More Movies with Values, Please! Part 2

Definition References

Today's post continues examining movies with value, or what makes a movie a 'good' movie. This understanding of movies with value is aided by an understanding of definitions that the values of a good movie.

What is a good movie? Well, generally speaking, it is opposite of a bad movie. A good movie is one that is not only made with quality, but also contains either moral value or artistic value or both.

Artistic value can be judged based on the following question: Does it look good aesthetically, whether it is an animated movie or because of the direction and cinematography? Does the theme say something honest or truthful about the human condition? Does it have a good reason for existing?

Moral value can be evaluated based on these levels: Can this/ should this be seen by families? Is there a sensible reason for it to be made for adults or teens only? If religious, does it present spiritual truths well? Does the movie uphold natural understanding of what is good, true, and beautiful in the world? If there is a focus on a negative subject, does the positive good overcome in the end?

You may notice that these definitions actually involve questions. By looking at questions, we can discuss and discover answers. Below I pose other questions that people may have to determine whether the movies that they or other people watch carry that same value of a good movie.

Do movies need to be intelligent or ‘thinking pieces’? 

Not every movie has to be a thinking piece to be good. There are just as many boring, complicated arthouse movies as there are high quality dramas. Usually these kind of high-brow, thinking man's movies naturally carry some sort of artistic or moral value to it due to the increased detail and dedication devoted to it. At the same time, simplistic movies can be good without being stupid. There are just as many enjoyable blockbuster popcorn flicks as there are crass, rude comedies. Turning off your brain is not automatically settling for a low brow trashy piece unworthy of the name ‘Movie’. Some movies are just meant to visually entertain or are meant to draw us in emotionally without working our brains too hard. These non-thinker movies should still must contain some sort of artistic or moral quality to it though.

Do movies with value include objectionable content like violence, sexuality, and language? 

There are some people who object to a movie due to violent or thematic content. To an extent, that’s good. Some movies take it too far with blood and guts unnecessarily or provide an absurd amount of realistic sex or drug scenes. There are a few cases, however, where realism requires shocking content. In the case of violence, Saving Private Ryan shows us the horrors of warfare, especially at Normandy beach. I cannot think of an acceptable case for sexuality, where we are shown the physical movements and the nakedness involved in the act of intercourse. Only rarely is nudity acceptable for realism’s sake (a la Schindler’s List). 

Language is slightly more complicated, where depending on the type of movie and characters involved determines how much of it to tolerate. A movie like The Sandlot occasionally has a ‘damn’ or a ‘shit’ said by one of the characters, but the overall product makes that occasional slip of a light coarse word tolerable. Anything with more ‘adult’ language, and especially using mature profanities, blasphemous talk, and derogatory names, should not be tolerated and in fact most movies would be better without that kind of language involved. Sure, realistically people may use obscenities now and again, but scripts can be written in creative ways to express the same feeling or mentality without resorting to using the obscenities. 

Now, if a movie has a moment or two of objectionable content, but overall contains artistic or moral merits, can it still be a good movie with value? Depending on the movie, yes, but we also have to acknowledge these objectionable faults or negative aspects of the movie. In my posts about my favorite movies, I would try to point out reasons why I would caution people to not see my movie choices. For example, I explained that The Big Lebowski contains sexual content, a couple moments of nudity, coarse language, and drug use/ references. Yet, there are shining moments of witty humor, great character acting by John Goodman, Jeff Bridges, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and the ridiculousness of the scenarios makes the movie memorable and quotable.

Shouldn’t movies just be escapist, feel good events? 

I think maybe if you’re a kid or someone suffering trauma and in need of relief, then movies should be limited to light-hearted, feel good entertainment. For others though, I think it puts too many limits or constraints on the value that movies can have in our lives by restricting our viewership to escapism or stuff that only makes us feel good. Movies are meant to entertain, yes, but too much pure entertainment can cause a bread-and-circus kind of environment like professional sports. Movies can help us feel good if we need the occasional pick-me-up, but they can also bring us on an emotional roller coaster and inspire or educate us through perilous, heart breaking journeys. Life is not always feel good, it involves learning, suffering, and growing. Escapism can causes stagnation if overused.

