Afterlife in the WW was Re: Baptism/Christianity in HP

[juli17ptf]

No: HPFGUIDX 153434


> 
> > 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.
> 

Julie:
I wouldn't be totally surprised by some Christian allegory
in the HP books, intentionally or not--Dumbledore as Christ,
Snape as Judas, etc. But what I can't see happening is any
actual references to the specific theology or doctrinism
of Christianity. So it may be moot whether HP has some 
allegorical Christian references when it comes to those 
fundamentalists who object to the books. 

Which brings me to a subject that is very unclear and at
the moment certainly not representative of Christian 
beliefs--the Afterlife in the WW, where we've had no
references to God, Christ, angels, the Devil or other 
Christian concepts. 

The WW does have ghosts, or the spirits of those who
have died but feared taking the next step. So they
remain in the physical world, able to communicate (at
least with wizards) but unable to partake of physical
pleasures or pains (no senses of touch, smell, taste,
etc). 

Besides spirits, there are souls--and what exactly is
the difference between the two? Do spirits like Nearly
Headless Nick still have their souls intact? Do those
whose souls have been sucked out by Dementors still have 
their spirits? Are the two tied together, completely 
separate, or one in the same?

For those souls who chose to move on, they go (apparently)
"beyond the veil." Which is where exactly? Is it a metaphor
for heaven? And if it is, then where do the truly evil souls
like those of Voldemort or Bellatrix go? Is there a "hell"
reserved for Voldy and his loyal Death Eaters, or will 
they be somewhere beyond the veil too? 

What does it really mean to have a torn soul? Does it affect
where your soul goes when you die? Or does it just look a 
bit worn and tacky? What of Voldemort's various soul pieces?
Do they still exist after a horcrux is destroyed or are 
they destroyed in the process? If you find a way to destroy 
a Dementor, are the souls it sucked out destroyed too, or
are they freed? Do Inferi also have souls, and would there
be a way to free those souls once Voldemort is destroyed?

Okay, I'm rambling, but the point is we know so little about
the WW concept of souls, spirit and the afterlife. I'm sure
JKR knows more, though perhaps not. I have to wonder if she
will delve into more complete explanations, or will leave
it all speculative and mysterious, as of course it is in the  
real world (i.e., we can never have empirical evidence of
what happens after we die, whatever our belief systems). 
I suspect the latter myself, though if she does elucidate
further, I can't see Jesus, angels, or the Devil involved.

Julie