Harry Potter fans know that Hogwarts is a diverse place, but have you ever wondered if it was religiously diverse? J. K. Rowling confirmed this week that it is indeed — but that at least one religious group was left out. Some readers may be surprised at what belief system didn’t make the cut for the novels, though.

On Tuesday, a Harry Potter fan tweeted to J. K. Rowling to ask whether there are any Jewish wizards at Hogwarts. Rowling quickly confirmed at least one, then clarified that he isn’t the only one.

As you may expect, there was a rush of other fans of various beliefs tweeting to ask Rowling if their religious beliefs were represented as well. Rowling answered the lot of them in two tweets, naming, instead of a list of included beliefs, the only group left out:

On one hand, that makes a certain sort of sense, since Wiccans have their own beliefs about witchcraft — but then, so do many religions, and many condemn it. Of course, there’s another demographic most religions have long condemned, and that’s changing these days, so perhaps in the Harry Potter universe, tolerance of witchcraft could come about in every belief.

Speaking of that other demographic — yes, Rowling was also asked if there were any LGBT students at Hogwarts. Her reply is awesome.

So, recap: Jewish, Muslim, Christian, atheist, and any other faith (or non-faith) group you can name, Rowling says it was represented in Harry Potter. Hogwarts was open to everyone — every religious group, every sexuality, and Muggle-borns. Rowling even responded to one fan, saying that a Jedi wasn’t unlikely, and suggesting Dean Thomas might fit the role. No Wiccans, though, which Rowling confirms is out of respect for the different beliefs, rather than exclusion:

One of the major themes in Harry Potter was anti-prejudice (against house-elves, half-giants, Muggle-borns, and other marginalized magical creatures), so perhaps it only stands to reason that the book was inclusive of all belief systems as well.

[photo credit: big-ashb]