Episode #46: The Religion of Harry Potter
There’s no question that there are religious/Christian undertones and themes to the Harry Potter books. In 2000, JK Rowling stated that if she were to divulge her religious beliefs, it would make the ending of the story obvious. Now that we’ve read Book 7, the religious content is clear; not only is Harry’s final battle with Voldemort very much a passion play, there are overarching religious themes to the entire book. What is the character of the religious content of Deathly Hallows in particular, and the Potter series in general? Is JK Rowling preaching or does she have a different intention? In this podcast, we explore the religious themes and try to figure out the religion of Harry Potter.
After you listen to the podast, make sure to read John Granger’s posts on the Christian Content of Deathly Hallows.
Not much news this week, in the mean time, make sure to check out:
- Stephen King’s last word on Harry Potter.
- Two great videos of The Prince’s Tale: one and two.
Don’t forget to get your entries in for the HPProgs Thank You Book to J.K. Rowling. Thank yous are due by September 1st.
You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or download it directly as an mp3.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Greg: Great podcast! You already know that I am a religious believer, so I approach this topic from a different place from you. Currently, millions of people are perusing my religion with great amounts of hate and exclusionary thinking. I believe that Jo is upset about this too. People labeled “Christian” beat homosexuals to death and say that Jesus approves. Immoral “Christians” wait at the border to shoot Mexicans and say that their god condones this. Our commander in chief sends thousands of our children and trillions of dollars to exterminate people who have never attacked us and hides behind his god to do so. Even though we are not in a world war, we are facing severe moral disease in our world today. By looking at people who are different as “others” we become Death Eaters.
When we eat the Eucarist we are Life Eaters, it seems quite appropriate that Jo used “Death Eaters”. If you take the trappings of faith, but don’t live them the Eucarist will condemn you. Did you know that?
August 17th, 2007 at 11:16 am
Thanks, Greg (and your sidekick for today’s podcast, Penny), for another great session.
A thought I had was this: what if we (collectively) are looking for a religious undertone/overtone simply because of all the hullabaloo raised by those “Christians” who are so fervently against all things HP? Is it a way to defend the wizarding world? Maybe?!
Although the idea that HP has Christian themes is a good thing to me, I tend to agree with Penny: HP is a great story of good and love over evil.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:43 am
You should be ashamed not remembering Lawrence Fishburn . . .
As an educated Athiest (that is, I have investigated and participated in many belief systems and while I don’t believe in a diety, I recognise there are common ideas across organised religion), I think the religion of the author and her experience only serves to help her form her story. It provides moral basis in the writting - much like Tolkien. Instead of concentrating on secular divisions, she has chosen to include more universal truths that apply to most all religions. I agree with Penny - I don’t think this is intentionally religious. I think the religion is a natural result of the context of Jo’s personal experience and that experience, spiritual as a part of culture, must be reflected in the story . . .
Religion, it seems to me, informs the story and helps create the culture of the Wizarding World and Hogwarts so grounded in British culture. The spirituality injected enhances and perhaps adds another layer of depth, but I don’t for a second believe JK was writing allegory to Christian beliefs.
Dumblydore is NOT a god/religious authority figure as I see it. Book 7 was about re-positioning Dumblydore as “human”, full of love for Harry and his plight but also full of his own faults. Dumbledore admittedly “uses” Harry but ultimately to help Harry grow - physically, morally and spiritually - and thus equip Harry for the battle that Dumblydore knows eventually must happen. It is the culmination of these experiences and his moral and spiritual growth that equip Harry to defeat the “ultimate evil” of Moldy Voldy and calm his adolescent interior evils of self-doubt, pride and social position and his general sense of “self”. Dumbledore, is an authority figure and a psuedo father figure for Harry filling in the hole where James should have been - although I think Dumbledore being the wiser, was ultimately a more positive influence than perhaps his father would have been for Harry.
