In 1997, JK Rowling changed the world forever when she published her first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The first in a series of seven books, it quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. Originally published under the title Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first book takes the reader into a magical world filled with wizards, wands, and magical spells. As Harry Potter travels through this strange new world, he must face many unthinkable obstacles that explore religious and moral principles. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone contains many explicit references to religion, immortality, and the battle between good and evil throughout the book. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Religion is not overtly mentioned in the book, but there are instances where the wording may refer to religious sayings and holidays. At the beginning of the story, witches and wizards across the land were celebrating the death of Voldemort, also known as You-Know-Who. As Mr. Dursley, Harry Potter's uncle, was leaving work, he came across a wizard who was partying. He exclaimed: “Rejoice, for You-Know-Who is finally gone!” Even Muggles like you should celebrate this very happy day. Rejoice is used in religious contexts as a word of celebration and is often referenced to the Phillippians Bible verse “Rejoice in the Lord always; once again I will say: Rejoice! Professor McGonagall also says, "I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in the future" (p. 13). Therefore, witches and wizards “rejoice” in this day thanks to Harry Potter, as if they were celebrating a religious holiday. Additionally, many holidays are celebrated throughout the Harry Potter series. Christmas seems to be a major holiday in the magical world. Christmas comes with snow, presents, school holidays and “festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no fewer than twelve towering Christmas trees…”. It appears that Christmas is exactly as it appears in the real world, but there is no mention of any religious attachment. Christmas is celebrated as a Christian holiday in the "real world", commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. In Harry Potter, it is a secular holiday. Later in the book, Hermione mentions the Easter holiday, which is another Christian holiday but appears to have no religious affiliation in the story. Although holidays and explicit religious references are rare, it is often the case that religious ideas and symbolism are expressed in the Sorcerer's Stone. Harry Potter is a parallel to Jesus Christ, and this appears very early in the book. When they were babies, both Jesus and Harry Potter were targeted because it was believed that they might one day rise to power. In the Bible, King Herod of Judea ordered the massacre of the innocents, which was a decree to put to death all boys under the age of two in Bethlehem, because he heard the news of the birth of Jesus . King Herod viewed Jesus as a threat to the throne and therefore sought to kill him. However, he was not successful as Joseph and Mary heard the news and protected their child. Along with this, Voldemort decided to kill baby Harry because he saw Harry as a threat to his power, which was fully explained later in the series. Voldemort, like King Harod, was not successful because James and Lily also protected their son. These two stories presentparallels not only between Jesus and Harry, but also between King Herod and Voldemort, and Joseph/Mary and James/Lily. Additionally, Harry Potter's scar has two different religious connotations. First of all, this establishes another parallel between Jesus and Harry. Jesus has scars on his hands, feet and side from his death on the cross. Harry has a scar on his forehead, which was left after Voldemort tried to kill him. Not only do these scars follow their two symbolic “deaths,” but they are also a way for others to recognize them. In John 20:19-31, Jesus appears to his disciples and shows them his hands and his side, and this is his way of proving to his disciples that he is really Jesus. Likewise, Harry Potter's scar is what makes him famous and lets others know that he is Harry Potter. When Harry meets the Weasley family, they don't know who he is until Fred and George point out the glowing scar on his forehead. Secondly, Harry's scar can be compared to the Seal of God in the book of Revelation. This seal is a promise of protection for those who follow God and will protect them from the antichrist. This is similar to Harry's scar, which he received through his mother's protection and love, and which gives him protection against Voldemort. There are many similarities between Jesus and Harry Potter, and this is seen even more when discussing the power between good and evil. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is written as a children's story, but when you look at it, they can see a story. about the struggle between good and evil and the triumph of good and the human spirit. From the beginning, there's this constant battle between what's right and what's wrong, and there's a very fine line separating the two. Voldemort, the evil antagonist, appears at James and Lilly's house to kill their child, but fails because of Lily's sacrificial love. Lily very willingly sacrifices her life for the sake of her son, and as she dies, her goodness overcomes Voldemort's evil. This love is a driving force behind "good", and Harry continually uses this love for the good of the wizarding world to fight "evil". Temptation is a recurring theme throughout the novel, and woven within it is the difference between good and evil. Several times, Harry Potter lets himself be tempted. At first, Harry makes the decision between being friends with Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley. Draco means power and greed, which are Slytherin traits, while Ron means love, truth, honor, which are Gryffindor traits. In that moment, Harry makes the split decision to choose between good and evil – and he chooses the former. Additionally, a very important force behind the temptation occurs when Harry meets Quirrell in the underground chamber. Quirrell states "there is neither good nor evil, there is only power, and these are too late to seek it." Quirrell was tempted by Lord Voldemort into this belief, and now Quirrell in turn tricks Harry into adopting this line of thinking. When Voldemort reveals himself to Harry, he tries to convince Harry to join him and gives him the ultimatum of death or power. However, Harry explicitly sees the line between good and evil, and for him, power is directly linked to evil. Harry chooses death instead of becoming evil, which makes him morally good. This theme of death and immortality is common throughout the book. The first novel in the Harry Potter series explores the concept of death and immortality through the concept of Voldemort and the Sorcerer's Stone itself. Voldemort is the ultimate example of immortality and will do anything to avoid death. His greatest fear and weakness is mortality. When he tries to kill Harry Potter, he loses his body, but does not "die"..