Wands and other things

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 147845

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Karen" <kchuplis at ...> wrote:
>
> 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Geoff Bannister 
> 
> I believe that there is a Christian underpinning of the books
> if you wish to look for it; I realise that not everyone will 
> want to do that but many folk have pointed out - on this group,
> in books and in articles - that, in the behaviour of characters
> such as Dumbledore and Harry himself, many parallels can be 
> drawn with real faith.
> 
> 
> 
>   kchuplis:
> 
> Well, there is certainly a moral underpinning to the books. 
> Morality is not the soul property of Christianity. I think 
> sometimes that's why I get a little impatient with all the 
> need to label the books "alchemical" or "christian".  ...
> 
>

bboyminn:

I'm going to have to support Kchuplis on this issue. I've said many
time before, relating to many aspect of this series, that it tells a
universal tale, and rather than preaching, it lets the story tell the
tale. That tale that is told is one of universal morality; a universal
sense of good and bad, right and wrong. From that universal morality
we see our Christian selves reflected, but not only Christian. I also
think any good Buddhist would see a reflection of themselve in this
story. 

In view of this, I don't think JKR has to tell us a 'Christian' tale.
She simply has to tell us the story of a basically good boy who
struggles against moral uncertainty to do the right thing. That is a
tale that any one of any age and any culture can understand. And that
is why these books have such a univesal popularity. 

To put it another way, this is a moral tale not because Harry does
what is right, but because he struggles, and sometimes fails, in his
flawed human way, to determine what is right. It is not in Harry doing
what is right, but in his struggle to know what is right that every
Harry Potter fan in the worlds many diverse cultures sees his or her self.

In a way that is the best way to tell a story; to make it as universal
as possible. That's why myths and legends from centuries and even
millennia ago are still viable, knows, and enjoyed stories today.

Just passing it along.

Steve/bboyminn