225 lines
5.7 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
225 lines
5.7 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
culture
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harry-potter
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8083870
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-----
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# Harry Potter is 'Christ-like' claims theologian
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## They are beloved by millions of children and adults alike, but the Harry
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Potter series has attracted widespread censure from fundamentalist Christians
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who claim the books encourage witchcraft.
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![Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows][1]
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Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Photo: WARNER BROS
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By Auslan Cramb, Scottish Correspondent 1:18PM BST 24 Oct 2010
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[Comments][2]
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The congregation of the Christ Community Church in Alamogordo in southern New
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Mexico even staged a book burning claiming 'behind that innocent face is the
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power of satanic darkness.'
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But now the boy wizard has found an unlikely ally.
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Theologian Rev Dr Stephen Holmes has claimed Harry Potter should be seen as a
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"Christ-like" figure because he promotes Biblical values.
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The Acting head of divinity at St Andrews University, said some religious
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commentators had been hasty in their condemnation of the phenomenally
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successful series.
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He read the books after hearing them denounced as "ungodly" and concluded that
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they contained a very obvious Christian narrative.
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He said: "What do you need to succeed at Hogwarts? Courage, self-sacrifice,
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careful logic and to be unselfish. It's almost a classical list of Christian
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values.
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"The behaviour that is recommended in the Potter books is profoundly
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Christian."
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Dr Holmes said the Biblical inspiration became most apparent in the final
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book, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, the film version of which is due
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to released next month.
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He pointed to the denouement in which the wizard confronts his arch-enemy Lord
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Voldemort for the final time.
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Dr Holmes said: "What happens gives the strong impression that Harry dies,
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discovers an afterlife in a place called King's Cross - a striking reference
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from a Christian perspective - and comes back to life.
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"The effect of his death has been to render impotent the power of evil. That
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is a Christian narrative which is almost impossible not to recognise.
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"JK Rowling is not saying to people 'you ought to be a witch'. She is trying
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to imagine a world in which wizardry and witchcraft are a reality and that is
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an important distinction."
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The author, a regular churchgoer whose daughter Jessica was baptised into the
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Church of Scotland, has previously insisted that her books have no religious
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agenda.
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She said in 2007: "I did not set out to convert anyone to Christianity. I
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wasn't trying to do what CS Lewis (author of the Chronicles of Narnia) did. It
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is perfectly possible to live a very moral life without a belief in God, and I
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think it's perfectly possible to live a life peppered with ill-doing and
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believe in God."
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She has also stated that the books have been "lauded an taken into the pulpit"
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just as much as they have been attacked from a theological point of view.
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[X][3] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][4]
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* Share: [Share][3] [ ][5] [ ][6]
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[Tweet][7]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harry-potter/8083870/Harry-Potter-is-
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Christ-like-claims-theologian.html
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Telegraph
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## [Harry Potter][8]
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* ### [News »][9]
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* ### [UK News »][10]
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* ### [Religion »][11]
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* ### [Books »][12]
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In culture
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[![][13] ][14]
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### [Harry Potter part 2 stills][14]
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[![Harry Potter costume designer accused of copying ALexander McQueen
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dress][15] ][16]
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### [Harry Potter costume designer accused of stealing Alexander McQueen
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design][16]
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[![Daniel Radcliffe, left, Rupert Grint, center, and Emma Watson in a scene
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from 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.': How success cast its spell
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on Harry Potter star][17] ][18]
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### [Harry Potter DVD box set offer][18]
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[![Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 ][19] ][20]
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### [Ralph Fiennes interview - exclusive][20]
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[![][21] ][22]
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### [Harry Potter premiere in pictures ][22]
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[X][3] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][4]
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Share:
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* [ ][3]
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* [ ][5]
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* [ ][6]
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* [Tweet][7]
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* Advertisement
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![][23]
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telegraphuk
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][24] [blog
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comments powered by Disqus][25]
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