"HOLLYWOOD — It deals extensively with souls — about keeping them whole and the evil required to split them in two. After one hero falls beyond the veil of life, his whispers are still heard. It starts with the premise that love can save you from death and ends with a proclamation that a sacrifice in the name of love can bring you back from it.I found this linked on my Google News page, otherwise I probably wouldn't have seen it, not generally being a devotee of MTV.
Harry Potter is followed by house-elves and goblins — not disciples — but for the sharp-eyed reader, the biblical parallels are striking. Author J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' books have always, in fact, dealt explicitly with religious themes and questions, but until 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,' they had never quoted any specific religion.
That was the plan from the start, Rowling told reporters during a press conference at the beginning of her Open Book Tour on Monday. It wasn't because she was afraid of inserting religion into a children's story. Rather, she was afraid that introducing religion (specifically Christianity) would give too much away to fans who might then see the parallels."
Rowling felt that giving too much away, too early, would have shown where the series was heading. The emphasis on love and sacrifice should have been a clue, but by the first half of the final book things were starting to fall into place. But the clues were present early on for those who could see them.
I really don't plan to get my theology from Harry Potter, any more than I get my theology from Frodo and Aragorn or the Pevensee children -- but if I re-read the series (and I may) my enjoyment may be enhanced through spotting the foreshadowing in the first six books of the Harry Potter series.
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