radio / Snape / childhood magic / obsolete religion?

[pippin_999]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Catlady (Rita Prince 
Winston)" <catlady at w...> wrote:

> 
> Pippin wrote in 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_old_crowd/message/766 :
> 
> << We have hints of an obsolete aristocracy, just as we have 
hints of an obsolete religion--something that used to be 
important in the past but which most people don't consider 
relevant nowadays. >>

Catlady: 
> Hints of an obsolete religion? You mean secular celebrations 
of Christmas and Easter, and Draco making a crack (which 
book?) about St Potter, patron saint of Mudbloods?<

Pippin:
"Saint Potter, the Mudblood's friend" is in CoS chapter 12. But I 
was referring to the Fat Friar, the "group of gloomy nuns" at the 
Deathday Party, and the "couple of monks" who join Sir Cadogan  
for a Christmas party in PoA (ch 7). 

We know now that the ghosts were definitely witches and 
wizards, and from what I understand the portrait process 
wouldn't work on non-magical people either. We also have 
references to religion in the fossilized place names "St. 
Mungo's" (which dates back to at least 1722)  and of course 
"Kings Cross." 

 The Quidditch Pitch for the World Cup is as large as "fifteen 
cathedrals", which neatly suggests how  sports has replaced 
religion as the raison d'etre for public gatherings. It all suggests 
that Christianity was once important to at least some witches 
and wizards, but doesn't seem to be now.

Pippin