Religion, it seems to me provides a semiotic basis which helps the reader identify the moral and written storylines and identify them within a shared experience (parable and stories from the bible, moral dilemma, triumph and resolution echoed across belief systems, etc.). Again, I think it provides context for the character and setting and helps to provide the classic fight of good against evil - it defines what’s good and what is evil, the rules of morality as it were, in the Wizard World Jo has created.
Although the religious inplication is clearly Christian, I will say that by dealing with broader themes that apply across belief systems, it does well in morphing to each reader’s particular belief system. Killing is bad, class-ism and discrimination is bad, greed, power self-adoration and the idea of cheating natural process - death - is bad.
Religion at it’s best provides inspiration, guidance and a basis for equitable social interaction. At it’s worse, it encourages apathy and creates a basis for conflict - us (the believers) vs them (non-believers of whatever particular flavour one subscribes to) and manipulates people (by playing on inate fears and creating/nurturing false fear) for the purpose of control.
Not sure if I will allow myself to dissect the book and try and read too much religion into the book - the nature of any media is that one will consume it from one’s own context of experience. That it resonates so much common morality is a testament to Jo’s writing ability but as with an image, no two people will ever see exactly the same thing.
I’m rambling . . . it’s late here in Tokyo so I’m off to bed. Will see if I can write something a little more formed after some sleep and a think.
August 17th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
I have only a fragment of a thought here, but I guess I’ll see if anyone else has what to say.
I found Greg’s idea that the Muggle world is locked in industrial mundanity interesting, especially since Hermione has been accused of similar mundanity several times. She does often seem sceptical wher Harry shows faith, yet at the same time Hermione is, of course, one of the most magically talented characters in the series. Is magic representitive of an attitde here? Does this result from the fact that Hermione was ostensibly happy with her life in the Muggle world, while Harry’s life was miserable? Am I reading too deeply into things here?
August 17th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
omg greg you totally ruined Narnia for me. =[
but um yeh, i think for sure (i mean you cant deny it) that HP is religious but I dont think authors can really help it now. People write what they know, and people know their own religion. Yes?
August 17th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Perhaps Hogwarts is a metaphor for our internal world as moral beings. We are all muggles and we are all wizards. Harry’s struggles are universal.
I agree with Vince, the religious meaning of the books is universal and not dogmatic to a particular religion. I further agree with Vince that Dumbledore is not a God figure.
August 17th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
About the youtube Snape lifeline video, My Deviant art work was featured in it twice. Also a friend of mine a few more times.
August 17th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Oh boy a hornets nest of a podcast. As I read the comments thus far I am convinced that fear has such a grip on our society that truth has become unimportant. The current politics and news media stories have corrupted our basic common sense to the point of obsurdity. Being a moral christian is in no way a bad thing. I have seen lots of christians at the border not shooting Mexicans but feeding them. Even buring the dead after they were shot by other mexicans or left for dead by smugglers. I have seen homosexuals beaten to death. Not because they were gay but because of some sick sex perverted crime that the victim felt the need to self avenge. I don’t recall this victim quoting any scripture during this process or anyone feeling sorry for the criminal who was beaten to death considering what he had done. All I mean is you can’t label all christians as deatheaters just like you can’t say homosexuals are all immoral criminals or all Mexicans are illegal gang banger druggies. We have let the politions and related news media convince us that we live in a world that in fact has more fiction in it than Harry Potter. Saying that I do see the obsurdity of Laura Mallory but feel that these sort of people are creating contoversy that isn’t there as a cry for attention and religion as a desparate justification for their selfish self centered actions. Great job Greg ! I had my doubts about this episode but you pulled it off quite nicely. Penny needs to stop saying stuff about derailing trains though. Scary.
