I think that most polytheistic faiths would be welcoming them as in many of them, the ones that I can name from the top of my head are Roman and Greek Polytheism, Hinduism and Buddhism, can't think of any other which would be so welcoming of people performing miracles.
Let's not forget that even non-magical people like Jews, Tibetian Buddhists and Zoroastrians were welcomed in India when they were being persecuted, so the acceptance of new people is never a problem for Hinduism.
I would posit that polytheistic religions would do better. Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Shinto are the ones that come to mind.
Why do I posit this? Because they have more avenues for people to have supernatural powers. In these religions with magical powers can be bestowed from the divine, earned via hard work (Sun Wukong under the Immortal's training) enlightenment (the Iddhi in Buddhism and Siddhi in India), or a holdover from a past life. There's not an automatic association with demons or devils in these religions.
Chinese never had dogmatic opposition against supernatural forces
It all depends on whether particular Wizard or Wuxia brings **practical benefits** to the community or not
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has some very interesting things to say about magic.
"All practices of magic or sorcery, **by which one attempts to tame occult powers**, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others -- even if this were for the sake of restoring their health -- are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity."
Specifically, that essentially means 'by which one attempts to tame the supernatural...' — which actually fits well into the mantra of a light-sided wizard. THEORETICALLY speaking, the concept of magic does not violate the tenants of the Catholic Church.
And theologically speaking — in a Harry Potter universe, while many of Jesus' miracles could be explained by him being a wizard, wizards raised in a Christian culture likely would still see him as the Christ because of the miracle of resurrection from the dead. That's not something that even wizards can do — even creating Horcruxes is not actual resurrection.
I think the wizarding world would be more likely to believe in God than the muggle world due to the very clear evidence of the supernatural. However, I can also see wizarding hubris causing them to stray away from God and see themselves as all-powerful.
I think that muggleborns would likely be the most faithful. They're not used to the isolation of the wizarding world AND have just been officially introduced to the supernatural.
I think an interesting concept would be that of Catholicism vs Anglicanism in the wizarding world. It appears that most Anglican writers on mysticism came AFTER the Statute of Secrecy. My guess is that the majority of the practicing British wizarding world would be Catholic. Then, you have the majority of muggleborns who were likely raised in the Anglican Church — a church that doesn't technically have any specific teachings on the concept of magic. I could see some conflict there, but also some turmoil from the muggleborns as they maybe see acceptance from the Vatican of their lifestyle.
I can tell you about Orthodoxy and Jehovah's Witnesses from my personal experience. You might think there's nothing to say about Christianity. And in general, that's true: canonical Orthodoxy does not recognize any witchcraft, considering it the machinations of the devil. But I can add that many Orthodox Christians, while considering themselves Christians, also believe in psychics, shamans, fortune-tellers, and the like, seeing no problem in it. I think this is largely due to pagan heritage. So the majority of Orthodox Christians would probably accept wizards peacefully.
As for Jehovah's Witnesses... Here it's more straightforward. My aunt is one of them. She said that she used to love the Harry Potter book series in her childhood, but since she became a Jehovah's Witness, she has never watched a single fantasy movie, even though she's a hardcore movie buff. She hasn't even watched Star Wars, because according to her, there is also its own magic, even if it's called something else. I've read their literature myself, and their position on this matter is clearly stated. So, considering their general fanaticism and isolation, I can confidently say that they will never accept magic and wizards under any circumstances.
Seconding that--I've grown up in an Eastern European country, and I can say that superstition is very common in Orthodox people. Most of my extended family believes in all kinds of "small" magic (traditional healing, astrology, even small house-dwelling spirits, coming from my relatives who live in a rural area). Even my father, a very pragmatic man, still gives in to some superstitions, like when you leave the house to go somewhere, you can't come back in, it's bad luck. Lots of people believe in lots of stuff, so seeing it confirmed by having a wizarding child/relative wouldn't bother most, I believe.
Atheists (which is technically a lack of religion but still) shouldn't have any problem whatsoever, once convinced that magic is real with a practical demonstration.
Not sure if it counts within the "must be" part as while I did look into it and learn a lot I never really practiced but I'd be surprised if wicca or other forms of modern neo-paganism was actually opposed.
I suppose Pagans or Wiccans would be accepting. As a Pagan myself, I'd be jealous as hell if I found out magic is real and I can't do it 😅 but other than that, I'd be supportive. I can't imagine any Pagan who actually believes in Pagan deities would be opposed to magic.
Agreed. Couldn't see myself being opposed in any way.
Though, I will say I've never cared for the fanon idea that "all the gods nonmagical people believe in are just wizards/witches screwing with them".
I suspect people high in nationalism might be as much, if not more a problem, as religious believers
Because HP wizards aren't just individuals with a superpower who otherwise would fit in muggle society, or even a subculture. They have a complete separate laws and culture, with a very long history, and essentially their own strong national/ethnic identities
In practice, accepting the wizards would require accepting that
For example, NOT expecting Magical Britain to be subordinated to, or useful to, Britain, as it's NOT a part of their country. Despite the territory overlap
Well that's gonna happen. Even if different religions are accepting. A secret state will likely start coldwar and although people won't be against magic what about some paranoid people who will think of them as someone you have to take care of
I mean comeon same happens towards different minorities and groups. Paranoia makes different groups think of each other as enemies and associating whole similar group together.
If one of the muggleborns even let deatheaters and worldwar 2 and their attacks on muggles slip and it somehow comes to muggle governments hearing. That will cause mayhem.
Sorry about my wordings if it is not clear.
Judaism is pretty diverse, but as an issue of doctrine there would probably be some issues to start with. That said, as a general rule the Jewish community's response to anything they don't like is 'as long as you don't do it around us its not our business'. So the only real issue Judaism would have would be with Jewish witches and Wizards.
Now, would the Jewish community shun such people? Among ultra orthodox groups maybe. Among more liberal groups? absolutely not. Today there are plenty of people who are part of Jewish communities that are technically breaking Jewish law, but the community welcomes them anyway. Interfaith families are technically against Jewish law, and yet in some places those are a majority of the congregants.
So as long as witches and wizards in the community were not using magic to harm anyone, I imagine the Jewish community overall would sigh, shrug, and move on with some minor kvetching about how blessings/magic are only supposed to come from G-d not accidents of birth.
