Reference to Easter foreshadowing?

[Ricky & LeAnn]

No: HPFGUIDX 173235

I have already made a rather lengthy post on the subject of Christian
references in the last book which point to Harry as the Christ figure, but I
have a few more to add in addition to his refusal to use the killing curse,
offering aid to his enemies, sacrificing himself to save the world from
evil, being resurrected, and those who follow him are protected from
Voldemort's spiritual evil. 

During the time between his first "death" and his return, where did he meet
his mentor/father-figure? King's Cross. Also it seems to me that Wormtail
closely resembles Judas Iscariot, who sold out Jesus' whereabouts for 30
pieces of silver and then died by his own hand. I've already mentioned the
similarity I saw between Jesus and John the Baptist' baptism of him, when
Harry plunged into the lake and Ron pulled him back to the surface. As I
mentioned before, the Potter surname also recalls for me the Christian
reference to, "He is the potter, we are the clay," and the similarity to
Jesus' vocation as a carpenter. 

At first I had trouble with the way the Malfoys seemed to easily slip back
into good graces of the wizarding world after the atrocities committed by
Lucius and family. However, Lucius did serve time in Azkaban for his crimes.
After further thought I realized that for me their story also served to
illustrate that even those who repent at the eleventh hour are forgiven and
accepted by Jesus. 

My husband also pointed out that the first book's title, PS/SS, could also
refer to everlasting life, which of course is one of the basic Christian
tenets for those who follow Jesus. Those who followed Harry could also be
seen as disciples, evoking images for me of Percy the government
official/Matthew the tax collector, Seamus/Doubting Thomas, and
Wormtail/Judas as I already mentioned. Percy also illustrates the parable of
the prodigal son.

I too, live in the Bible Belt of America, but not all Christians are radical
conservatives bent on stamping out Harry. The pastor of our Methodist church
is a Harry fan, and has used quotes from the Potter books in several sermons
to illustrate modern applications of biblical teaching. IMO the strength of
the HP books is that people of all beliefs or non-belief can take something
from each book and reinforce the morals of our own background teachings. The
true magic is that we all can learn things from Harry that will make us
better people if we are willing to apply them.

Anders