Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman

[Kemper]

No: HPFGUIDX 174734

> Kemper earlier:
>  >She may not be turning Western thought on its head, but she does
>  >challenge.  If Western thought is based in Judeo-Christian beliefs,
>  >then what of the euthanasia presented in HBP?
>
>  Bart:
>  Because your assumption is wrong, or, more properly, your assumption is not entirely right. For, while Western thought is based on Judeo-Christian philosophies (as opposed to beliefs, and even these are sometimes contradictory), it is ALSO based on Greco-Roman philosophies. When everything is going well, there is no conflict, but when things start going wrong, it's like the Chinese Confucianism vs. Taoism.
>
>  A simple example: Greco-Roman ideals require following the law and obeying authority. Judeo-Christian ideals require that if you are required to do something that is morally wrong, then you are not to do it. They combine to form the idea of civil disobedience: You don't do what is morally wrong, but you accept the criminal penalty for it.
>
>  And, sometimes, the authority is out-and-out immoral or illegitimate; the French Underground during WWII is a wonderful example of rejecting Greco-Roman philosophy in favor of the Judeo-Christian philosophy. And, sometimes, it works the other way. John Dickinson, one of the Pennsylvania delegates to the American Continental Congress, was a vociferous opponent to declaring independence from England, feeling that the American's dispute was with Parliament, and not England as a whole. However, once he was voted down, he remained loyal to his native country, personally joining the Pennsylvania Militia, and later the Delaware Militia.
>
>  This is especially important because the Harry Potter stories are very much about a group of young people trying to do the right thing in spite of an authoritarian structure which was at best incompetent and at worst corrupted. The symbol of the Greco-Roman ideal was in Percy, who could not see the incompetence and corruption in the Ministry until it was too late. Sitting squarely in the middle, but not at all in a passive manner, was Arthur, who worked hard to maintain loyalty to both the forces of law and the forces of morality.

Kemper now:
You did a great job of informing me how 'wrong' or at least 'not
right' I was without actually addressing and clearly explaining how
JKR challenges or doesn't challenge Judeo-Christian ideas except to
say that Greco-Roman ideas are also involved are also involved with
Western thought (I agree) and listing the excellent example of Percy
and the less than excellent example of Arthur who was actively working
against the 'forces of law' from inside the law.

jmao
Kemper