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I see your point, too, and I don’t think an overtly Christian message would have been appropriate to the story. I just think it’s inconsistent to have, for instance, celebrations of Christmas and Easter when (apparently) no character practices Christianity.

Nah, you’re forgetting that England, while extremely secularized, still celebrates Christmas and Easter. They’ve taken “C&E Christians” to a whole ‘nother level beyond us. I’ve confirmed this theory with an English friend of mine who used to be one of those types.

I just think it’s inconsistent to have, for instance, celebrations of Christmas and Easter when (apparently) no character practices Christianity.

Not necessarily. Both holidays have become sufficiently secularized that many people celebrate them in some way, with the exception of those who have a religious reason NOT to do so.

Now if you want your version of the weasley family to incorporate Christianity or some other spirituality, that is up to you, along with your children also making that same choice. If you didn't want your younger ones to read the stories until later, that would also be up to you.

Either way, it is a children's fantasy, and the childrearing is up to you and your husband. It certainly isn't mine to make for your kids, nor Rowling to decide.

But that is what makes it so great: personal choice and responsibility. Nice conservative values, ya think? 8-)

I just think it’s inconsistent to have, for instance, celebrations of Christmas and Easter when (apparently) no character practices Christianity.

Well, I don't know about that. True, they don't go to church, or show any outward religious trappings.

But if you look at what Rowling's protagonists stand for, it's pretty clear that they're portrayed as doing Christianity, whereas modern Christians all too often do not.

The books are definitely shown from Harry's perspective, and certainly he would not have picked up any Christianity from the Dursleys, so I don't think Harry is religious at all. I don't think that means *none* of the characters are Christian, just that Harry doesn't particularly observe it if they are. In the graveyard, Harry doesn't recognize or understand the "last enemy to be destroyed is death" quote, but Hermione seems to, and even though she doesn't explicitly say it's from the New Testament she does explain that it means life after death. Certainly we don't see any gung-ho vocal Christians, and Harry would surely notice if, say, the Weasleys were weekly church-goers, but the reality is that most nominal 'Christians' are not particularly devout, either (especially in the UK, compared to the US).