Favorite Movies That Fit Criteria

There are some movies that have been made in the 21st century that still carry the values of morals and arts. Some of them are on my favorite movies list. I will try to briefly explain why I think some of these movies demonstrate good value. I tried to pick ones made since 2000 that were released to the general public (a.k.a wide theatrical release).

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Moral Value: The Harry Potter series has always been concerned with friendship, loyalty, and love, and this movie demonstrates the struggle to maintain these three qualities in the midst of a dark hour. The three lead actors, especially Rupert Grint, give adult performances that realistically live out these traits and the struggles with them. Plus there are a few moments involved where good is about to lose to evil when right at the last minute good is saved.

Artistic Value: The animation involved in the Tale of The Three Brothers.

Hot Fuzz

Artistic Value: Part of the entertainment of this movie is how dramatic it presents itself while still being one of the funniest comedies in this century thus far. This movie is a stealthy parody and it truly understands what it is parodying. Since it is a send-up of the ludicrous action movies of the 90s, all of the loony action scenes and goofy circumstances from those cliche movies are there. Unlike other parody films, like Mel Brooks' style of movie, this movie is able to provide a few winks and nods to what it is teasing while still maintaining a sense of independence in its storytelling and characterization.

The Last Samurai

Moral Value: This movie is a story of forgiveness and redemption. Tom Cruise’s Nathan Algren is haunted by evil violence he inflicted upon a tribe of Native Americans and at first becomes enslaved by alcoholism and lack of care for his life. Then, through the time spent with the samurai village, Algren finds internal peace, asks for forgiveness, and finds value in his life by protecting the lives of those who helped him. His redemption comes from a second chance opportunity. Instead of passively allowing this clan to be massacred, he stands up to fight for the clan, even if it costs his life. In a way, the Emperor Meiji also goes through forgiveness and redemption. At first, driven by a desire for a powerfully modern Japan, the Emperor allows Omura to take over governing powers (in essence), also allowing the samurai communities to be desolated. In the end, after the climactic battle, the Emperor is driven by grief over his former mentor’s death that he stands up for the first time, to drive back Omura’s ambitions and halt the cultural implosion of Japan.

The Prestige

Moral Value: The moral value of this movie comes from watching the downfall of two men driven by revenge and pride. The main characters played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are not necessarily meant to be despised, but they are not to be held up as models of honor and righteousness. Because of the desire to be the best, they are willing to sacrifice people, whether it is Bale with his family or Jackman with himself and his Scarlet Johanssen girlfriend. While the value comes from a negative examination of events, it still has value by showing us how prideful ambition can hurt not only other people but ourselves as well.

The Dark Knight

Artistic Value: The gritty realism of Christopher Nolan’s Gotham City. Before Christopher Nolan took on the Batman movies, Gotham City always had a cartoonish look to it, whether it was Adam West's 60s Batman, the animated series, or the 90s movies of Joel Schumacher. Tim Burton was probably at that point closest to making Gotham City look like a real place, but it still had unrealistic, bloated interpretations of metropolis cities. Christopher Nolan's version of Gotham City looks like a real place, and the characters inhabiting the city look and act like real people.

Moral Value: The battle of chaos-fueled evil Joker vs. rule-abiding good guy Batman. Seeing Batman struggle with trying to stop evil while holding on to the last remains of his ethics shows how dangerous and challenging the fight against evil can be, though the choice to do good in the end wins. Even Harvey Dent, until he went crazy over Rachel, shows confidence and trust in the good of law overcoming the evil of crime, even if he began to use questionable techniques to do good. Overall, this movie shows that while evil appears to be all powerful, the choice to do good is more powerful. 

Master and Commander (The Far Side of the World)

Artistic Value: The artistry comes through with a realistic sense of life on a 19^th century naval ship. There are small cramped spaces inside the ship and there is the vast ocean surrounding it. With the background music establishing the period and tone and the scenes of the ship steering through the vast ocean waters, even the slow times are enjoyable. The action scenes do not go over the top, but continue to add to the realism of the movie. Everyone acts like they belong on a naval ship commanded by the British Empire in the 19th century.

