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

[No Limberger]

No: HPFGUIDX 186158

>Carol wrote:
>I can think of no explicitly Buddhist elements--and no reason for them to
be there.
>By the same token, I would not look for explicitly Christian elements in a
book by
>a Buddhist (or, say, a Buddhist who had lost his faith or converted to
Islam).
>That's not to say that shared or universal elements that a Christian could
relate
>to wouldn't appear in that book, but I doubt that they would have been
intentionally
>placed there.

No.Limberger responds:
All world religions share similar concepts (not necessarily the same
concepts between
all religions), but each religion has its own unique concepts.  In none of
my posts
have I denied that JKR is a Christian. In fact, I believe I clearly
acknowledged this fact
in an earlier post.  If not, I am doing so here.  Where I disagree is the
notion that
JKR sat down one day and said, "I'm going to write a set of fantasy novels
based
upon Christianity."  Many Christians have written or created works that have
absolutely
nothing to do with Christianity.  To assume that just because an author is
Christian
automatically implies that all written works are subsequently Christian is
not supported
unless there is a significant amount of Christian material within the works
themselves.

When an individual views an artwork (whether it is a painting, a musical
composition,
a written novel, etc.), the individual's mind automatically identifies
similarities
between the artwork and other memories already present, thus forming
connections
between the artwork and those memories whether those connections are valid
or not.
In other words, perception is as unique as each individual human being is
unique. If
an individual has a strong identification with a particular religion, there
will be a tendency
to identify components of an artwork in terms of that religion.  If another
individual has
studied multiple religions and view the same exact artwork, chances are that
this
individual's mind will find connections between the artwork with multiple
religions.  Does
this imply that one individual's perception is more correct or better than
the other?  No.
It simply states that everyone has their own unique views and perceptions.
Any artist
knows that their work will be viewed in a myriad of different ways when made
public and
is beyond the control of the artist.  In the case of JKR and her artwork
called Harry Potter,
I find no convincing evidence to suggest that this artwork was intended for
a Christian-only
audience.  This is based upon the scant number of direct references to
Christian
beliefs.  Instead, I believe JKR drew upon a myriad of sources to create the
beautiful
piece of art that Harry Potter is.  How any one person chooses to perceive
that art
is entirely up to the individual.


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