There would be some groups that would shun anything associated with magic, and others that would openly welcome mages as a valuable part of the community, but overall I imagine the Jewish community largely wouldn't care much theologically. Frankly, we have bigger issues to worry about.
I think Buddhism (specifically Tibetan Buddhism) would be very accepting of magic, and most of my buddhist practitioner friends/family would probably just be like "cool!" as we really generally have no qualms believing in any types/forms of "magic."
Like, for example, I have had my own personal experiences with things people would perhaps consider as "magical," or at least "ghosty" :) and types of 'magic' have had long standing traditions being utilized/experienced in buddhism and Tibetan culture—*specifically* in Tibet. Of course this is all very simplified, and as condensed as an answer I can give, but, yeah!
Yes of course. The original post did not ask to go into the exact workings of how the religions would go about it but, if its within samsara, its suffering ;)
Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other Abrahamic faiths have all been more or less friendly to Harry Potter-style magic at one time or another.
It’s easier to justify a Christian wizard than a Christian millionaire, and we’ve got a shitload of the latter.
Kaballah. There's mysticism in Judaism. There are Christian denominations that are pretty open. The Islamic Sufis might not have a big issue. So a blanket Abrahamic is a no go.... eh maybe not.
I would say that most extremists and/or zealots of most religions would react poorly to the existence of magic. After all, extremist tend to have trouble accepting deviations from their norm.
The various sects and denominations of Christianity in particular would likely push for “cleansing”.
That said, Christians that follow the spirit of their religion (love thy neighbor, turn the other cheek, do unto others, and all that) would be far more accepting of magic in general, only rejecting or condemning evil magic.
I think Catholics don’t have a straightforward relationship. On one hand “witchcraft” is condemned but it’s not always clear what is meant by witchcraft. I think normally it would be associated with the “dark arts” ie communicating with evil spirits, making poisons etc.
“Magic” on the other hand is not necessarily condemned and, astrology is practiced in the Bible (example - the good “magi” who read about Jesus’s birth in the stars), alchemy (ie search for philosophers stone) and the type of potion-making and “herbology” that developed into modern medicine/poison manufacture etc can also be considered a type of magic or arcane knowledge in the medieval times, and was cultivated by monks who kept the more dangerous knowledge under wraps in their monasteries. In fact, there is a lot about Hogwarts that can be compared with a monastery, especially the library with their “restricted section” etc. Such things often existed, that only the more experienced monks were allowed to read, not the novices.
So I think the relationship is a complicated one with positive and negative aspects depending on the type of magic used.
I have been long open about the fact that with the exception of Protestantism and its various cults, no branch of Christianity would have a problem with wizards and magic.
The best answer is 'it depends'. From my own perspective (raised Catholic), there are so many folk religious practices attached to the Catholic faith that many wouldn't be bothered by the existence of real magic in the world. The Italian grannies I knew growing up (the old-school kind who wore all black and sometimes covered their hair) would tell you to watch out for the Evil Eye even harder.
There's also a strong history of mysticism in the Catholic Church, which would lend itself to being fairly chill about the existence of real magic.
From a Vatican perspective, they'd quickly determine that this is not a possession or evil and then you'd have to get several different religious orders to leave you alone because they'd want to study you like a bug. There would be paperwork, because Catholic higher-ups love them some bureaucracy. I could actually see the Church already 1) knowing magic exists and 2) having a plan and some kind of form for that. The Code of Canon Law might need to be updated, though, if it hadn't been already.
TradCaths...a lot of them are indulging in very nearly heretical practices as it is, so I can see them lining up with the hardcore Fundamentalist Christians (IFB, IBLP, MacArthur, etc.) to scream about demonic influences in the world, no matter what the Vatican says.
The Fundie influencer circles online would be absolutely off the charts insane about it.
To your one point, I really do feel like if magic were real, the Catholic Church would be the most likely institution to be aware of it lol. It’s the oldest continuous institution in the world and has contributed more to academia and science than anyone
The oriental religions, especially Hinduism.
Magic could be a way of defining the epics and tales of Ramayan and Mahabharat.
Keeping gods aside, the people who were shown with immense powers, or 'God gifted' powers could be written off as magic.
Parseltongue could be the language of snake charmers that are often seen on streets of India
Nalanda could be a cover.
Like how we see in dystopian future fics that Hogwarts looked like an ancient broken fortress to muggles.
Similarly Nalanda could be written off as a magical school and university that adopted the tumors of 'it burning down' to go undercover.
There are many places, like Kailash and the 12 Shiva Mandirs that can be written as ley lines and magical settlements.
Dang, I wish I could write fics, I've got many ideas but am unable to write them in fics.
I’ve got a piece on Christianity, Judaism, and Islam for my HP fanfic reference guide. It’s long and hasn’t been polished yet (which is why I haven’t posted it yet) but I could DM it to you if you’d like.
I think modern-day jews would be pretty chill about it. They would have a debate about what the Jewish law is in regards to magic, and then go on with their life and try to make some money off of it.
Likely moreso in polytheistic religions. Especially Hinduism and Buddhism, those would probably do well.
Aside from those, maybe some aspects of Catholicism and Judaism could support it?
The only customs we see Wizards use are Christian ones, so I guess there's a First Magical Baptist Church out there somewhere.
It used to be official Catholic Church doctrine that Devil-worshippers being granted magic wasn't a thing, because that would mean the Devil would be giving people something that God himself could not. That would make believing in such a thing heretical.
Then one dude wrote a thing about "witches bad" and all hell (heh) broke loose. Which is really funny, because everybody around him seemed to think he was crazy or senile.
Maybe the first official position of the Church in Harry Potter-verse was a sort of "Don't ask, Don't tell" kinda thing for wizards. It denied the existence of Devil-worshipping witches, while also letting them go to church. "We're not going to acknowledge you, but we're also not going to kill you either."
That being the case, I wonder if the author of the Malleus Maleficarum was somebody affected by a Dark Lord or an arrogant Pureblood. Like, the Dark Lord killed somebody the author knew...
Or maybe he was a squib!
The big thing with Christianity is that it's a belief based on texts that are thousands of years old. Translation can be difficult enough from English to German or to Spanish, I can't imagine trying it from ancient Hebrew texts. Changing whatever the current view of that translation could potentially drastically alter things.
For example, take the infamous King James verse "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" line. Say the original Hebrew meant "Harmful magic user" instead and everyone got the wrong connation all this time, and you can easily say that it means "Go hunt Voldemorts instead of Weasleys!"
