Religion in the Wizarding World. (Was: Re: Halloween Toasts)

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 191391



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "nikkalmati" <puduhepa98 at ...> wrote:
>...
> Note also that Harry was baptized and Sirius was his godfather.
> 
> Nikkalmati
>

bboyminn:

Do you assume Harry was baptized BECAUSE he has a Godfather? Those things are not necessarily tied together. People may or may not baptise their kids, and as a separate issue, and anytime, my choose God Parents for their kids.

In this context, 'God Parents' is simply a generic name for those who will be guardians if something happens to the parents, and is further an issue not at all tied to religion or baptism. 

Further, keep in mind that the UK and EU are both more secular than the USA. The extent of many people's religion is confined to baptism, weddings, and funerals. It is entirely possible that much of the wizard world follows this same secular model. 

Being a witch or wizard doesn't demand that you accept or practice religion, nor does it deny you the right. Further, let's remember that religion is not an organization that hold witches and wizards in high regard, so they are not especially welcome in most Churches. 

Lastly, there is a lot of superstition and misinformation in the muggle world religion, that is pure bunk to the more knowledgeable wizards. They KNOW with certainty that there is an afterlife because they see remnants of it all around them in the form of things like Moaning Myrtle and Nearly Headless Nick. They know of natural powers and abilities far beyond the superstition of muggle religions. 

I'm sure to a wizard, modern religion seems quaint and child-like. But, that does not mean that wizards are incapable of believing in a higher power on their own terms and in their own way. 

Finally, I think JKR intentionally wrote a secular book. She did not want to inject religious bias into the story. She wanted a more spiritual story that did not re-enforce any specific religion, nor does the book deny any specific religion. A Christian, Hindu, or Buddhist can equally read the books, and see the underlying spiritual message. This is not, nor was it intended to be, nor should it be, a book promoting Christian ideology. I think that was a very good and very wise choice. 

Steve/bboyminn