Now

In the year 2015, there were some movies that show that not all is lost, that there are still movies of good moral and artistic value out there.  Movies from 2015 that I saw with these values include Inside Out, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (artistic wise only), Mad Max: Fury Road, Sicario, and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. Movies from 2015 that I have not seen but I have heard show good value include The Martian, The Peanuts Movie, Creed, and Cinderella.

In the end, movies with value rightfully maintain a presence in our consciousness and are worthy of even more attention. What are the movies that we really remember over the years? What movies do we want in our DVD/ Blu-Ray collections? Wouldn’t Netflix be so much better if there weren’t as many duds as there were award winning pieces? Just think of the movies that are listed and remembered from the first 100+ years of film. We only remember and hold on to the good ones and their ‘classic’ standard is something that our modern movies should be held up to.

Christianity in Harry Potter's Wizarding World: The Prisoner of Azkaban Part 1

Heaven & Bless

Let's start at the end. While Dumbledore is talking to Harry, after Lupin leaves Hogwarts, they discuss Professor Trelawney and Dumbledore says "bless her". This is a statement similar to one made by Gilderoy Lockhart in the previous story about one of his admirers. This statement is a way of wishing someone good fortune, someone who may especially need it. Dumbledore knows secret things about Professor Trelawney, and yet knows that she can be a difficult person for the students and staff to get along with, so he makes says "bless her" when Harry brings her up.

Now, there is another common phrase that makes an appearance much earlier in the book. Just before the return to Hogwarts, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are having a debate in the Leaky Cauldron about Harry and Sirius Black. Mrs. Weasley says "for heaven's sake" when talking about Harry.

What does this statement mean as a Christian reference within the context of the wizarding world? Well, as a phrase, it seems to be used as a way of expressing frustration. Mrs. Weasley expresses frustration towards her husband, who wants to reveal secrets about Sirius Black to Harry and her frustration is caused by her desire to protect Harry from horrible knowledge about Black. The phrase itself, outside of any context, may sound like "for the sake of heaven", meaning that the person saying it would be making a statement for the sake of Heaven, the eternal good paradise with God. However, in the context, it seems to follow that Mrs. Weasley is just simply bringing the name of eternal paradise into the conversation as a way to make her frustration known.


God

At the first Care for Magical Creatures lesson, Malfoy says "God, this place is going to the dogs". Later, while talking to Harry and Ron, Hagrid says "Gawd knows". Both of these uses of "God" lightly make use of the name. Malfoy uses the name of "God" in a way to express his frustration while Hagrid uses the same name to express his confusion on a matter. Both usages demonstrate that the wizarding community is incredibly familiar with God, familiar enough to be able to use His name in conversation without anyone being confused about what the wizard means when they say "God".

Godfather

I know this is from the fifth movie and not the third. There's just wasn't a good picture of these two from the latter.

The first time that Harry, and the reader, learns that Sirius Black is Harry's godfather is when he eavesdrops on a conversation in the Three Broomsticks and Minister Cornelius Fudge says "Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry".

I think that brings up several questions concerning the nature of Sirius' role as godfather. Was he made godfather just to kind of be a non-related uncle or a possible future guardian? Like, did James say "Hey, Sirius, just in case my wife and I end up dead, do you wanna be first in line of being Harry's guardian? We'll even call you godfather just to make it official. Our only other option is Lily's sister and her husband, and...we'd rather it be you."? Or is this a religious title? Was Harry baptized and by his baptism Sirius was made godfather, to help raise Harry and bring him up in the faith? What denomination was Harry baptized in?

Next time we hear about Sirius as "godfather" is while Sirius invites Harry to come live with him on their return to Hogwarts castle. This helps us understand that the role of godfather in this context is like the first scenario. Sirius was expected to become something of an uncle to Harry and help raise him up if Harry's parents were ever gone. There does not seem to be any religious responsibility when it comes to being godfather. It just seems to be a man outside of a family to be given a title to connect himself with the family.

Compare that with the Catholic Christian title of "godfather". As a godfather, I also take on the responsibility of helping to raise my godson as if I were an uncle or a guardian (I'm technically a cousin once removed, so I'm not called Uncle Keeler or anything like that). However, I'm also given responsibility to help bring up my godson faithfully and to watch over him spiritually. I am called to model my life in a way that brings my godson closer to God and help him along his faith journey. Sirius Black, in the wizarding world, does not seem to have any of this kind of role in his position as godfather.

