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You read that right. Fans of the podcast are using terminology previously used by or about Christian believers to describe their trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, yet now they’re talking about … a wizard.

The fan, Mark Kennedy, grew up as a Catholic but does not consider himself spiritual, as The Post piece noted.

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Interestingly, the podcast started as a a type of book-club class held at Harvard’s Humanist Hub.

“Just as Christians read the Bible, Jews the Torah, and Muslims the Quran, we will embark on a 199-episode journey … to glean what wisdom and meaning J.K. Rowling’s beloved novels have for us today,” the podcast’s description claims.

“Attendees at [the historic Jewish synagogue] Sixth & I lined up to buy T-shirts reading ‘Harry Potter is my sacred text,’ but Zoltan and ter Kuile say they’re not trying to create a new religious identity, and they don’t think anyone comes away from the podcast thinking his or her religion is now Harry Potter-ist,” The Washington Post piece noted. Hundreds of podcast fans showed up for the event nevertheless.

Some might see all this as a joke, while others derive a more serious spiritual connection. So does this Potter development have anything to say about the state of religion in America, particularly for the generation most attracted to the character and his story?

Related: Five Times Our Senators Have Prayed Together

We know that millennials are less likely to pray and attend regular church services than their parents and grandparents, according to Pew Research. Religion is important to 41 percent of millennials; and about the same percentage of them pray daily or more. A little over half of this generation has a definite belief in God.

Yet only 27 percent attend church services at least once a week, according to Pew.

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On a broader scale, 22.8 percent of the American population lack religious affiliation.

For those searching for the answers to life, Harry Potter cannot suffice as the golden ticket. Fictional characters “may start some people on the path to faith,” said Fr. Sliney, but one would hope that eventually people “discover the person of Christ as a true friend and sure guide.” [lz_pagination]