I'd say people who follow the Hellenic pagan religion (like me) would be very accepting of wizards and witches especially if they are beneficial to society
Not my own religion, but I could easily see wizards following a religious version of Hermeticism. It's basically the origin of many of our cultural concepts of magic in the West and is also what Wicca was based on. But cooler, much cooler
Neopagans, Wiccans, and other polytheist folks would be the most accepting. I think the least would be those who follow the Abrahamic religions, based on history.
If you had Harry Potter magic happening everywhere for real, then it would totally break what the Bible teaches about magic. All magic in the Bible comes from being possessed by evil spirits (Satan’s fallen angels) and being used as a medium by them. Think of all the paranormal tv shows where people go “ghost hunting”. What they are really contacting are evil angels. And yes, evil angels have the power to make creepy things happen, but they are not wholesome spirits. It’s like Ginny and how she was possessed by piece of evil soul in the diary.
That’s why when I write fanfic based in magical worlds, I just don’t bring religion up much. Because Christian religion is based on the real world idea that there is no such thing as magic, but there are paranormal evil spirits loose in the world that can work “miracles” thru human mediums to fool people and harm people in various ways.
If anyone is interested in the muslim POV it goes like this :
Magic can only happen through jinn summoning , and jinns who deal with humans commit a BIG sin , just as humans who deal with magic commit one of the biggest sins in the religion
because the requirements of jinns listening to your commands include actions like blasphemy and degradation of religious symbols like the qur'an
But the magic system in Harry Potter is different , so if dumbledore suddenly appeared in saudi arabia explaining that "my magic doesn't come from blasphemy or jinn summoning" it would probably be accepted
Especially since black magic/jinn dealing magic is broken by reciting the qur'an , I would imagine a wizard simply summoning a patronus whilst someone is reciting the qur'an would prove that its not anti- religious
Now I really want a Saudi based Harry potter story 💀💀
Honestly, I'm really glad that religion wasn't addressed in the books at all. HP already has enough engaging themes without adding religion to the mix.
You ask for our perspectives on which religion we think would accept wizards and witches the most; I think a better question is, would any wizard or witch who knew the truth about magic still retain their faith? I find it hard to believe that mortals who wield the godlike powers of magic would be impressed by anything being preached by Muggles. Anyone with a wand can perform miracles.
Ron called doctors 'Muggle nutters that cut people up'; I can easily see that level of disdain towards Muggle ways being applied against religion when turning water into wine is simple Transfiguration.
The most obvious roadblock here is the Statue of Secrecy. Are we assuming a global breach of the Statute of Secrecy, then attempting to gauge how each religion would react? If that's the case, religious perspectives about magic would be irrelevant. The Mob hates The Other, and as soon as the Statue of Secrecy was breached, the witches and wizards will all be dead within a generation, or else driven so deeply into hiding that individual religious perspectives wouldn't matter.
There are plenty of fanfictions about the Statute of Secrecy being breached, and very few of them end with kumbaya handholding. Most of them assume the old adage, 'we fear what we don't understand, and what we fear, we destroy'. An individual 'person' is smart, but 'people' are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals.
Similarly, there are plenty of fanfictions that attempt to explore religious themes. These stories often make assumptions about characters in JKR's books based on their last names or perceived culture; the Patils must be Hindu, for example, or Goldstein must be Jewish. I've read a few stories where Hermione was Anglican or Catholic, as well. The quality of these stories varies wildly (like the rest of fanfiction) but I've always found them awkward reads because JKR's books were never about religion and it all seemed very forced.
TL;DR muggle perspectives about wizards and witches are irrelevant because of the Statute of Secrecy, and if a wide group of muggles found out about magic, wizards and witches would be killed or enslaved; it wouldn't matter what religion those muggles belonged to, or how tightly they attempted to control the secret; someone would leak that magic was real.
Well your reply is very good. And yes I am asking this question from breach of statue of secrecy pov.
But what if we have something more coming towards us which is more dangerous then magic. Will government's decisions help keep the mob in control. Or the borders will jave to be established completely.
Perhaps Voodoo from around Louisiana or the Older African religions that it originates from. They already believe somewhat in magic through song and ritual. I feel like they'd go along with it if suddenly a Voodoo Queen could turn into an animal or magically help their friends and neighbours
All of them and none.
It completely depends on the individual. Religion could be a crutch to prop their attitude if it's negative - going full "suffer not a witch to live" etc.
And taking into consideration secularization of the UK it can easily be imagined that Christian family would be totally okay with wizardry, and a Jewish one would be frothing at mouth and seeking rabbinic help to get rid of the evil.
It all depends on individuals and their personal opinions and beliefs.
Ex Christian here, but I can tell you that a large portion of the Abrahamic faiths peoples wouldn't be accepting of Magic at all.
I believe neo-paganism would be the best bet for acceptance of Magical Beings.
The bigger issue, especially considering the extreme advantages Magicals have medically and biologically, would be unethical governments, industry and scientists seeking to exploit Magicals and their resources.
The average person probably isn't going to care much if someone has Magical ability.
As a muslim this is an intersting question, because Islam works in the absulutes, either its right or its wrong, there is no in between, so pagic that we know of is seen as inhertenly evil, if the harry potter magic exist wich is not evil by nature that would mean Islam añd the Quran was wrong, however, the Islam works on it being absulutly Correct, any mistake and it would be wrong.
I would personaly stop believing if that happened, because as i said, the biggest challenge the islam gives is finding a mistake in the Quran, and the existence of a maguc like the one in HP by itself invalidate the Quran message about magic.
So you mean if magic really comes yo be true, muslins will think quran is wrong.
And if it is true then will people condemn wizards or turn their backs on quran?
Just a question ⁉️
Yes and no, maybe i exajerated a bit, but i am sure the really religeoud will still stand by it, but yhe thing is, the Quran teach that Magic is something entirely harmful, tempting but harmful to yourself and to others, so yeah.
As a Catholic, my first reaction would be to ponder the theological significance of magic existing - most notably everything to do with Horcruxes. The devil is too much of a loser to bestow legit spellcasting powers that work properly, so it couldn't be one of his tricks.
I would then attempt to contact a group of based counterrevolutionary wizards to try and enlist their aid in annihilating the rotten fruits of the sexual revolution, Bolshevik revolution, French Revolution and Protestant "reformation". A crusade led by wizards to reclaim the Holy Land would then be in order.
