A great writer. But... Christian?

[fpb]

Joanne K. Rowling and Christianity

Comments

One observation

[johncwright]

As usual, an excellent essay. I have only one comment: sometimes in a scene, a writer portrays, not what his own convictions are, but what matches the mood and atmosphere of the scene. For example, in the scene in Ravenclaw where Minerva answers the ultimate riddle with a paradox that being is nonbeing, this riddling wisdoms sounds, and is meant to sound, to the reader like the riddling wisdom of the Gnostic, like a Zen koan, like all the paradoxes in poems and and fairy tales were wisdom is hidden in something that seems to mean nothing. It is the kind of thing a reader sort of half expects and half recognizes as "secret wisdom" -- especially the secret wisdom wizards are supposed to possess in children's stories

Re: One observation

[mrmandias]

I think this is close to the truth of it.

Re: One observation

[fpb]

I would not say that the "wisdom" questions are silly - unless, of course, you are willing to call Hegelism, much of Hinduism and all of Buddhism silly. The coincidentia oppositorum is an old topic of mysticism. My point is that, in this form, it is not Christian. And that goes along with my other point, that Christianity is first of all a doctrine, a set of views and beliefs. You can disagree with it without being "silly" - although, in my view and yours, you would be wrong. Incidentally, this has something to do with your extraordinary mistreatment of solitary_summer: you are too prone to believe that Christianity is self-evident and opposite viewpoints merely foolish. Beware of rudeness and bigotry.

OK, Two Observations

[johncwright]

Like many authors, her book is wiser than the author who pens it. The needs of drama required, for example, the author to portray the nuclear family as intensely positive, the Weasleys, as traditional, with a housewife doing the cooking and cleaning, and as many children as a Catholic family (if you'll pardon the expression), this in sharp contrast to Harry's orphaned isolation. Family values indeed! The drama allowed no room for normal PC multi-cultist pieties to be announced: so we never saw alternate living arrangements, or Heather's Two Moms

Re: OK, Two Observations

[mrmandias]

The satisfactory culmination of the plot required (so that Ron would be Harry's brother-in-law twice over, and Harry joined to the Weasleys with two bonds) for old-fashioned PERMANENT man-and-wife monogamous matrimony to combine Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny.

Does Hermione have some kind of blood tie or adoption tie to Harry? I don't remember that at all, but my recall isn't great.

Re: OK, Two Observations

[johncwright]

Sorry, no, your memory is correct: I stated it awkwardly. Ron is not only Harry's best friend and brother-in-law, but by marrying Hermione, Harry best friend, Ron becomes Harry's Friend-in-Law, so to speak. When he goes to visit Hermione Weasley, he can visit Hermione and the Weasley clan at the same time. That's all I meant.

[mrmandias]

I think you're too hard on Rowling. I don't just say that because, as a Mormon, I prefer to think that the central message and purpose of the Christ was to establish the truths of creation ex nihilo and immediate post-mortem judgment and resurrection; but because I think that its not necessary for a fictional work to capture a full theological system for it to teach Christian truths and therefore be Christian. In my mind the idea of salvifically dying for one's friends is Christian. That said, I agree with most your particulars, including the vapidity of the Ravenclaw wisdom and Rowling's shrivelled notion of duties to the state.

A few quibbles:

[Faith] is the defining feature of any religious or philosophical identity, from Platonists to Mormons to atheists. Only, Christianity makes it even more evident, by making faith itself into a positive virtue.

Mormons (who I would argue are Christians) teach that faith, hope, and charity are positive virtues.

There is a lot of difference between Purgatory and the doctrine that the soul

[fpb]

I do beg your pardon, and withdraw unreservedly the remarks you refute. When it comes to the views and religions of others, my statements are always "under correction".

[mrmandias]

Thank you so much. I enjoy your writing and, if I may say so without causing you too much discomfort, your character.

[mrmandias]

I don't just say that because, as a Mormon, I prefer to think that the central message and purpose of the Christ was to establish the truths of creation ex nihilo and immediate post-mortem judgment and resurrection

That should be:

I don't just say that because, as a Mormon, I prefer to think that the central message and purpose of the Christ was not to establish the truths of creation ex nihilo and immediate post-mortem judgment and resurrection

[asakiyume]

Perhaps JKR considers herself culturally Christian, but isn't very educated on what it means to make the claim?

What your essay makes me think, regarding her spiritual stance, is that she's someone who's got a sort of jumble-sale collection of beliefs and ideas, connected and logical, maybe, to her in her own head, but not necessarily objectively so.

It's interesting that a lot of the theological underpinnings you find are pre-Christian. I wonder what, if anything, it means, generally speaking...

[fpb]

Christianity ceased to be the religion of the British elite in 1689. From then on, the cultural history of Britain is a rearguard struggle by what was left of Christianity to keep a hold of the country - a struggle which was lost about the time JKR was born. Her cultural heritage is pagan. I may expand on these remarks in a future essay.

[asakiyume]

Why 1689, precisely? Oh wait, I see: because of the overthow of James II and Catholicism?

[fpb]

More than that, because of the arrival of William of Orange and his dreadful crew.

[fpb]

Ma chere, you are probably the closest thing to an absolute genius in my whole f-list - at least since Kenna Hijja is not there - but in this you suffer from the problem that you have never been Christian and know fairly little about it. Above all, your tone rather than your content suggests that you simply missed the point of my opening paragraph - namely, that Christianity and morality are two different things. So are Christianity and "religion". What you call "religion" is certainly present in JKR; it is what I call paganism, and, if you read again, you will find that I approve of it, and only wish JKR had more. It is an attitude of honour and respect for all things that deserve it, natural and supernatural. Christianity, on the other hand, is a doctrine, indeed a philosophy. Some of the finest men in history have not been Christian. Some of the worst scoundrels have been (although I as a Christian would argue that they have misunderstood and misapplied the doctrine). It is my view that the impact of Christianity on a

[mrmandias]

Probably you are right about this. I can't help thinking, though, that there is a sense in which Christ became the Master of Death by embracing it. There is also a sense in the HP books that because HP embraced death it didn't have a hold on him but because Voldemort did resist it did.

[fpb]

My first impulse was to answer in the negative, but you have a really good point there. However, JKR has given a proper magical reason why Harry did not die - though he came to the edge of death: Voldemort himself bore Harry's own protection in himself. All he had managed to do was destroy his own Horcrux. Death itself, as such, is not involved here - but we know that Our Lord defeated death itself.