Christianity in Harry Potter's Wizarding World: The Chamber of Secrets Part 1

Ottery St. Catchpole

In Chapter 3, after the Weasley brothers rescue Harry from the Dursleys, the readers first come to the Burrow, which is located in a town called Ottery St. Catchpole. This is a town with both a Muggle and a wizard community.

It turns out that Ottery St. Catchpole is a small town based on the real life Ottery St. Mary around Devon, England. That "St." does not stand for Street, but rather it stands for Saint.

I think the name of the town may reinforce a wizard's knowledge of who or what a saint is. For example, out here in my neck of the woods, city names include St. Paul, St. Charles, St. Peters, and St. Louis (among others). These are not just random names of cities, but also names of saints with a history and a past. Citizens of these cities have the knowledge of where the name of their town comes from. In the same way, wizards who live in Ottery St. Catchpole have the knowledge that the town is named after a Catholic person, thereby having access to info about what a saint is and what makes St. Catchpole a saint.  I think it is interesting that J.K. Rowling changed the name of the real town so that instead of a real saint's name, she used a fake name (there is no St. Catchpole in reality, at least not that I could find. Though in Harry Potter's world, St. Catchpole is a real figure).

Devil

In both the movie and the book, Gilderoy Lockhart describes Cornish pixies as "devilish". I think by examining the appearance and behavior of the pixies, we can better understand the wizard's concept of  the devil. At first, the pixies seem small and harmless. It's kind of a way for them to lure wizards into a false sense of security. As soon as the pixies are released, they wreck havoc throughout the classroom. They attack the students, they take Lockhart's wand, and they pick up Neville and hang him up on the ceiling. While the pixies are small, they are vicious.

All of these describe how the devil manipulates us through sins and temptations. He lures us into a false sense of security by making himself or something bad seem small and harmless and then attacks us after we fall for the trap. In this understanding, Lockhart correctly defines the pixies as devilish and by experience the student wizards also understand why the pixies are defined as devilish.

Bless

While Harry helps him answer fan mail, Lockhart is telling the boy about one of his admirers and says "bless her". This phrase kind of reminds me of the little old ladies who say "bless you" to people as a term of endearment. What does bless mean, according the wizarding world then? Most definitions of bless revolve around asking God to bring His grace down upon the person being blessed, but bless can also mean to bestow good upon someone. I think that the latter definition is how the word bless is used in the wizarding world. Though wizards like Lockhart most likely understand the Christian background behind the term, bless is used by wizards as a way of wishing good things upon someone, as this example from the book demonstrates.

Christened 

At the beginning of Chapter 14 "Cornelius Fudge", the book goes over Hagrid's liking for large creatures and, when it comes to the three-headed dog that we encountered in the first book, it says that Hagrid "christened" the dog Fluffy.

This is not an unfamiliar word, Christened. One of the definitions of christen is to give a name to something, as in "I christen you the U.S.S. Enterprise" or "I christen you Fluffy the three headed dog". However, other definitions refer to the receiving of one's Christian name, particularly during baptism. The word itself is derived from the ancient word for Christian. In the wizard world, if one uses the word christened, it is most likely being used according to the first definition, to name something, but with the understanding that Christ is there in the word, thereby linking the word to the Christian world.


This is only half of my findings from The Chamber of Secrets. Look for a continued examination of Christianity links from Harry's second year in the next installment of the series.

Christianity in Harry Potter's Wizarding World: The Sorcerer's Stone Part 2

Souls and Ghosts

-There are two phrases that Harry Potter hears his first day in the wizarding world that can be quickly missed at first. The bartender at the Leaky Cauldron, upon recognizing Harry as the famous Boy Who Lived, says "Good Lord" and "Bless my soul". First, the term "Good Lord". This is usually used as an address for the Christian God or Jesus Christ, which in today's world is used much more often in a lighthearted context. This term recognizes that God is both Good and that He is Lord. Meaning that at least this wizard, the bartender, has an idea of God as a "Good Lord".