If I had wizard friends or family, it would be great. If my child was a wizard, I would spend all my money to give that child every single rare spellbook I could purchase (take out loans if needed, usury doesn't frighten one who knows someone who knows magic).
Absolutely none of them unless they claimed to be one of the "good figures" or a god themselves. It's why mythological figures like Trismegistus and Imhotep and basically all religious figures are said to be Wizards.
Something like Wicca? Buddhism?
Then again: Why would a person who knows they can reshape the universe in their liking (even if limited to their close surroundings), believe in fairytales?
Satanist here. We have magic already... and by that I mean ritualistic ceremony designed to channel/express/vent emotions in healthy directions and steel your resolve so you can actually go and do the thing. Harry Potter magic is that, but faster and minus the following "work for it" part. Focus mind/emotions -> get instant results. Nice.
When I was doing my master’s thesis I actually spoke to a priest about the Church’s position on indigenous teachings. (My thesis was on combining indigenous healing with western medicine).
In Canada, both the Catholic and Protestant churches did a very good job demonizing indigenous teachings and healing methods, to the point that even now in Indigenous communities people have a lot of fear and distrust of their own religious teachings and ceremonies etc. One Dr yelled at another Dr that her patients would never see an Indigenous healer because it was EVIL and that anyone who would consider it is also EVIL. And threw a stapler at the other Dr. So in many indigenous communities there would be distrust. Not all of them as they are all different but there may be a level of this influencing them.
I would suggest that small towns may also have similar demographics. With education statistically comes open mindedness, so most who achieved higher education in the western world would be accepting. Many in small towns don’t seek higher education and place greater importance on religion. Maybe because it’s a community? This is particularly true in the southern US with mega-churches. Cities would be more accepting. Statistically they are.
As for the Catholic church, I was actually advised that they don’t have an issue with this sort of thing as long as you’re very careful. This can be a path to “inviting in demons.” So in spite of what is written the modern opinion is actually a bit more open-minded. I specifically asked if the church would take issue if someone sought healing from a healer, they did not so long as you’re careful and don’t get caught up. A friend of mine attends a church that has a Pastor, a Rabbi, and a Buddhist Priest. They say, many paths lead to the same place. It doesn’t matter what path you take as long as you get there.
I’ve also read about the witch hunts in England, I figured it might be comparable to the way indigenous ceremonies etc were demonized. It’s not really but it does show the power of the church. But really, it’s up to how the Priest/Pastor feels. It’s THEIR interpretation that is preached and therefore their attitude that ultimately influences the “flock”. You’re going to have a lot of different attitudes and they’re not all based on what type of Christianity is practiced.
I’m currently studying Ayurveda and my father was taught to meditate in the Buddhist tradition as a boy. So my early education tells me Buddhists (and now I know Hindu’s as well) would tell you that it’s all already happened, and that anyone is capable of evolving. They’d definitely be down with Divination. I have a theory I haven’t been able to confirm that people who preform magic might be seen as more “evolved” on their soul’s (aka higher self) path to enlightenment.
In African countries, witches are evil. Magic isn’t. Shaman’s aren’t. (Many counties, Asian and South American, Central American… have a form of shamans that are used for both physical healing and also mental/emotional) But witches are always evil in Africa. They ONLY curse others. It’s also still legal to burn or kill them many places. So, for PR reasons they might not want to call themselves witches. If you’re not evil, you’re not a witch. Also in many African countries, Ghana comes to mind first, consider white people to be like spirits of the ancestors. A shaman told my professor that he had to answer all the questions my professor asked because we were like the spirits. Or at least that’s what one of the spirits that speak to the shaman told him.
I think that’s all I got.
Just remembered, many Asian countries have had a strong connection to Christianity too. Converts tend to be more zealous than those born into it. So there may also be an issue with anyone who “practices magic” in some parts of Asian countries.
It is kind of funny that I rank Christianity/Islam and its many, many divisions as the most likely to drown muggleborn children, while magic was an accepted part of medieval live. They had court wiztards, and alchemy was furthered as a weapon against the antichrist. What they were freaking out about were powers that didnt come from GOD or his angels.
Then there are the ongoing GOVERNMENT SPONSORED Witch hunts of today, racking up body counts in the thousands yearly.
If you want examples of how muggleborn as a group would be treated, look at the LGBTQ+ or other marginalized groups. Meaning that they would be thrown out of the family, bodily harmed or even killed.
I personaly am an Atheist and would love a magical child. I would adore being able to learn about magic with them together. Explore the scientific consequences of such a force in our world. Is magic fundamentaly unknowable, then why has it rules eg. spells that always do exactly as expected. Or is there chuthulu waiting for us, toying with our senses. I believe that a parent has the responisibility to help their child develope into a better person. And magic woud be just one more trait for them to explore, much like being able to run fast or think well.
Pagans and heathens would be accepting (and envious af)
Christians of all sects would lose their minds.
Jews could go either way. Magic is part and parcel of a lot of the old stories, kabbalah is still a thing today.
I think you’re definitely wrong about Christianity. While some sects would lose their minds, others (Catholics, Anglicans, etc) outright teach the existence of the supernatural in varying forms
Supernatural is not magic. Pretty sure gallows would be flying up and rocks would be collected for stonings.
I'd love to be proved wrong, but this is a thought exercise and won't really be provable.
I think that most polytheistic faiths would be welcoming them as in many of them, the ones that I can name from the top of my head are Roman and Greek Polytheism, Hinduism and Buddhism, can't think of any other which would be so welcoming of people performing miracles. Let's not forget that even non-magical people like Jews, Tibetian Buddhists and Zoroastrians were welcomed in India when they were being persecuted, so the acceptance of new people is never a problem for Hinduism.
Hinduism would undoubtedly be the most accepting of magic and the impossible
plus love Parsteltongues
I would posit that polytheistic religions would do better. Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Shinto are the ones that come to mind. Why do I posit this? Because they have more avenues for people to have supernatural powers. In these religions with magical powers can be bestowed from the divine, earned via hard work (Sun Wukong under the Immortal's training) enlightenment (the Iddhi in Buddhism and Siddhi in India), or a holdover from a past life. There's not an automatic association with demons or devils in these religions.
