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Churches co-opt Potter's magic
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by ricknight | July 19, 2007 at 02:19 am
1024 views | 70 Recommendations | 8 comments
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Poor Harry Potter.As if battling Voldemort, Death Eaters and Dementors wasn't enough, the boy wizard has also endured the wrath of religious conservatives in the decade since J.K. Rowling's books first found their way into the hearts of young Muggles the world over.
There have been book burnings, book bans and even a declaration by one Catholic Church official last year that Harry Potter is "the devil."
But with Potter fans already lining up ahead of the final book release this Saturday, some Christian denominations are now eschewing condemnation for praise, embracing Ms. Rowling's tales as powerful religious fables for our time.
Leading the Potter parable movement is the Church of England. This Saturday, it will release Mixing it Up with Harry Potter,
a 48-page guidebook that directs religious leaders how to translate
tales from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry into religious
lessons.
That the church is co-opting popular culture to promote its message should come as no surprise. The church is the veritalble "Borg" of cultural assimilation since attaining legal status under Constantine. Christmas is the Roman feast of Saturnalius reformed. The pantheon of Irish Saints were once the Tuathe De Danann - gods of the Irish Celts. The worst cultural hijacking that plagues us still is the dreaded "guitar folk mass", absorbed in the sixties after Vatican II in an effort to be meaningfull to the youth culture of the day.
So Harry will join the vast array of culture tacked on to western religious culture and the spiritual life will march on with a new spring in its step .... who knows, a sainthood for Mr Potter in the next hundred years or so? (remember, you read it here first).
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ricknight
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (8)
at 06:07 on July 19th, 2007
That's the social equivalent of a McDonald's tie-in. Hilariously cheapening for all involved.
at 06:14 on July 19th, 2007
"48-page guidebook that directs religious leaders how to translate tales from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry into religious lessons." --YES, that's what I need to study
at 06:30 on July 19th, 2007
The real question, though, goes beyond co-opting by an existing church, and strays into whether or not the Potter universe will spawn its own religious identity. After all, as of 2001, over 390,000 people in the UK identified themselves religiously as "Jedi".
at 08:34 on July 19th, 2007
I knew this would happen eventually. People can only resist the Potter for so long...
I would, however, like to see you add more of your own insights to this story...a straight-up highlight is not usually your style, sir!
at 11:49 on July 19th, 2007
true.. true...
at 19:08 on July 19th, 2007
And just think of how Voodoo and Santería have adopted those Catholic lithographs of saints and renamed them to fit the personas of their own gods. The Indians of Mexico flog Christian religious statues in times of drought. Good story, ricknight, and obviously an axis for many related thoughts.
at 05:43 on July 23rd, 2007
If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.
I like potter.. can't we all just sing a psalm?
at 05:58 on July 23rd, 2007
I'm sure we can.