Then there is the phrase "Bless my soul". Some definitions of bless include: to make something or someone holy by saying a special prayer, to ask God to take care of something or someone, and to provide someone or something with a desirable good.  Meaning that not only is the use of the word bless a positive statement, but it is also in a way a prayer, which makes it a spiritual statement. This reinforces the idea that there is a spiritual side to the wizarding world that is often quickly glossed over or seen under the surface value.

In this phrase we also are introduced to the concept of a soul in the wizarding world. Wizards throughout this series address the existence of souls (which is manifested in the existence of ghosts). Christians recognize that the soul is the spiritually eternal part of us that lives on even after we physically die on Earth. In the wizarding world, ghosts are proof of the soul.

-As the first year students await to enter the Great Hall, a group of about twenty ghosts enters the room. The ghosts are described as "Pearly-white and slightly transparent". Ghosts make frequent appearances throughout the Harry Potter series and they pretty much match what the modern concept of ghosts is in the terms of looks and abilities. However, we must quickly realize that these ghosts are the living souls of people who died. These are souls that interact with the physically living. Meaning that the wizard understanding of death and the afterlife is connected with the Christian understanding of Heaven (examined in the first post) as well as the soul.

-A major reason why the soul is important to Harry Potter is because of Voldemort. In the hospital after Harry's adventure to rescue the stone, Dumbledore tells Harry "Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort...". The connection between Voldemort and souls comes up throughout the series, but note that Dumbledore clearly speaks about the reality of souls and points out what connected Quirrell's soul and Voldemort's. Both wizards are connected by dark, wicked emotions and that connection leads them towards sinful actions. Speaking of sinful...

Sin

The engraving on the doors to Gringotts Bank begins with the phrase: "Enter, stranger, but take heed of what awaits the sin of greed". We have all probably heard of the seven deadly sins, right, and that one of them is greed? Well, what is sin?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that sin is first and foremost an offense against God and an abuse of the freedom that He gives us. Sin causes damage in one's relationship with God. It goes on to say that sin also damages one's relationship with the Catholic Church, though I think that sin can damage our relationships with all peoples, whether they are part of the Church or not. Sin is an act contrary to reason.

So, in the case of "the sin of greed" and its relation to Gringotts, being greedy could cause someone to try to steal something valuable or powerful. That act of stealing would be contrary to reason (especially with the special security at Gringotts). Greed at Gringotts would damage one's relationship with the people around them, whether it be the people that they steal from or the staff of Gringotts or the staff of Gringotts or anyone directly connected with the thief. And since the wizard's understanding of God, Heaven, and the afterlife has been addressed, acting upon the sin of greed would damage one's relationship with God and probably land them in the same area as Quirrell and Voldemort.

Christmas and Easter

The first of many times that Christmas is mentioned throughout the entire Harry Potter series begins in chapter 12 "The Mirror of Erised". This is the beginning of the Christmas holiday for Hogwarts.

This brings to the surface two interesting connections between the wizard's world and the Christian world. The first connection is the word holiday. In the modern English vernacular, holiday is more defined as vacation, which is how it is applied to Harry's experience in the wizarding world. However, the fact still remains that they use the word holiday. Break that down: holi-day, or rather holy day, as in Christmas-is-a-holy-day, as in "we're on break because we are celebrating a holy day". Christmas isn't the only holiday that the wizards celebrate. The mention of the Easter holidays is in chapter 14 "Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback".

The second connection is the word Christmas, which breaks down to Christ-mas (Christ-Mass). As stated in the first post, the wizards have an awareness of Jesus Christ and now we know that they even set a school break around the time that the Christian people celebrate Christ's birth. However, we never see wizards discussing Jesus Christ and we never see them going to church or even praying for that matter. Yet, they celebrate a holy day anyway, in the fashion of modern times of putting up decorations and giving each other presents on Christmas day.

Saints

While the main trio attempts to catch Snape in the acting of stealing the Sorcerer's Stone, Ron gets frustrated with Hermoine and says "Honestly, Hermoine, you think all teachers are saints or something". Saints can be taken in a couple different ways.

