Frankl, a psychiatrist who endured horrors in a concentration camp, wrote a powerful book, which I encourage everyone to read, especially an updated one with the section of later presentations at the end. Frankl deals with existential questions of how and why people do or don’t survive cataclysmic events in the context of meaning and faith. It’s a positive existential take.

Kitties don’t search for meaning, they search out warm laps…

The horror of the world wars had a profound impact on the French psyche. The twentieth century opened with great optimism that human reason and science could conquer all problems, and that social progress, prosperity and the continual advancement of civilization were inevitable. The death, destruction, cruelty and utter barbarism that the European continent witnessed twice in that century, and most strikingly duirng the Holocaust, completely shattered that faith in the “modern myth.”

The big existentialist question at that time was, “Where do we go from here? What can we believe in? What must we do?” Unfortunately for France, most of the thinkers who defined that era came to the conclusion that there was no transcendent meaning, and it was up to us to create meaning for ourselves.

But the answer to the great existential question need not be nihilism.
The essential theme of existentialism (yes, I know that’s something of a contradiction in terms!) is that we are defined by the choices we make. This is a problem for Christians only if we make the wrong choices and seek meaning in the wrong places. (Of course, it’s also a problem for Christians who reject the notion of free will.)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a theologian and a hero of the German resistance against Hitler, has been referred to by some as a Christian existentialist because of his emphasis on the importance of choice and right action as the Christian’s response to God’s grace. He himself made the decision to confront directly the evil of Naziism, in spite of doubt and very difficult circumstances. He ultimately gave his life for that cause.

This is the very sort of dilemma faced by Harry at the darkest point of Deathly Hallows. He feels isolated and afraid. He has been abandoned by Ron. His faith in Dumbledore is shaken. He is tempted to abandon the mission given him, and chase instead after the deathly hallows, in an unwise quest for the wrong kind of power. But after the heroic example of Dobby, who sacrificed his life in order to save Harry, Harry makes the decision that he must dedicate himself to the mission given him by Dumbledore, and pursue the right path, regardless of his desires and emotional inclinations.

I recall that Lev Grossman, in his famed essay, “Who Dies in Harry Potter? God,” defines love, the overarching theme of the Harry Potter books, as a “mere human emotion.” But for the Christian existentialist, and for Harry Potter, love is so much more than that. Love is a decision, an act of the will, a commitment to act for the good of others regardless of our emotions. Good thing for the wizarding world that Harry emerges from his existential crisis and made the right choice in the end!

Harry sorrowed in the Godric Hollow graveyard as one who had no hope. Yet, light and Christmas carols from the church brought Harry comfort. I’d give a lot to know the name of the Christmas carol he heard at the church and later coming from the pub that made Harry want to enter it (p. 331).

“The pub was fuller than before. Many voices inside it were now singing the carol that they had heard as they [Harry and Hermione] approached the church. For a moment Harry considered suggesting they take refuge inside it, but before he could say anything, Hermione murmured, “Let’s go this way,” and pulled him down the dark street leading out of the village in the opposite direction from which they entered.” (Wow! What a sentence! Hermione suggests they go another way, down a dark street and opposite which they entered – this is one example of the many fantastic spiritual applications we can make that fills the series!)

Understanding from ‘Seeker’ to one who ‘Knows’ occurred during the burial of Dobby as you put so well.
“Am I meant to know but not to seek? Did you know how hard I’d feel that? Is that why you made it this difficult? So I’d have time to work that out?”
Great thoughts both “terrible and fascinating” came to Harry as well has his desire “working out” in faith and trust to follow Dumbledore and complete the task set before him (Horcruxes not Hallows). A faith and trust deep enough that can say, ‘although he slay me, yet will I trust him.’

I viewed Dumbledore as spiritual head, Father, wise elder Christian or perhaps Harry’s true godfather (in the fullest sense). Dumbledore’s sin, temptation and involvement with Grindelwald give him unique insights into Voldemort’s evil day and history repeating itself. It should be mentioned that Dumbledore didn’t believe as Grindelwald believed. To his credit Dumbledore did stand up to him and defeat him. Dumbledore definitely understood loss and guilt from his experiences of the past; and when I think of Ariana and the summation of all his regrets, Dumbledore indeed was acquainted with sorrow and grief.

I thought the statement on blindness had a poignant spiritual application as Harry heard Aberforth’s pronouncements against his brother almost as Satan would try to thwart a believer’s desire to follow his Master.
“The firelight made the grimy lenses of Aberforth’s glasses momentarily opaque, a bright flat white and Harry remembered the blind eyes of the giant spider Aragog”. (p. 561)

“And his eyes were briefly occluded by the firelight on the lenses of his glasses. They shone white and blind again.” (p. 566)

I sorrowed for Aberforth because he saw Ariana as “gone, gone forever” (p. 567) perhaps not achieving a faith and belief in life after death and seeing loved ones again as Albus had, “Where your treasure is there shall your heart be also.”

In the end Harry gazes at Dumbledore and feels the balm of phoenix song again, the song that is sung when loyalty is declared and associated with his wise mentor (p. 747).

Further, I couldn’t help but be transported into the spiritual realm during the battle scenes in DH, where the physical and spiritual worlds seemed to me to blur. It also occurred, for example, when Bathilda turned into a snake. It made me think a lot about the works of Charles Williams as did That Hideous Strength for others.