My take on this is that we are left to make our own choices. Religion of what ever demonination only serves to teach and develope our beliefs. A power not to be taken lightly as wars are fought and lifes are taken for them daily but it is up to the individual to decide between what is right and what is easy. I always thought of the different houses in Hogwarts as being different religous groups of sort. Some get alone some don’t. Some use the old ways as justification for domination of others. Wrong can be excused for the pursuit of the greater good. The sorting Hats song about the houses unifing to save the school/world. A task as hard as religions and peoples unifing for world peace. Could happen. The power is there but it hasn’t has it.
Lastly the muggle world. I like Author Weasleys take on it. Don’t understand it but am amazed and facinated by it!
August 17th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
I haven’t listened to the podcast yet, so I can’t comment on what you discussed yet, but I wanted to ask some questions about what people think of the Stephen King article. I thought King wasn’t as complimentary as he could have been. He seems to be saying that the main reason the Harry Potter books sell so well is that her characters grow up. I think there’s a whole HUGE big pile of better reasons than that. King compares Rowling to several other British authors whom I am not familiar with. I checked Wikipedia, they seem to be mystery/horror writers only — I think Rowling’s work can be compared to a much wider range of genres than that. King seems to think that if it weren’t for RL Stine, Scholastic wouldn’t have taken a chance on the Harry Potter books. Am I missing something here, or are the rest of you a little underwhelmed at King’s review?
August 17th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
Ms. Lovegood - I think Mr. King makes some good points. He has an insiders view of the literary scene and I see his logic about RL Stine opening the door for JK. That in no way diminishes her writing, just underscores the business decisions that drive publishing.
Just as people do with their context of religion, Stephen has chosen examples from his context of writing I think although the genres are not necessarily complimentary. I think he was making comparisons of writing skill and level rather than subject matter. I do think JK was sincere in her plea for secrecy but I can understand Stephen’s cynical view of this. He is correct in that the writing ceased to be for children halfway through the books.
I wouldn’t get too upset about Stephen’s views. He is entirely complimentary to JK as a whole and says so in not so few words. I found his views pretty balanced - we have to be careful not to put JK on too high a pedestal. I don’t think she’d appreciate that as she states pretty clearly in her writing. Part of the “humanisation” of Dumblydore was to take him off the pedestal where Harry and us readers had envisioned him.
We are ALL only Human after all . . .
Aaron - nice points. I think it comes down to perception and the apathy that has gripped the world. People give in to base fears and thus are easily manipulated. As you say “it is up to the individual to decide between what is right and what is easy”. The idea of the houses being different religions is a nice one. They certainly are written to represent different ideaologies and that could certainly be extended to religion.
Michal - nice point about Hermione. Intelligentsia vs Faith. Age-old battle. Tolkein wrote about this in LOR, Jo does it much more subtlety in regards to Hermione, less so with Modly Voldy.
August 17th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Thanks for posting the snape videos. I loved the one with the deviant art. I totally teared up!
August 18th, 2007 at 5:29 am
Want to agree about the posting of the Snape vids, throughly enjoyed them and have gone on to watch a few more. Makes me feel even stronger for Snape now. Just about to go and finish listening to the podcast.
August 18th, 2007 at 8:36 am
I have not, nor will I characterize Christians as death-eaters. I am saying that many self-professed “christians” hide behind that label and behave like death-eaters. It’s insidious and evil. There is a video going around the internet of a “Minuteman” murdering a Mexican as he crosses the boarder. The Minuteman message board is downright scary. It is full of people who say that they are fundementalist Christians but espouse killing or expelling all people who don’t look and believe as they do. This is very “Umbridgian” and I believe the number 1 reason people cringe at the concept of “organized religion”.
The KKK, Hitler, and others claim to be carrying the message of Christ. It is up to real Christians to stand up to these imposters, just like Harry stood up to Umbridge!
August 18th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
I didn’t hear you say any of that Suzanne.
August 18th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
I checked out the minutemen homepage. Didn’t see anything scary just boring political stuff. Noe the punk rock band that was scary. Minutemen seem to be making a difference for the better from what I read. I know here in Houston they arrested the same childmolestor 3 times after he returned from being deported.Finially kept him in one of our jails paid for by our taxes. They could have shot him. I wouldn’t have cared.