There is the Catholic understanding of saints, which is acknowledging that someone led a holy life of selflessness and charity by helping the poor and the needy and that person has become a part of a special community in Heaven by interceding in miraculous situations on Earth. There is also the more general Christian or worldly concept of saints, in which a saint is defined as a person who is virtuous, benevolent, and overall a good person, meaning that they can do no wrong and are always focused on the good and positive. I think in this case, Ron means to use the word "saints" in the latter understanding. Now, is Severus Snape worthy of being labeled a saint? That's for you to decide.

Now that many things have been defined through The Sorcerer's Stone, it's time to move on to The Chamber of Secrets in the next installment of the series

Christianity in Harry Potter's Wizarding World: The Sorcerer's Stone Part 1

This is the first part in the series of blog posts digging in to the references to Christian ideas and themes within the world of Harry Potter. In order to make things more succinct (i.e. not throw too much info out there at once), I will be breaking up each book into parts.

God and the Devil

-In the movie, Mr. Filch is escorting the main trio Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, along with Malfoy to detention with Hagrid. In 3 separate sentences within a couple of minutes, Mr. Filch says "God". However, he says it in a very casual, slang way each time. "God, I miss the screaming", "Good God, you're not still on about that dragon", and "Oh, for God's sake, man!"

That's a lot of mention about God, which would be pointless or not worth bringing up in a conversation if the wizarding world had no concept or knowledge of God. Through these sentences, we come to understand that God is some part of the wizarding world and that the wizards acknowledge God's existence. Granted, this is most likely a case of using contemporary slang and also, in an intense view, it takes the Lord's name in vain. However, it is important to realize that wizards have knowledge and awareness of God.

-One of the obstacles that the trio faces on their way to the hiding place of the Sorcerer's Stone is a plant provided by Professor Sprout. The plant is called Devil's Snare. I think this gives us a few insights into the wizarding world's understanding of the Devil. Notice I capitalize Devil, which is because it differentiates between the term devil, which can be applied to multiple things in a variety of ways, versus the Devil, which refers to the one singular being that is Lucifer the fallen angel.

First, wizards either know that there is such a thing as the Devil or think that something like the Devil exists. Just as God exists for wizards, so does the Devil. Second, the name of the plant tells us what the wizards think the devil does. The plant is a trick. At first, one thinks that it is soft, comforting vegetation then quickly it begins to wrap itself around you and restrains you. The more one struggles against the plant, the tighter it grips. Just as the devil traps people in sin through seemingly-appealing temptations, the plant ensnares its victims by appearing comforting at first.

Heaven

Early on in the story, we get a little glimpse into the wizarding world's concept of the afterlife. In the very beginning, on the night after Harry Potter becomes the Boy Who Lived, Professor McGonagall meets Professor Dumbledore outside the house of the Dursleys. As Professor McGonagall questions Professor Dumbledore about the true events that occurred at the scene where Voldemort failed to kill Harry, McGonagall says "but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?". At first glimpse, this may just seem like a nonchalant line full of British slang. In fact, a lot of the dialogue in this book seems to be full of modern slang, which is interesting since, as explained in the Introduction, the wizarding world tries its best to shut itself off from the Muggle world.

Anyway, McGonagall mentions heaven. This introduces us to the concept of the wizard's belief in life after death. McGonagall's brief mention of heaven can allow the reader to hypothesize that the wizard community does believe in a good, eternal resting place with God after life on Earth called heaven.

This mention of heaven is different from the mention of the plural form of heavens. For example, when Harry first enters the Great Hall of Hogwarts and looks up to the ceiling, the description states "It was hard to believe that there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall simply didn't open on to the heavens". This mention of heaven, heavens, is closer to the way that the centaurs use the term heavens. This is identifiable with the pagan phrasing of heavens, which is the cosmos, the universe, the stars in the sky that people of Earth look up to see.

B.C.

Now, here is a something that can be quickly overlooked. The sign over Ollivander's Wand Shop in Diagon Alley reads: "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C." That B.C. at the end, as we all know, stands for "Before Christ". Meaning that wizards have some understanding or familiarity with the life of Jesus Christ and organize their timeline according to Christ's life.