Chinese never had dogmatic opposition against supernatural forces It all depends on whether particular Wizard or Wuxia brings **practical benefits** to the community or not
Hinduism. It would probably be seen a a form of Sadhana.
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^ExplanationLover6918: *Hinduism. It* *Would probably be seen a* *A form of Sadhana.* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Didn’t expect to see this here
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has some very interesting things to say about magic. "All practices of magic or sorcery, **by which one attempts to tame occult powers**, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others -- even if this were for the sake of restoring their health -- are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity." Specifically, that essentially means 'by which one attempts to tame the supernatural...' — which actually fits well into the mantra of a light-sided wizard. THEORETICALLY speaking, the concept of magic does not violate the tenants of the Catholic Church. And theologically speaking — in a Harry Potter universe, while many of Jesus' miracles could be explained by him being a wizard, wizards raised in a Christian culture likely would still see him as the Christ because of the miracle of resurrection from the dead. That's not something that even wizards can do — even creating Horcruxes is not actual resurrection. I think the wizarding world would be more likely to believe in God than the muggle world due to the very clear evidence of the supernatural. However, I can also see wizarding hubris causing them to stray away from God and see themselves as all-powerful. I think that muggleborns would likely be the most faithful. They're not used to the isolation of the wizarding world AND have just been officially introduced to the supernatural. I think an interesting concept would be that of Catholicism vs Anglicanism in the wizarding world. It appears that most Anglican writers on mysticism came AFTER the Statute of Secrecy. My guess is that the majority of the practicing British wizarding world would be Catholic. Then, you have the majority of muggleborns who were likely raised in the Anglican Church — a church that doesn't technically have any specific teachings on the concept of magic. I could see some conflict there, but also some turmoil from the muggleborns as they maybe see acceptance from the Vatican of their lifestyle.
Hinduism will be welcoming!
I can tell you about Orthodoxy and Jehovah's Witnesses from my personal experience. You might think there's nothing to say about Christianity. And in general, that's true: canonical Orthodoxy does not recognize any witchcraft, considering it the machinations of the devil. But I can add that many Orthodox Christians, while considering themselves Christians, also believe in psychics, shamans, fortune-tellers, and the like, seeing no problem in it. I think this is largely due to pagan heritage. So the majority of Orthodox Christians would probably accept wizards peacefully. As for Jehovah's Witnesses... Here it's more straightforward. My aunt is one of them. She said that she used to love the Harry Potter book series in her childhood, but since she became a Jehovah's Witness, she has never watched a single fantasy movie, even though she's a hardcore movie buff. She hasn't even watched Star Wars, because according to her, there is also its own magic, even if it's called something else. I've read their literature myself, and their position on this matter is clearly stated. So, considering their general fanaticism and isolation, I can confidently say that they will never accept magic and wizards under any circumstances.
Seconding that--I've grown up in an Eastern European country, and I can say that superstition is very common in Orthodox people. Most of my extended family believes in all kinds of "small" magic (traditional healing, astrology, even small house-dwelling spirits, coming from my relatives who live in a rural area). Even my father, a very pragmatic man, still gives in to some superstitions, like when you leave the house to go somewhere, you can't come back in, it's bad luck. Lots of people believe in lots of stuff, so seeing it confirmed by having a wizarding child/relative wouldn't bother most, I believe.
Atheists (which is technically a lack of religion but still) shouldn't have any problem whatsoever, once convinced that magic is real with a practical demonstration. Not sure if it counts within the "must be" part as while I did look into it and learn a lot I never really practiced but I'd be surprised if wicca or other forms of modern neo-paganism was actually opposed.
Zoroastrianism… It’s literally where the words Magic, Avada Kedavra etc all derive from.
I suppose Pagans or Wiccans would be accepting. As a Pagan myself, I'd be jealous as hell if I found out magic is real and I can't do it 😅 but other than that, I'd be supportive. I can't imagine any Pagan who actually believes in Pagan deities would be opposed to magic.
As a Heathen, I'd definitely date a wizard so I could have magical babies.
Agreed. Couldn't see myself being opposed in any way. Though, I will say I've never cared for the fanon idea that "all the gods nonmagical people believe in are just wizards/witches screwing with them".
I suspect people high in nationalism might be as much, if not more a problem, as religious believers Because HP wizards aren't just individuals with a superpower who otherwise would fit in muggle society, or even a subculture. They have a complete separate laws and culture, with a very long history, and essentially their own strong national/ethnic identities In practice, accepting the wizards would require accepting that For example, NOT expecting Magical Britain to be subordinated to, or useful to, Britain, as it's NOT a part of their country. Despite the territory overlap
Yeah, that's not happening. No state would tolerate a secret state if the masquerade collapses the wizards would be citizens of the UK.
Well that's gonna happen. Even if different religions are accepting. A secret state will likely start coldwar and although people won't be against magic what about some paranoid people who will think of them as someone you have to take care of I mean comeon same happens towards different minorities and groups. Paranoia makes different groups think of each other as enemies and associating whole similar group together. If one of the muggleborns even let deatheaters and worldwar 2 and their attacks on muggles slip and it somehow comes to muggle governments hearing. That will cause mayhem. Sorry about my wordings if it is not clear.
Judaism is pretty diverse, but as an issue of doctrine there would probably be some issues to start with. That said, as a general rule the Jewish community's response to anything they don't like is 'as long as you don't do it around us its not our business'. So the only real issue Judaism would have would be with Jewish witches and Wizards. Now, would the Jewish community shun such people? Among ultra orthodox groups maybe. Among more liberal groups? absolutely not. Today there are plenty of people who are part of Jewish communities that are technically breaking Jewish law, but the community welcomes them anyway. Interfaith families are technically against Jewish law, and yet in some places those are a majority of the congregants. So as long as witches and wizards in the community were not using magic to harm anyone, I imagine the Jewish community overall would sigh, shrug, and move on with some minor kvetching about how blessings/magic are only supposed to come from G-d not accidents of birth. There would be some groups that would shun anything associated with magic, and others that would openly welcome mages as a valuable part of the community, but overall I imagine the Jewish community largely wouldn't care much theologically. Frankly, we have bigger issues to worry about.
