two main Commandments Jesus gave us
(love God and your neighbour) are a quote from Thora and not genuine.
The elements Christianity consists of aren't genuine but universal, their
combination is unique. But symbols in the Potterverse which can only (!) be
understood as Christian? I doubt it.

> Tonks:
> So what will happen when the series is over and JKR says that the
> model for DD was Jesus?

Miles:
I would say this is blasphemic. The Potterverse is not an allegory, Harry
and Dumbledore are part of our world as well. Either of them as a second
Jesus - get me some holy water, please.

Miles, still having problems with finding the Christian message in LoTR, and
doubting that Pope Benedict would waste his precious time with reading ANY
fiction.