Finally, in the room of requirement (p. 633-34) when the trio searched for the tiara, fiendfyre was unleashed by one of Malfoy’s cronies. John, my hair stood on end reading that section. While the enduring enmity between Harry (the Gryffindors) and Malfoy (the Slytherins) caused Ron to shout: “IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I’LL KILL YOU, HARRY.” (Yes, Jesus died for Slytherins, too. I am the door.) And the spiritual and physical worlds blur “as a great flaming chimaera bore down upon them, he and Hermione dragged Goyle onto their broom, and rose, rolling and pitching, into the air once more as Malfoy clambered up behind Harry.

The door, get to the door, the door,” screamed Malfoy in Harry’s ear, and Harry sped up, following Ron, Hermione, and Goyle through the billowing black smoke, hardly able to breathe and all around them the last few objects unburned by the devouring flames were flung into the air, as the creatures of the cursed fire cast them high in celebration: cups and shields, a sparkling necklace, and an old, discolored tiara—

“What are you doing, what are you doing, the door is this way!” screamed Malfoy, but Harry made a hairpin swerve and dived. The diadem seemed to fall in slow motion, turning and glittering as it dropped toward the maw of a yawning serpent, and then he had it, caught it around his wrist—

Harry swerved again as the serpent lunged at him; he soared upward—straight toward the place where, he prayed (and they say Harry doesn’t pray!), the door stood open: Ron, Hermione and Goyle had vanished; Malfoy was screaming and holding Harry so tightly it hurt. Then, through the smoke, Harry saw a rectangular patch on the wall and steered the broom at it, and moments later clean air filled his lungs.”

Wow!

I felt the same things as I was reading Deathly Hallows.

Anyways, your article prompted me to write an article of my own, dealing with my thoughts on the nature of faith as I was reading through Deathly Hallows. And, as someone’s interpretation of a piece of literature often tells you far more about them than it does about the literature, I cordially invite you to hop on over to my blog and learn a little bit about me through hearing my thoughts regarding The Deathly Hallows. But please, don’t leave without reciprocating. I want to know more about you, so please leave comments and tell me what you think! Thanks!

http://iworkinpixels.com/2007/08/23/harry-potter-and-the-nature-of-faith/

I started reading the books right around the same time you did John, the first 3 were out and I attended the release of Goblet. At the time I was just reading them more for entertainment then and didn’t really give thought to a “Deeper meaning”. I knew there were a lot of Christians who were condemning the books because of their “occult” content, but I figured those people had either not read the book or were just “extremists” because I found nothing wrong with the “magic” they were using.

On the other hand it wasn’t until the closing of Half-Blood Prince where Dumbledore is murdered that I started wondering if there was something more to these books then just a fun story. When I read that scene I strongly felt that it was in a way a symbol of Christ dying, the way he was all calm and even nice to the people who were ultimately trying to kill him. But I didn’t really pursue any Christian explanations of the books until after I read DH and found the whole book, especially the ending, to be explicitly Christian. Well that’s when I started searching and I found this wonderful site full of intelligent and mature topics, which unfortunately on the internet is hard to find sometimes.

Back to the topic of Christian content in DH I found this to be interesting:
John said: “Romulus, do you maintain, as you have every time you’ve appeared on our program, that Harry Potter is still alive?“

“I do,“ said Lupin firmly. “There is no doubt at all in my mind that his death would be proclaimed as widely as possible by the Death Eaters if it had happened, because it would strike a deadly blow at the morale of those resisting the new regime. ‘The Boy Who Lived’ remains a symbol of everything for which we are fighting: the triumph of good, the power of innocence, the need to keep resisting.“

Maybe this is JKR’s way of telling people that Jesus is still alive…let me go in depth a little on this thought. Many people have argued whether Christ was just a man who did some good things on the earth or whether Christ was indeed the Messiah. When Christ died, the Bible tells us he was put in a tomb and then 3 days later the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty. After that the people that Jesus appeared to were proclaiming that Jesus is alive!! Bear with me here I am not very good at putting my thoughts into words..If this were not true then why didn’t the governmental and religious officials parade Jesus’ body around in the streets to contradict those “heretics”. And if the disciples stole his body like some believe why would most of them accept persecution, all they had to do was renounce that Jesus was Lord. I mean how many of you would die, so that a lie you told wouldn’t be revealed? Instead we have no accounts of anyone disproving these eyewitness accounts. That’s just something to think about.

Anyways, sorry this post was so long with only one little half-thought out point in it. But lastly I would like to thank all of you at HogPro for your input and thoughts, I feel honored to even post on the same page as some of you lol but I hope to get better as I learn more about literature in general and Harry Potter!

Ben

Grateful John

Best wishes to your daughter. I’m entering my final year at the university next door, and have heard many tales of rat year from VMI friends. Good for her for going for it.

~Nzie

This may not have been a “miracle…from beyond the grave,” but is it not still a miracle that Aberforth would watch out for and aid Harry at Albus’ request, Albus whom he dispised? When Aberforth was convinced LV had “won, it’s over, and anyone who’s pretending different’s kidding themselves”?

Is not the the good, faithful action of a hurt, bitter human heart a more unnatural act than if it had been carried out by an Order member? I find Aberforth, a conflicted, wounded character, worth serious pondering.

And, in the end, Aberforth overcame his lifetime antipathies and walked down that long hallway to participate in the final battle against evil.

The greatest miracles take place within the human heart.

Rumbleroar sends a purr…