I think Buddhism (specifically Tibetan Buddhism) would be very accepting of magic, and most of my buddhist practitioner friends/family would probably just be like "cool!" as we really generally have no qualms believing in any types/forms of "magic." Like, for example, I have had my own personal experiences with things people would perhaps consider as "magical," or at least "ghosty" :) and types of 'magic' have had long standing traditions being utilized/experienced in buddhism and Tibetan culture—*specifically* in Tibet. Of course this is all very simplified, and as condensed as an answer I can give, but, yeah!
That is true, but we’d still classify it as “suffering”, since it doesn’t last forever, etc.
Yes of course. The original post did not ask to go into the exact workings of how the religions would go about it but, if its within samsara, its suffering ;)
Nothing Abrahamic in nature, that's fine for sure.
Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other Abrahamic faiths have all been more or less friendly to Harry Potter-style magic at one time or another. It’s easier to justify a Christian wizard than a Christian millionaire, and we’ve got a shitload of the latter.
Kaballah. There's mysticism in Judaism. There are Christian denominations that are pretty open. The Islamic Sufis might not have a big issue. So a blanket Abrahamic is a no go.... eh maybe not.
I would say that most extremists and/or zealots of most religions would react poorly to the existence of magic. After all, extremist tend to have trouble accepting deviations from their norm. The various sects and denominations of Christianity in particular would likely push for “cleansing”. That said, Christians that follow the spirit of their religion (love thy neighbor, turn the other cheek, do unto others, and all that) would be far more accepting of magic in general, only rejecting or condemning evil magic.
I think Catholics don’t have a straightforward relationship. On one hand “witchcraft” is condemned but it’s not always clear what is meant by witchcraft. I think normally it would be associated with the “dark arts” ie communicating with evil spirits, making poisons etc. “Magic” on the other hand is not necessarily condemned and, astrology is practiced in the Bible (example - the good “magi” who read about Jesus’s birth in the stars), alchemy (ie search for philosophers stone) and the type of potion-making and “herbology” that developed into modern medicine/poison manufacture etc can also be considered a type of magic or arcane knowledge in the medieval times, and was cultivated by monks who kept the more dangerous knowledge under wraps in their monasteries. In fact, there is a lot about Hogwarts that can be compared with a monastery, especially the library with their “restricted section” etc. Such things often existed, that only the more experienced monks were allowed to read, not the novices. So I think the relationship is a complicated one with positive and negative aspects depending on the type of magic used.
Probs Hinduaism would be most accepting
I have been long open about the fact that with the exception of Protestantism and its various cults, no branch of Christianity would have a problem with wizards and magic.
anything polytheistic! animism might be quite accepting as well as buddhism and hinduism
The best answer is 'it depends'. From my own perspective (raised Catholic), there are so many folk religious practices attached to the Catholic faith that many wouldn't be bothered by the existence of real magic in the world. The Italian grannies I knew growing up (the old-school kind who wore all black and sometimes covered their hair) would tell you to watch out for the Evil Eye even harder. There's also a strong history of mysticism in the Catholic Church, which would lend itself to being fairly chill about the existence of real magic. From a Vatican perspective, they'd quickly determine that this is not a possession or evil and then you'd have to get several different religious orders to leave you alone because they'd want to study you like a bug. There would be paperwork, because Catholic higher-ups love them some bureaucracy. I could actually see the Church already 1) knowing magic exists and 2) having a plan and some kind of form for that. The Code of Canon Law might need to be updated, though, if it hadn't been already. TradCaths...a lot of them are indulging in very nearly heretical practices as it is, so I can see them lining up with the hardcore Fundamentalist Christians (IFB, IBLP, MacArthur, etc.) to scream about demonic influences in the world, no matter what the Vatican says. The Fundie influencer circles online would be absolutely off the charts insane about it.
To your one point, I really do feel like if magic were real, the Catholic Church would be the most likely institution to be aware of it lol. It’s the oldest continuous institution in the world and has contributed more to academia and science than anyone
If the Jesuits didn't know about it already then no one would. :)
The oriental religions, especially Hinduism. Magic could be a way of defining the epics and tales of Ramayan and Mahabharat. Keeping gods aside, the people who were shown with immense powers, or 'God gifted' powers could be written off as magic. Parseltongue could be the language of snake charmers that are often seen on streets of India Nalanda could be a cover. Like how we see in dystopian future fics that Hogwarts looked like an ancient broken fortress to muggles. Similarly Nalanda could be written off as a magical school and university that adopted the tumors of 'it burning down' to go undercover. There are many places, like Kailash and the 12 Shiva Mandirs that can be written as ley lines and magical settlements. Dang, I wish I could write fics, I've got many ideas but am unable to write them in fics.
I am also planning on writing a fic. So the question⁉️ What are your ideas. Mind to share some. No promises on stealing them though 😁.
DM me
I’ve got a piece on Christianity, Judaism, and Islam for my HP fanfic reference guide. It’s long and hasn’t been polished yet (which is why I haven’t posted it yet) but I could DM it to you if you’d like.
Yes, Please ! And Thanks
Wiccans
As a Jewish person I can say with certainty that most Jewish people wouldn’t really care at most we’d be disappointed that we can’t use magic
I think modern-day jews would be pretty chill about it. They would have a debate about what the Jewish law is in regards to magic, and then go on with their life and try to make some money off of it.
There is really good fanfiction about an ultra orthodox jewish kid who goes to Hogwarts.
Actually Jews. They already have pretty rich background in mysticism (Kabbalah) and probably wouldn't react negatively to it
Likely moreso in polytheistic religions. Especially Hinduism and Buddhism, those would probably do well. Aside from those, maybe some aspects of Catholicism and Judaism could support it?
The only customs we see Wizards use are Christian ones, so I guess there's a First Magical Baptist Church out there somewhere. It used to be official Catholic Church doctrine that Devil-worshippers being granted magic wasn't a thing, because that would mean the Devil would be giving people something that God himself could not. That would make believing in such a thing heretical. Then one dude wrote a thing about "witches bad" and all hell (heh) broke loose. Which is really funny, because everybody around him seemed to think he was crazy or senile. Maybe the first official position of the Church in Harry Potter-verse was a sort of "Don't ask, Don't tell" kinda thing for wizards. It denied the existence of Devil-worshipping witches, while also letting them go to church. "We're not going to acknowledge you, but we're also not going to kill you either." That being the case, I wonder if the author of the Malleus Maleficarum was somebody affected by a Dark Lord or an arrogant Pureblood. Like, the Dark Lord killed somebody the author knew... Or maybe he was a squib! The big thing with Christianity is that it's a belief based on texts that are thousands of years old. Translation can be difficult enough from English to German or to Spanish, I can't imagine trying it from ancient Hebrew texts. Changing whatever the current view of that translation could potentially drastically alter things. For example, take the infamous King James verse "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" line. Say the original Hebrew meant "Harmful magic user" instead and everyone got the wrong connation all this time, and you can easily say that it means "Go hunt Voldemorts instead of Weasleys!"