August 19th, 2007 at 8:20 am
Minutemen are scary. Extremist groups in general are scary. Of course they’re only going to put positive stuff up on their site. Sorry, but I agree with Suzanne on that one cause’ if you condone their actions then you would have to condone gangs as well. Having lived it in LA, I can tell you gangs have the same mentality and if you’re inside of it, then the perspective is different - you’re watching out for you and your loved ones, defending your hood’ . . . not a lot different than the minuteman, but the logic is flawed because it then comes down to whose “values” are viewed as valid and whose are excluded. The point about hiding/excusing a groups actions behind your “God’s” way seems worse to me than the straight up tribal/commerce model that gangs follow . . . JK in an oblique way addresses all of these points. The lesson has been there, repeated throughout history for a long time, people just can’t seem to learn it unfortunately.
August 19th, 2007 at 9:18 am
As a catholic, I was raised to see God in a specific way. The thing about books like Harry Potter which asks you not to focus on religion but human love, suffering, triumph, ect… it reminds you that religion is the vehical, not the driver. As Vince points out religion is just the basis. It makes it easier for people to follow the point if it has collective rules and understanding. I know it may sound callous but realistically look at the world religions collectivly they share things.
Something about the “death eater” comment bothered me, maybe because I struggle so much with my faith but the idea that Jo would align people without faith so far from people who do would shock me. It seems to simple to split the world into believer and non — can I have a third catagory? thank you!
Any group that takes their agenda and makes it the focus of their lives and attempts to make it the focus of EVERYBODIES lives is scary.Those who perform atrocities in the name of religion, race, gender, sexual orientation and using what they believe is “right” to attempt to control is frightening — JKR I think directly speaks about this with Voldemort and to a lesser extent Grindelwald.
Anyway Greg - very interesting Podcast - it gave me something to think about. My brother is a reader of Harry Potter and is studing at Catholic U in D.C. for his doctorate in Catholic theology. Its people who cannot seperate a story from every day life that have issue with HP. To not have any imagination does not give people enough credit, you have to have faith that people will know its a work of fiction. As a teacher I adore it because it opened a generation to reading — I could care less if children actually wanted to start brewing potions (which I doubt they will) or that they turned it into movies and video games — kids are READING…
August 19th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Oh…gosh. I just watched the first Prince’s Tale video on youtube. I cried. That’s all I have to say here. As I’m unreligious, I have NOTHING to say. On that. No cool thing to say, anyway. Bye.
August 19th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
I guess I am missing something. I don’t see the Minutemen as using God as justification for border security nor do I remember Hitler encouraging any religion. I may be getting old but I thought the Catholic Pope dealt with the nazi’s and facist only to protect the Catholic Church and by dealing I mean agreed to pretty much not speak out against them. Gangs anywhere are pretty nasty but I think have a different agenda than securing a border. Now I have admitted not knowing a whole lot about this issue but living in Texas and having many hispanic friends and coworkers I can’t say I have ever heard of anybody hunting down and killing any border jumpers. I have seen plenty of gang violence though. I do a lot of work along the Mexican Border and have seen a lot of apprehensions but nothing that would suggest mistreatment or violence. A great bunch are caught and handled by hispanic americans hired as agents because of language and communication issues. The Border Patrol doesn’t seem to regard the minutemen as a gang or vigilanties. I just don’t see where that’s coming from.
August 20th, 2007 at 12:02 am
I dont know anything about the minutemen having never heard of them until reading the post on this site — I was commenting on my opinion of people in general who try and sway people all the way in the one direction — that can include religion or anything else..
The Catholic Pope erred greatly in not speaking out against the Nazi regime — they didn’t say anything because they did not want the Italian government (fascist at the time) invading them. In the end it is horrible and they should have said SOMETHING … i completely agree with that..
