[HPforGrownups] Re: The Role of Religion in the Potterverse was Magical Latin

[No Limberger]

No: HPFGUIDX 186153

>Potioncat wrote:
>I've never taken a religion course, so I can't speak to celebrations or
>signs of other religions. But as far as I know, we don't see any
>trappings of any other religion than Christianity in HP.

No.Limberger responds:
Let me illustrate an example.  Two essential elements of Buddhism
are compassion and detachment.  The Buddhist Indian saint
Shantideva wrote the following:

"Whatever joy there is in this world,
All comes from desiring others to be happy;
And whatever suffering there is in this world,
All comes from desiring myself to be happy."
(Reference: http://viewonbuddhism.org/compassion.html.)

This single Buddhist sentence expresses the entire plot
of Harry Potter:  Voldemort, who thinks only of himself (attachment),
spreads suffering in the form of pain, torture, killings and control
for himself to be happy; but the compassionate sacrifice of a
mother for her child (HP) leads to Voldemort's ultimate
destruction from HP and those who place compassion
(self-sacrifice) over attachment to end suffering and bring
joy to all.

Unfamiliarity with other religions does not mean that no other
religion can view elements of its beliefs within Harry Potter.

>Potioncat wrote:
>Over the years many of us have seen evidence of Christian beliefs
>within the HP story--and we know JKR is Christian, and has
>admitted to the influence in her writing.

No.Limberger responds:
>From what I have seen, what influenced JKR most are concepts
that are essentially universal.  Harry Potter evokes Christian
imagery for some, but also Buddhist imagery, Hindu imagery,
ancient Egyptian imagery, etc.  Again, unfamiliarity with other
religions does not mean that no other religion can view
elements of its beliefs within Harry Potter.


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