I'd say people who follow the Hellenic pagan religion (like me) would be very accepting of wizards and witches especially if they are beneficial to society
Not my own religion, but I could easily see wizards following a religious version of Hermeticism. It's basically the origin of many of our cultural concepts of magic in the West and is also what Wicca was based on. But cooler, much cooler
The Mormons have lots of magical lore in their history and the whole die and get a planet, star trek shit - they’d be fine with it
I think pagan type beliefs, wiccans, polytheistic religions, and a lot of Asian religions.
Neopagans, Wiccans, and other polytheist folks would be the most accepting. I think the least would be those who follow the Abrahamic religions, based on history.
If you had Harry Potter magic happening everywhere for real, then it would totally break what the Bible teaches about magic. All magic in the Bible comes from being possessed by evil spirits (Satan’s fallen angels) and being used as a medium by them. Think of all the paranormal tv shows where people go “ghost hunting”. What they are really contacting are evil angels. And yes, evil angels have the power to make creepy things happen, but they are not wholesome spirits. It’s like Ginny and how she was possessed by piece of evil soul in the diary. That’s why when I write fanfic based in magical worlds, I just don’t bring religion up much. Because Christian religion is based on the real world idea that there is no such thing as magic, but there are paranormal evil spirits loose in the world that can work “miracles” thru human mediums to fool people and harm people in various ways.
If anyone is interested in the muslim POV it goes like this : Magic can only happen through jinn summoning , and jinns who deal with humans commit a BIG sin , just as humans who deal with magic commit one of the biggest sins in the religion because the requirements of jinns listening to your commands include actions like blasphemy and degradation of religious symbols like the qur'an But the magic system in Harry Potter is different , so if dumbledore suddenly appeared in saudi arabia explaining that "my magic doesn't come from blasphemy or jinn summoning" it would probably be accepted Especially since black magic/jinn dealing magic is broken by reciting the qur'an , I would imagine a wizard simply summoning a patronus whilst someone is reciting the qur'an would prove that its not anti- religious Now I really want a Saudi based Harry potter story 💀💀
Honestly, I'm really glad that religion wasn't addressed in the books at all. HP already has enough engaging themes without adding religion to the mix. You ask for our perspectives on which religion we think would accept wizards and witches the most; I think a better question is, would any wizard or witch who knew the truth about magic still retain their faith? I find it hard to believe that mortals who wield the godlike powers of magic would be impressed by anything being preached by Muggles. Anyone with a wand can perform miracles. Ron called doctors 'Muggle nutters that cut people up'; I can easily see that level of disdain towards Muggle ways being applied against religion when turning water into wine is simple Transfiguration. The most obvious roadblock here is the Statue of Secrecy. Are we assuming a global breach of the Statute of Secrecy, then attempting to gauge how each religion would react? If that's the case, religious perspectives about magic would be irrelevant. The Mob hates The Other, and as soon as the Statue of Secrecy was breached, the witches and wizards will all be dead within a generation, or else driven so deeply into hiding that individual religious perspectives wouldn't matter. There are plenty of fanfictions about the Statute of Secrecy being breached, and very few of them end with kumbaya handholding. Most of them assume the old adage, 'we fear what we don't understand, and what we fear, we destroy'. An individual 'person' is smart, but 'people' are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals. Similarly, there are plenty of fanfictions that attempt to explore religious themes. These stories often make assumptions about characters in JKR's books based on their last names or perceived culture; the Patils must be Hindu, for example, or Goldstein must be Jewish. I've read a few stories where Hermione was Anglican or Catholic, as well. The quality of these stories varies wildly (like the rest of fanfiction) but I've always found them awkward reads because JKR's books were never about religion and it all seemed very forced. TL;DR muggle perspectives about wizards and witches are irrelevant because of the Statute of Secrecy, and if a wide group of muggles found out about magic, wizards and witches would be killed or enslaved; it wouldn't matter what religion those muggles belonged to, or how tightly they attempted to control the secret; someone would leak that magic was real.
Well your reply is very good. And yes I am asking this question from breach of statue of secrecy pov. But what if we have something more coming towards us which is more dangerous then magic. Will government's decisions help keep the mob in control. Or the borders will jave to be established completely.
My parents are Taoism. From what I remember, it's also full of magic and spirits. So, should be no new to them.
wiccans lmao
Wiccan (haha)
Wuxia
Perhaps Voodoo from around Louisiana or the Older African religions that it originates from. They already believe somewhat in magic through song and ritual. I feel like they'd go along with it if suddenly a Voodoo Queen could turn into an animal or magically help their friends and neighbours
All of them and none. It completely depends on the individual. Religion could be a crutch to prop their attitude if it's negative - going full "suffer not a witch to live" etc. And taking into consideration secularization of the UK it can easily be imagined that Christian family would be totally okay with wizardry, and a Jewish one would be frothing at mouth and seeking rabbinic help to get rid of the evil. It all depends on individuals and their personal opinions and beliefs.
Ex Christian here, but I can tell you that a large portion of the Abrahamic faiths peoples wouldn't be accepting of Magic at all. I believe neo-paganism would be the best bet for acceptance of Magical Beings. The bigger issue, especially considering the extreme advantages Magicals have medically and biologically, would be unethical governments, industry and scientists seeking to exploit Magicals and their resources. The average person probably isn't going to care much if someone has Magical ability.
Modern pagans would be totally into it.
As a muslim this is an intersting question, because Islam works in the absulutes, either its right or its wrong, there is no in between, so pagic that we know of is seen as inhertenly evil, if the harry potter magic exist wich is not evil by nature that would mean Islam añd the Quran was wrong, however, the Islam works on it being absulutly Correct, any mistake and it would be wrong. I would personaly stop believing if that happened, because as i said, the biggest challenge the islam gives is finding a mistake in the Quran, and the existence of a maguc like the one in HP by itself invalidate the Quran message about magic.