August 20th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
i’ve subscribed to your podcast since DH came out and have listened to the ‘Philosophy of Harry Potter’ one that was published early on before DH came out. i like the fact you attempt to analyse them as a piece of literature, but there’s one suggestion i have: PEE (Point, Evidence, Explain). It may sound textbookish but it’s just sometimes there aren’t enough examples and I imagine listeners try to relate what you’re saying to a chapter in the books and thus lose track of what’s being said in the process! you make some good points and it’s nice to see an intellectual Potter podcast. if you could take the time to get some quotes though or situations from the books to justify what you’re saying, I think people will have even more faith in them and enjoy them. hope that sounded like a nice piece of positive criticism and not a dig lol
August 20th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
Here in South Texas our Social Service agencies are over run by illegals.. yes I said the I word..they are illegal..here breaking the law. I am all for LEGAL immigration but I am so tired of not having enough to go around for those tax paying veterans who now are on the outs either having mental issues from serving over in Iraq or in other conflicts or are homeless and unable to get any kind of help because we have to spend so much money sending our people back to school to learn Spanish or paying to have papers translated so the people who are here and cant even read a lick of english can waste my time and not be elgible anyways because they dont have social security numbers. I am not afraid to say I am a christian who tries to walk as Christ wants me to .. but in bible times there were laws..and there are laws now.. Its crazy we have to have people come forward and help protect our borders.. Mexico should find a way to keep its people intact.. provide a life that is better.. and today as Dean hits … SHELTERS are being set up in TEXAS.. Free entry to get away from the storm mind you …. and you think they are going to go back to Mexico???????
and what does this have to do with Harry Potter mind you? I dont know .. but someone brought it up and got my attention….I wonder if I joined the minute men group if I could ride a horse or a harley???
I could wear my HP Prog shirt ..
August 21st, 2007 at 1:52 am
I am an Australian catholic, and I really agree with Penny-that the harry potter books are not too preachy but just saying we should be nicer, better people etc. I love harry potter and am quite obsessed with it, i think the idea that love is the greatest power is wonderful. I remember a quote, which is in a movie but may also be in the books (I haven’t read the first ones for a while) saying “there is no good and evil. There is only power, and those too weak to seek it.” well, that is completly true. The power is love, and those too weak to seek it are death eaters and such because they are loveless/afraid of losing loved ones.
August 21st, 2007 at 2:16 am
Sorry guys I still haven’t had a chance to listen to the whole podcast, not being religious the subject is probably well above my knowledge anyway. I agree with Sally above, I don’t see huge religious overtones in the books, the main thing for me is the theme of Love and love overcoming evil. To be honest I am still swimming in Snape goodness, bring on the Snape podcast/s!
August 21st, 2007 at 3:13 am
I do see a lot of religious undertones–especially Christian ones. And I was very pleased with all of it–and I was glad that Rowling said as much in the Dateline interview when someone asked about it.
Yes, of course, the books can be read by anyone and enjoyed on many different levels, but I think one of the important things to remember is that J.K. Rowling has said in many interviews that she is Christian. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that the morality of her books lines up with her Christian beliefs. If her religious beliefs were of some other religion then I would expect the story to reflect those beliefs. Where I’ve had a problem is with people who don’t want to see any religious meaning in the books at all, and then argue when people do see it–I think that misses the richness of the story. It’s as though they are unwilling to acknowledge that they like a story with clear morals and with religious themes because it doesn’t match their own beliefs or lack of beliefs.
Anyway, I found the podcast very interesting, and I’m glad that you devoted a whole topic to the subject.
Sally, that quote (about power being all there is) was in the first book and the first movie. It’s when Harry learns that it’s Quirrell who is trying to steal the Philosopher’s Stone, and that’s what Quirrell tells Harry he learned from his “master”. Rowling set that one up from the start–the conflict of good and evil being related to how we percieve and use power, and carried it right on through on so many levels–especially with how that related to Dumbledore when he learned the peril of seeking power and the responsibility of having power and only using it for good, and not for personal gain or evil.
