Baptism/Christianity in HP: was Looking for God in Harry Potter

[leslie41]

No: HPFGUIDX 153414

> Geoff:
> I beg to differ.
> Having looked at the most interesting website you indicated, it 
> would seem that the only places where they are actually called  by 
> the names "godfather" or "godmother" are in the Christian churches.
> 
> Although the Earth-based religions have folk who take on a 
> godparenting rôle, they are not actually called by the title 
> of "godfather" or "godmother".

Leslie41:
Another point:  Rowling herselp specifically cites that Harry was 
christened" (from interview at Edinburgh Book Festival, 2004).

"Harry's christening was very hurried and quiet, just the family and 
James' best friend Sirius."

Er, that seems to me to be a CLEAR indication that it was a 
CHRISTIAN baptism.  Hard to read it otherwise.

> Geoff:
> Speaking as a Christian who happens to have been led into a 
> Baptist church, we do not have godparents per se because we do not 
> baptise children as infants; they are brought to God to be 
> dedicated, rather as Jesus was presented to God in the Temple at 
> Epiphany. Baptism is a sacrament which they choose for themselves 
> as adults. From this, I would surmise that the Potters seems to 
> have followed something similar along the line of the  
> Anglican/Methodist approach.

Leslie41:
Yah.  Obviously they're not Baptists.  I am assuming they're 
Anglicans simply because it's the most prevalent form of 
Christianity in England, but that's just an assumption.