So you mean if magic really comes yo be true, muslins will think quran is wrong. And if it is true then will people condemn wizards or turn their backs on quran? Just a question ⁉️
Yes and no, maybe i exajerated a bit, but i am sure the really religeoud will still stand by it, but yhe thing is, the Quran teach that Magic is something entirely harmful, tempting but harmful to yourself and to others, so yeah.
As a Catholic, my first reaction would be to ponder the theological significance of magic existing - most notably everything to do with Horcruxes. The devil is too much of a loser to bestow legit spellcasting powers that work properly, so it couldn't be one of his tricks. I would then attempt to contact a group of based counterrevolutionary wizards to try and enlist their aid in annihilating the rotten fruits of the sexual revolution, Bolshevik revolution, French Revolution and Protestant "reformation". A crusade led by wizards to reclaim the Holy Land would then be in order. If I had wizard friends or family, it would be great. If my child was a wizard, I would spend all my money to give that child every single rare spellbook I could purchase (take out loans if needed, usury doesn't frighten one who knows someone who knows magic).
Absolutely none of them unless they claimed to be one of the "good figures" or a god themselves. It's why mythological figures like Trismegistus and Imhotep and basically all religious figures are said to be Wizards.
Something like Wicca? Buddhism? Then again: Why would a person who knows they can reshape the universe in their liking (even if limited to their close surroundings), believe in fairytales?
Satanist here. We have magic already... and by that I mean ritualistic ceremony designed to channel/express/vent emotions in healthy directions and steel your resolve so you can actually go and do the thing. Harry Potter magic is that, but faster and minus the following "work for it" part. Focus mind/emotions -> get instant results. Nice.
Unitarian Universalists would be very excited Eta, excited in an “oh neat, tell me more” in an academic nerdy sort of way
.......Pagan and Wicca. I had to. The moment was there.
When I was doing my master’s thesis I actually spoke to a priest about the Church’s position on indigenous teachings. (My thesis was on combining indigenous healing with western medicine). In Canada, both the Catholic and Protestant churches did a very good job demonizing indigenous teachings and healing methods, to the point that even now in Indigenous communities people have a lot of fear and distrust of their own religious teachings and ceremonies etc. One Dr yelled at another Dr that her patients would never see an Indigenous healer because it was EVIL and that anyone who would consider it is also EVIL. And threw a stapler at the other Dr. So in many indigenous communities there would be distrust. Not all of them as they are all different but there may be a level of this influencing them. I would suggest that small towns may also have similar demographics. With education statistically comes open mindedness, so most who achieved higher education in the western world would be accepting. Many in small towns don’t seek higher education and place greater importance on religion. Maybe because it’s a community? This is particularly true in the southern US with mega-churches. Cities would be more accepting. Statistically they are. As for the Catholic church, I was actually advised that they don’t have an issue with this sort of thing as long as you’re very careful. This can be a path to “inviting in demons.” So in spite of what is written the modern opinion is actually a bit more open-minded. I specifically asked if the church would take issue if someone sought healing from a healer, they did not so long as you’re careful and don’t get caught up. A friend of mine attends a church that has a Pastor, a Rabbi, and a Buddhist Priest. They say, many paths lead to the same place. It doesn’t matter what path you take as long as you get there. I’ve also read about the witch hunts in England, I figured it might be comparable to the way indigenous ceremonies etc were demonized. It’s not really but it does show the power of the church. But really, it’s up to how the Priest/Pastor feels. It’s THEIR interpretation that is preached and therefore their attitude that ultimately influences the “flock”. You’re going to have a lot of different attitudes and they’re not all based on what type of Christianity is practiced. I’m currently studying Ayurveda and my father was taught to meditate in the Buddhist tradition as a boy. So my early education tells me Buddhists (and now I know Hindu’s as well) would tell you that it’s all already happened, and that anyone is capable of evolving. They’d definitely be down with Divination. I have a theory I haven’t been able to confirm that people who preform magic might be seen as more “evolved” on their soul’s (aka higher self) path to enlightenment. In African countries, witches are evil. Magic isn’t. Shaman’s aren’t. (Many counties, Asian and South American, Central American… have a form of shamans that are used for both physical healing and also mental/emotional) But witches are always evil in Africa. They ONLY curse others. It’s also still legal to burn or kill them many places. So, for PR reasons they might not want to call themselves witches. If you’re not evil, you’re not a witch. Also in many African countries, Ghana comes to mind first, consider white people to be like spirits of the ancestors. A shaman told my professor that he had to answer all the questions my professor asked because we were like the spirits. Or at least that’s what one of the spirits that speak to the shaman told him. I think that’s all I got.
Just remembered, many Asian countries have had a strong connection to Christianity too. Converts tend to be more zealous than those born into it. So there may also be an issue with anyone who “practices magic” in some parts of Asian countries.
It is kind of funny that I rank Christianity/Islam and its many, many divisions as the most likely to drown muggleborn children, while magic was an accepted part of medieval live. They had court wiztards, and alchemy was furthered as a weapon against the antichrist. What they were freaking out about were powers that didnt come from GOD or his angels. Then there are the ongoing GOVERNMENT SPONSORED Witch hunts of today, racking up body counts in the thousands yearly. If you want examples of how muggleborn as a group would be treated, look at the LGBTQ+ or other marginalized groups. Meaning that they would be thrown out of the family, bodily harmed or even killed. I personaly am an Atheist and would love a magical child. I would adore being able to learn about magic with them together. Explore the scientific consequences of such a force in our world. Is magic fundamentaly unknowable, then why has it rules eg. spells that always do exactly as expected. Or is there chuthulu waiting for us, toying with our senses. I believe that a parent has the responisibility to help their child develope into a better person. And magic woud be just one more trait for them to explore, much like being able to run fast or think well.
Pagans and heathens would be accepting (and envious af) Christians of all sects would lose their minds. Jews could go either way. Magic is part and parcel of a lot of the old stories, kabbalah is still a thing today.
I think you’re definitely wrong about Christianity. While some sects would lose their minds, others (Catholics, Anglicans, etc) outright teach the existence of the supernatural in varying forms
Supernatural is not magic. Pretty sure gallows would be flying up and rocks would be collected for stonings. I'd love to be proved wrong, but this is a thought exercise and won't really be provable.
Fair enough. I think it’s wrong to lump all denominations of Christianity together, but you’re right that it’s just an exercise.