Not being a Christian myself I'm not going to touch the JKR & Christianity issue, but one thing I must argue with:
Dumbledore’s frightened and selfish attitude to political office
Socrates might be countered with another quote, namely, 'Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.'
(Or, as paraphrased by Douglas Adams, whose ruler of the universe is an old man in a shack on an obscure world who isn't even certain that the universe outside his door exists, it is a well-known fact, that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.)
JKR is clearly in the tradition of Tolkien here, who has Gandalf, who obviously serves as a model for her Dumbledore, reject the One Ring when offered by Frodo ('Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good. Do not tempt me! I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe, unused.') as well as Galadriel, who also regards it as a temptation, a test to be passed, as does Faramir, who gets a happy ending, unlike his brother, who is promptly punished for coveting the ring.
You may not like it, but Dumbledore's course of action is entirely consistent with JKR's world-view, as well as within a certain literary tradition of the genre she writes in. And, as I implied in the earlier comment, to me his fears aren't as groundless as you seem to think, especially considering that the office in question seems to hold a lot of power and lend itself to abuse easily, and while much about the process of election and the institutions keeping the Minister of Magic's power in check remain unclear. In my opinion it was the better and wiser choice.
Also:
I wonder whether there is a single reader, older than twelve perhaps, who has found this a satisfactory statement.
Since you put it like that, I'll have to say that I found it satisfactory. cette_vie already said it all and makes it unnecessary for me to repeat it, except to add that McGonagall is mistress of Transfiguration, because she knows and accepts the laws that govern magic. Here, too, mastery implies acceptance of natural facts and laws, her control can go no further than that, either.
It may be different for you, but I think you need to have a very secure faith to find meaning in death, to make it anything more than arbitrary, the undiscovered country, from whose bourn / no traveler returns.
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Dumbledore’s frightened and selfish attitude to political office
Socrates might be countered with another quote, namely, 'Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.'
(Or, as paraphrased by Douglas Adams, whose ruler of the universe is an old man in a shack on an obscure world who isn't even certain that the universe outside his door exists, it is a well-known fact, that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.)
JKR is clearly in the tradition of Tolkien here, who has Gandalf, who obviously serves as a model for her Dumbledore, reject the One Ring when offered by Frodo ('Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good. Do not tempt me! I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe, unused.') as well as Galadriel, who also regards it as a temptation, a test to be passed, as does Faramir, who gets a happy ending, unlike his brother, who is promptly punished for coveting the ring.
You may not like it, but Dumbledore's course of action is entirely consistent with JKR's world-view, as well as within a certain literary tradition of the genre she writes in. And, as I implied in the earlier comment, to me his fears aren't as groundless as you seem to think, especially considering that the office in question seems to hold a lot of power and lend itself to abuse easily, and while much about the process of election and the institutions keeping the Minister of Magic's power in check remain unclear. In my opinion it was the better and wiser choice.
Also:
I wonder whether there is a single reader, older than twelve perhaps, who has found this a satisfactory statement.
Since you put it like that, I'll have to say that I found it satisfactory.
It may be different for you, but I think you need to have a very secure faith to find meaning in death, to make it anything more than arbitrary, the undiscovered country, from whose bourn / no traveler returns.