And Mizz Andy, I too was sooooo happy with Snape’s loyalty and the way Rowling wrote his story, and am looking forward to many interesting discussions there.
Pat
August 21st, 2007 at 8:30 am
Dee - I think that was one of my favorite posts ever..
I could wear my HP Progs shirt — priceless..
August 21st, 2007 at 10:40 am
Greg and Penny,
I just finally listened to this podcast. It was very good. I agree with pretty much all of what you said. I have a whole bunch of comments.
First, I listen to your podcast because of BOTH of you, because of the interaction. Greg, you are obviously very well-read and a deep thinker, but you are both very smart and bring up interesting topics. I don’t find myself thinking, it’s Greg’s podcast and Penny’s there, too; or I want to hear what Penny has to say, oh, and Greg’s there, too. Just wanted to say that, in response to Greg’s comment that everyone listens to hear Penny, which I’m sure he doesn’t believe, but I had to say it anyway.
I have been thinking a lot about this topic of religion. Here’s my take on it: religion, or worldview (in my mind these two overlap quite a bit), help us answer the deep questions of our heart: Does God exist? What happens when we die? What is our purpose in life? things like that. I think Rowling is dealing with a lot of these same topics, though she has pretty much skirted the “God” part until this book. I’m really curious to find out why she’s studiously avoided using the word “God” till this book, and then started using it. I’d really like to know why that is.
In response to Greg asking if Rowling was trying to do something similar to Narnia, or more similar to Tolkein’s incorporation of religious themes in his books, I think it’s somewhere in between. As I see it, I’m a bit more comfortable with Aslan being a Christ figure for a couple of reasons: he’s not human; he’s part of the magical world; and the story’s not told from his point of view. I think Rowling is showing Harry and, to a certain extent, Dumbledore too, as Everyman. Granger’s article on the struggle to believe comes in here as we see Harry struggling to believe in Dumbledore, to believe that Dumbledore’s plan was the right path to follow. But Harry is also, sort of, a type of Christ, in that he sacrifices himself to save the Wizarding World. My understanding is that when someone uses the term “type of Christ” they mean that the person’s story has elements of the story of Jesus and it can be used to point us toward understanding the story of Jesus, if we are so inclined. But either way, we’re still dealing with some major questions everyone asks, and we’re learning that self-sacrifice and love and a lack of prejudice are important. We’re learning that everyone struggles to believe and that struggle doesn’t mean we don’t ultimately make the right choices.
I wanted to make another comment about religious figures. Greg equated Dumbledore with religious figures, and I can see how you could see that. I grew up attending an Episcopal church, which is, if I understand it correctly, very similar to the Anglican church, which I’m sort of assuming is what Jo has experience with. Here’s what I remember: we called the man in charge of the church “Father”. He wore a collar pretty much at all times, and during services he also had other garments that were very different from what those of us sitting in the pews wore. Unlike Catholics, Episcopalian Priests can marry, and most of them do, I think. But they still seem very set apart, in a lot of ways, from the rest of the congregation — the different garments very much make that plain, but I also learned when we planned my mother’s funeral that a lay person can read some passages of scripture in a church service, but only a priest can read the Gospel passages, so there are other differences as well. And there’s all this mystery and ceremony surrounding the Eucharist, or Communion. Contrast all of this with my present church, which is Baptist. We call the guy in charge Pastor. He dresses like everyone else. We have qualifications for leadership, and he has to live up to those, but so do our lay leadership. We don’t have a feeling that he’s somehow different than the rest of us, and that shows, too, in how Communion is served — it’s not a big mystery but simply a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice and our response. I’m just sharing all of this to show how different denominations do things differently, not to really say one way is better or worse. But Jo’s point seems to be that Dumbledore, representing possibly the church leadership, makes mistakes. He’s not perfect, just like I learned as a young adult that the man wearing the collar, Father Whatever his name was, was not perfect, when the church discovered that he’d been having inappropriate relationships with some of the altar boys. But Dumbledore has learned from his mistakes, and that’s what makes him worthy of Harry’s trust. Not his title, or what he wears, but how he’s gone through life and how he’s responded to what’s happened. He’s made choices to try and do what’s right, and he’s turned away from situations when he’s realized he was in error. So, I think she’s trying to say, we need to trust based on the person and not their position, and that putting a collar on a man doesn’t make him unable to sin. I could be reading way too much into it, but that’s what occurred to me when I listened to Greg talk during the podcast.
