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Was Harry Potter Jesus?

Now that some time has passed since the publishing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it looks as if J.K. Rowling is ready to start discussing its contents more openly, without fear of spoilers. The MTV website has posted the highlights of a press conference she held earlier this week in which she discussed the fairly blatant Christian imagery of Deathly Hallows. (There are no spoilers in the passage below, but be warned that there are many in the full article.)

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.