Harry Potter and Philosophy Essay Five: Heaven, Hell and Harry Potter

I've fallen behind in my reading and I haven't gotten to this one, but those who have, post away and I'll post this evening!

Okay, I'm going to be posting as I read, so each note is going to have it's own post.

It seems like this could be a very controversial essay around here, but I've had a keen interest in the theology of Harry Potter (as I and other people see it) for YEARS and I'm very much looking forward to this essay.

"Is death really a good thing? If we consult the world view that has been dominant for most of western history and culture, including the British culture in which Rowling writes (namely, that of Christianity), the answer is a resounding no!"...Life here in this world, on such a view, is in one sense only a preparation for the life of true happiness and joy that awaits us after death." (66) I really don't understand this at all. Death is not a good thing to people who hold the Christian world view even though death means "true happiness and joy"? Now, sure people who hold this world view believe that death is the consequence of original sin, which is a bad thing, but Wells doesn't mention that at all (if he had, I'd understand his argument a whole lot better). I have way more to say about this, but I don't want to get overly theological here.

"Let us return to Dumbledore's remarks...Recall his claim that "to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure." Does the great wizard believe in life after death after all? If so, his warning is not directed against desiring immortality itself, but rather against seeking to prolong this life indefinitely..." (73) Walls again seems to be contradicting himself. Christians believe in life after death so why does he say that they would say death isn't a good thing (again without mention of Original Sin)? I'm having a difficult time wrapping my head around his arguments.

I liked the thought that people want the wrong things. Unhappy people are unhappy partly because of wanting the wrong things. So if happiness is getting what we want (which I think is a superficial version of happiness), you have to want the right things or you still won't be happy. I thought that was interesting -- I hadn't thought of it that way before.

Bib, I thought the same thing. The Christian view is that death is a good thing for a Christian. To live is suffering, to die is gain. Maybe he meant death for unsaved people? I couldn't figure out what he meant by that either.

I haven't finished this essay yet so I'll be back.

Ack! I'm behind! I'll read this today!

i'm behind too!

Me too! *sobs in shame*

No worries everyone! I backed off on the schedule a bit due to it being crazy busy for me too! I'll post a revised schedule on the old thread.

I didn't feel religion as a topic was really tackled in the Harry Potter books, so it kind of seemed like an out of place essay to me. Morality, yes. Religion, no.