And all of what I’ve just said leads me to a book recommendation. A series of books. About a man who wears a collar. They are totally unlike the Harry Potter books, except for a couple of interesting similarities: both authors like to include references to food in their books, and both authors do a wonderful job at creating a world and its characters in a very believable and enjoyable fashion, with humor as well as real life with all its other elements. The books are called the Mitford books, by Jan Karon, and they are a series of books about an Episcopal priest who lives and works in a small town — I was always unclear what state it was supposed to be, somewhere in the south, somewhere higher in elevation, not quite mountains maybe but mountainous, in a valley. I’m not very good with Southern geography so I can’t say for sure. The stories are about all of the people in this little town and mostly about Father Tim, the priest, who is just about to turn 60 when the first book opens. Though they are very different from Harry Potter, if you are like me and you pick books to read based on the quality of the writing more so than a specific genre, you might like these books. There’s a religious aspect of these, too, of course, as you’d expect in books about a priest, but they are not in-your-face religious. You can probably find them in your public library.
Sorry to make this post extra long by including that last paragraph, but it sprang to mind while I was listening to the end of the podcast and I thought someone might be interested. This was a very good podcast and I’m looking forward to hearing a lot more analyzing the various plot points of this book. Thanks for the great work!
August 21st, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Mitford books - great. The Harry Potter audio CD’s - I agree with Penny - I love Jim Dale and he does a fab-u-lous job BUT his Hermione - “HARREEEEE!” is a bit much! First time I ever listened to the audio CD’s - now I know what I was missing!
August 22nd, 2007 at 9:38 pm
I got a chance to listen to your podcast yesterday, and I enjoyed hearing your views. To me JKR was not trying to write an “evangelical” book in the, “now that you have read this, you are going to repent and be born again,” sence. As a Christian reading the books, however, it was hard to miss the sybolism of everything that happened after The Prince’s Tale. The fact that so many people are talking, blogging, about the meaning of the Christian Symbols of the book, makes the book a soft evanglical tool, whether she intended it or not. My guess is that she welcomed the conversation, but like most fiction writers wanted to infuse the books with some of her own struggles, which I think is great!
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Thanks so much for putting up the links to the youtube/Snape page. WOW!
As a Christian I would like to say that we can all learn from each other. Calling Christians “Deatheaters” feels very harsh. While you have many radicals out there who think they can do what they want in the Name of Christ, there are also many of us who believe that to have faith that Jesus is the Christ calls us to love our fellow man not matter who they are or where they are at in their lives. Perhaps that is what JKR was trying to portray. So often we are inundated with the images of radicals therefore we miss the true meaning of Jesus so maybe, just maybe, she was trying to get people back to the basics of faith. I always hope that I can show people that there are Christians who don’t bash, don’t judge, and don’t condemn others.
I have loved reading the blogs and listening to the podcasts. Keep up the good work you guys! Live and love large!
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:19 pm
It’d be awesome to have Hogwarts Professor on your podcast. I’ve read his blog before, as well. Some of his ideas I don’t agree with, particularly that the books draw a lot of alchemy. It could be that the topic just goes above my head, though. Whatever, really I don’t care about alchemy
However, I have been reading his blog as I said, and it’s interesting.
Thank you for linking to those videos — they are absolutely amazing. So sad.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
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