checking out the library book / Love

[davewitley]

Amy Z wrote:

> Surely nunneries do not cease to be instruments of the Catholic 
> Church just because their social function is as much to have a place 
> to stow one's excess daughters as anything else.  

This (and what I have snipped) is true, but I feel Kneasy is right on 
this point that the references to nuns (I think they appear in a 
portrait, too - POA?  Does Sir Cadogan frighten them? Can't remember 
now.), knights, monks and cathedrals don't fulfil any religious 
function in the stories.

Whereas the references to souls do raise questions which are very hard 
to answer without at least considering religious, even theological 
issues.  What is the relationship, for example between the 'soul' that 
is sucked out be a Dementor, and the entities that can be heard 
murmuring through the veil?  In what sense is death 'the next great 
adventure'?  And so on.  One can take an atheistic stance to answering 
them, sure, but IMO it is classic religious territory.

That's not to say that the medieval church references can't or won't 
*turn out* to have deeper significance.  But for the time being my 
money's on them staying as background colour.

David, wondering if by any chance it is R/H that is 'obviously' canon