(I heartily apologize that this has gone to three comments!)
It is hard not to talk about Christianity - or the misrepresentation/abuse of it - in the Potterverse, because it is there. I certainly understand your not wanting to, however. Most definitely, I do not want to discuss comparative religions.
From my point of view, it's kind of hard not to discuss comparative religious perspectives, once we start discussing the role of faith and religion and values/ethics in the books. I'm not saying we should get into a full-blown course in comparative religion, but I do think it is important to bring out that the concerns about the faith-and-values side of the books (especially DH) are not limited to a strictly "Christian" perspective, but touch on the "universals" which I have mentioned numerous times: ethical concerns in particular, the love of neighbor, or lack thereof, etc.
I also think, in general HP discussion, that we need to be as inclusive as possible of all reader perspectives. When people start talking about the books as "Christian" books, along the lines of the Narnia books being "Christian" books, I start to feel excluded from the faith-and-values discussion that, frankly, I have a strong interest in and feel very strongly that I have a part in. I never thought of the HP books as "Christian" books. Indeed, I always understood that Rowling was writing them to be religiously neutral: that she herself was of Christian faith, and of course drew upon her faith, as she understood it, and the values that (presumably) informed that faith, but that she was not writing overtly religious books a la Lewis. So if anything, I (along with others I know) felt more "betrayed" by the sudden turning of the HP series into an incredibly clumsy (not to mention spiritually and theologically questionable) religious tract.
I hope, Mary, that you are not offended by my free and strong expression of my views, here or elsewhere. I do try to be respectful, even in disagreement, and as much as possible I try to find the common ground as well. For me, differing views are a chance to open up and discuss and understand one another a little better, and I do not consider "argument" (in the civilized sense of the word) to be a bad thing at all, and certainly don't take offense when someone disagrees with me! The goal is to understand, not necessarily to agree on every point.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Christianity and the Potterverse
Date: 2008-08-15 09:56 pm (UTC)It is hard not to talk about Christianity - or the misrepresentation/abuse of it - in the Potterverse, because it is there. I certainly understand your not wanting to, however. Most definitely, I do not want to discuss comparative religions.
From my point of view, it's kind of hard not to discuss comparative religious perspectives, once we start discussing the role of faith and religion and values/ethics in the books. I'm not saying we should get into a full-blown course in comparative religion, but I do think it is important to bring out that the concerns about the faith-and-values side of the books (especially DH) are not limited to a strictly "Christian" perspective, but touch on the "universals" which I have mentioned numerous times: ethical concerns in particular, the love of neighbor, or lack thereof, etc.
I also think, in general HP discussion, that we need to be as inclusive as possible of all reader perspectives. When people start talking about the books as "Christian" books, along the lines of the Narnia books being "Christian" books, I start to feel excluded from the faith-and-values discussion that, frankly, I have a strong interest in and feel very strongly that I have a part in. I never thought of the HP books as "Christian" books. Indeed, I always understood that Rowling was writing them to be religiously neutral: that she herself was of Christian faith, and of course drew upon her faith, as she understood it, and the values that (presumably) informed that faith, but that she was not writing overtly religious books a la Lewis. So if anything, I (along with others I know) felt more "betrayed" by the sudden turning of the HP series into an incredibly clumsy (not to mention spiritually and theologically questionable) religious tract.
I hope, Mary, that you are not offended by my free and strong expression of my views, here or elsewhere. I do try to be respectful, even in disagreement, and as much as possible I try to find the common ground as well. For me, differing views are a chance to open up and discuss and understand one another a little better, and I do not consider "argument" (in the civilized sense of the word) to be a bad thing at all, and certainly don't take offense when someone disagrees with me! The goal is to understand, not necessarily to agree on every point.