Baptism/Christianity in HP/DD and Draco

[leslie41]

No: HPFGUIDX 153427

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Magpie" <belviso at ...> wrote:
>
> > Leslie:
> > Well, I guess my one disagreement there would be that Lily and 
> > James were "nominal" Christians.  "Nominal" Christians do not 
> > make a singular effort to have their infant baptized in 
> > a "hurried affair" with just them and the godfather present. 
> > Obviously Lily and James were under duress, hunted by Voldemort, 
> > etc. Nevertheless they took the time and trouble to see to it 
> > their son was baptized.  Were they "nominal" Christians they 
> > would not have bothered about it, I think.
> 
> Magpie: 
> They might have.  A christening is a family gathering that has 
> meaning  beyond Harry being welcomed into a specific church.  

Leslie41:
Well of course.  It's not really a "parochial" event at all, though 
usually people get baptized at their own church.  It's a welcoming 
into Christ's kingdom.

> Magpie:
> (Some family members have been known to be pressured into 
> christening a child because it will please other family members 
> too--not that I'm saying this is what happened with James and 
> Lily.)  

Leslie41:
I doubt that as well.  I just don't see Lily and James folding in 
the face of social pressure, even if that pressure comes from their 
parents.  

> Magpie:
> More importantly, it seems that Sirius being godfather was a 
> significant role in terms of his looking after Harry. Sirius seems 
> to take the role seriously, but not in the sense that he's got 
> to give Harry religious instruction.  The Christening is very 
> important for plot purposes to give Harry some tie to Sirius, 
> which seems like the important part

Leslie41:
Yes, of course.  But Rowling could have accomplished this by making 
Sirius a relative, or by making him the guardian should they die.  
Much is made, repeatedly, of the fact that he is his godfather.  And 
sure, many people kind of ignore their roles as godparents, but when 
you go back to the actual ceremony of baptism (in the Anglican 
church), the godparent has to renounce the devil, acknowledge Christ 
as savior, etc. etc. etc.

Those who are not Christians are not asked to be godparents, no 
matter how close the tie may be, because they either are not 
baptized, or they cannot claim Christ as savior, or both.    

I'm not saying that there is or will be any sort of explicit 
Christian message at the end of HP, but anyone who's ever been to a 
baptism in the Anglican church knows that it's pretty serious 
stuff.  It's easy to make light of this, but my inclination would be 
*not* to take it so lightly.  In the Anglican Church (as well as in 
the Catholic church) baptism actually confers grace.