religion in Harry Potter?

[javasaurus]

Does Harry Potter go to church? They celebrate Halloween and Christmas (not Yule), Harry has a godfather, there is an afterlife, as demonstrated by the existence of Peeves and Nearly-Headless Nick and Moaning Murtle. It has been suggested online that Harry was raised Protestant, Ron is from a large Catholic family (stereotyping?), and that Hermione is Jewish (though she does send Harry a Christmas present). I don't remember if the graveyard scene in Goblet had a cross (movie or book). The Dursleys tell neighbors and relatives that Harry goes to a school called Saint Brutus'.

So I think church and God exist in the world of Harry Potter, but we are seeing the world through Harry's eyes, not an objective lens. If the Dursleys went to church it was to meet societal expectations, not to pray, and they would not have taken Harry, so there was really no religion in the Dursley house. And without a religious upbringing, Harry (and thus the audience) may be oblivious to the religious inclinations of those around him.

Comments

[javasaurus.livejournal.com]

She gives us a world where magic is real, yet Christianity exists (even if only seen at the fringes like "Christmas" and "St. Brutus") -- so this automatically creates questions such as you ask, even if J.K.R. doesn't explicity state them.

As for reconciling the relationship between magic and miracles, why would she need to? To do so would involve explaining how magic works, explaining how miracles work, and then explaining the difference. She cannot do any of these, so she doesn't try, and most people probably don't even notice (or is that your point?)

I'd say this regarding Jesus and wizards -- wizards can't raise the dead, and can't rise from the dead, so there's still a significant difference.