Is Dumbledore God?

There have been many theories circling around the globe concerning Dumbledore's true identity within this series. Some believe he is the personification of Death, while others believe he is just a great wizard who is also gay! But there is a great similarity between Dumbledore and the Christian God. This may sound crazy at the moment, but here me out. Firstly, if we look at Dumbledore we know he is one of the greatest wizards of all time, if not THE greatest. He is all knowing, all-powerful; he is the definition of omniscient. Dumbledore is in fact always the person of reason and as the headmaster of Hogwarts; he is mostly in control except for in Order of the Phoenix. But there are many characterizations of Dumbledore that can lead us to believe he is a representation of God.

1. Faith: At the beginning of the series, we see Harry have a childlike trust of Dumbledore, almost like he was a parental figure to Harry. As the story continues, and especially in Order of the Phoenix and afterwards, we see Harry start to lose faith in Dumbledore. This scenario of gaining absolute trust, losing it, and gaining it back again is a continuing Christian allegory. It happened to Moses in the desert, and even to Jesus while on the Cross. In the Book of Matthew 27:46 (ESV): "Jesus cried out with a loud voice... 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" We especially see it during the Deathly Hallows when Harry continues to realize that he must die to kill Voldemort. And all along, this is where the omniscient part comes in; Dumbledore knew Harry would have to do this. During their search for the Horcruxes we see Harry start having huge doubts in Dumbledore, and it causes rifts between his friends and his own mind. But when the doe appears to him at night, and Ron comes to his rescue, we start to see his belief be reaffirmed. But Harry did struggle with his faith in Dumbledore as his secrets and lies came to fruition, and this is a case for all Christians who struggle with their faith. "Why is God doing this?" is a common question people ask and have a hard time understanding. But the common theme is to trust in God and he will not fail you in the end.

2. Fallen Angel: During the course of the stories, we discover that Voldemort was actually a student at Hogwarts known as Tom Riddle. He was collected by Dumbledore from an orphanage, and became a student of his. After having been sorted into Slytherin, and gained a modest group of friends/followers he began his life of evil. Opening the Chamber of Secrets, murdering his father, using Horcruxes etc. Ultimately, falling from the grace of Dumbledore and so began the rise of the Dark Lord and the First Wizarding War. In the book of Revelation there recounts a war in Heaven between a "great serpent" and the angels of Michael. The "great serpent" was Satan and was an angel of God who rebelled, taking some followers with him. As the First Wizarding War ended in Voldemort's near defeat, the same is said for Satan. Revelation 12: 9(ESV) "...And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." And again it is interesting to note that Satan is referred to as the Great Serpent, as Voldemort was a part of Slytherin and did control the Basilisk, King of Serpent's in the Chamber of Secrets.

3. Now You See Me: This is a very small event which took place in the second novel and second film which in 1999/2002 we might not catch. While Harry was under the cloak of invisibility in Hagrid's Hut, Dumbledore sort of stares in there direction as if to show that he can see them. Well at least Harry was sure that Dumbledore knew they were there. In any case, in the last novel and film we know that the invisibility cloak comes from Death, probably one of the most powerful mythical beings in the magical and non-magic world. We are told that Death can not find a person underneath this cloak, which promotes the possibility that Dumbledore is more powerful than Death itself. This just proves Dumbledore's ultimate power and his omnipresence.

4. Master of Death: Dumbledore, at one time, had all three of the Deathly Hallows. The Invisibility Cloak, the Resurrection Stone, and the Elder Wand. All these items granting the owner God like powers of omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience. These powers are all attributed to the Christian God.

What we as an audience can take from this is not only Dumbledore's great power, but also the progression of Childhood to Adulthood and mankind's ability of choice. Harry, even though having doubts in Dumbledore, chooses to embrace the light and combat evil even when their journey seemed dismal. They all had some small shred of hope, and that is what the basis of Christianity is, a hope for a better tomorrow and faith that God will help make that happen. In the words of Sirius Black “We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are."