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

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 153618

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "a_svirn" <a_svirn at ...> wrote:
>
 > Leslie41:
 > Well, I don't see how it follows that Lily was presumptuous. 

 > a_svirn: 
 > It follows if she saw herself as a second Christ or something. 
 
> > Leslie:
> > Wha?  I don't see how that follows at all.  
 
> a_svirn:
> You don't think that comparing the love you feel for your child 
and the lengths you are prepared to go in order to ensure his or her 
> well-being to the love Christ has for all mankind is somewhat 
> immodest?


Tonks:
Like great authors before her JKR writes on several levels at the 
same time.  You can read the story and stay only in the story if you 
wish, or you can look deep within the story for `the rest of the 
story'.

On the surface we have just a mother who only happens to have the 
name of Lily die a sacrificial death for her son.  If you look 
deeper you will see that perhaps there is a reason the JKR chose the 
name Lily for Harry's mother. And a reason that she tied this to a 
sacrificial death.  And a reason that in interviews she has said 
that Harry represents `every boy'.  If you take those items and put 
them together, then you have Lily (Easter Lily: the symbol of 
Christ) who did not have to die, out of Love for Harry (the symbol 
of Everyman) die to save him. 

Lily in our story is not `presuming to be Christ' she is only a 
mother loving her son.  She is not `presuming anything'.  We are 
looking behind the surface to see the story within a story that the 
author is telling.

As others here have said,  Christians are to strive to become as 
Christ. We do so through self discipline of many types and with the 
aid of the Holy Spirit. We could never become `as Christ' without 
the help of the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus came into the world 
to be the one that could bridge the gap between God and man, that 
man, because of his fallen nature, was unable to do.  After his 
sacrifice, death, resurrection and ascension, Jesus sent the Holy 
Spirit to be with his followers to lead and guide them.  

In the books Lily is a symbol of the sacrificial love of Christ for 
the human race.  But we also have another Christ symbol in the books 
as well. That is DD.  And the Spirit, IMO, will be in the form of 
Fawkes. 

Don't you wonder why in the last chapter of HPB is written the way 
it is?

Scrimgeour said: "but Dumbledore is gone, Harry, He's gone." "He 
will only be gone from the school when none here are loyal to him", 
said Harry, smiling in spite of himself.

"My dear boy... even Dumbledore cannot return from the --" (page 648-
649 US edition)

Sounds like a set up to me.



Tonks_op