Again, this goes back to and connects with the idea that the wizard world is separate from the Muggle world. The wizards could have their own way of telling time, marking days, and forming their own wizard calendars. Instead, they follow the Muggle format of 12 months that include October, December, and May and they mark their timeline based on B.C. and A.D.. They could have months like Gryfember, Merlinuary, and Percelvay, and they could mark their time according to some other major event in their history, but they follow the Muggle format (which was started by Catholic Christians).

At some point in history, Christians interacted with wizards enough to influence the wizarding world's calendar and track of the year. This is a huge influence, meaning that the wizards at some point in the past were greatly connected with the Christian community.

Friars and Monks

-One of the ghosts that everyone first meets at Hogwarts is the ghost known as the Fat Friar, the ghost of Hufflepuff House. In the next installment, I will discuss ghosts and souls, but the identity of this particular ghost is what most interests me. I think the character of the Fat Friar gives the reader some insight into the history of the wizarding world. At some point, wizards came in contact with Christian missionaries like monks. Meaning that the wizards have had direct contact with Christianity at some point in their history. This shows that religious men like friars have reached out to wizards. Now one of them, the Fat Friar, spends his afterlife as a living soul floating around Hogwarts, keeping that connection between wizards and Christians going to the present time.

-One of the potions ingredients that Snape asks Harry about on the first day of class is called monkshood. As in monks hood or monk's hood. While this is not a tremendous find, I think it shows that wizards have been connected with Christians long enough to know what a monk's hood or what a monk with a hood on looks like. Whoever had discovered this particular potion ingredient must have particularly been connected with an order of monks.

The next installment in this series will continue to explore findings from the first book in the Harry Potter series.

Christianity in Harry Potter's Wizarding World: Introduction

I think it was while reading the last Harry Potter book that I began to notice more and more references to Christianity in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. I also remember during my last year of college, running down to a friend's room as he was watching one of the Harry Potter movies (Sorcerer's Stone, I believe). It was a scene around Christmas time and I mentioned the fact that the wizards celebrated the season of Christmas without celebrating the reason for the season (with Christ right there in the name).

Here's the thing. It's explained in the books that the wizards really try to separate their world from the Muggle (non-magic) world as best as they can. That's kind of tricky to do when many wizards and witches at Hogwarts come from Muggle families. However, for the most part, wizards do not really understand Muggle money, transportation, occupations, and other references to the Muggle world because of that separation between the worlds. Yet, somehow the Christian religion and references to Christianity are still a part of the wizarding world, which is why they celebrate holidays like Christmas and Easter or they say things like "heaven" and "soul".

So, since it's summer time and there's supposed to be a lot more free time for fun things like reading and writing, I've decided to begin a sort of research project. The research is actually pretty fun. Read the whole Harry Potter series and watch the movies that go along with them. Along the way, I take notes at references to Christianity. This isn't focused on things like "Harry Potter as the Christ-like figure versus Voldemort the Devil" or "Which characters represent the seven deadly sins", but rather just how the society of wizards references Christianity and what that means for the Christian religion in the wizarding world. I put down these notes on the blog and expand upon them in order to fully grasp the Christian influence on Harry Potter's wizarding world.

Will I be reading too much into most things and probably digging deeper than necessary? Oh yeah, it's most likely that J.K. Rowling did not intend to make as many references to Christianity as I may find. However, if it's there in the books or it's in the movies, meaning it's a part of that world, then I will explore it as best I can. Besides, if people can write fan-fiction, then why can't I write research notes and put them up on here? Also, you may be wondering why I am focused so much on Christianity and not other world religions or just religion in general if I want to find religious influences in Harry Potter. Well, I'm a Catholic-Christian writer, J.K. Rowling is a Christian writer, Britain/ Europe has an extensive history of Christian influence, and seriously there are quotes from the Bible in the last book.

So, look for parts of the series to be posted soon and for new ones to be posted sporadically throughout the rest of this summer.

P.S.-It was super difficult to find a decent picture on Google Images. Most of it was either normal Harry Potter stuff or anti-Harry Potter images from Christian groups deeply opposed to Harry Potter. Why isn't there more good stuff available when one types "Harry Potter Christianity"? Also, last thought, I really hope this can help anti-Harry Potter people find something good or something to like about the series.