J.K. Rowling, who is known across the world for her best-selling “Harry Potter” series, shared with her X followers last week that she has a “God-shaped vacuum” inside her. Rowling explained some beliefs she has changed over time and said she is willing to let evidence change her mind on any topic—the one exception is that she is not sure what evidence she needs when it comes to “the God conundrum.”
“I’ve struggled with religious faith since my mid-teens,” Rowling said in a Sept. 12 post on X. “I appear to have a God-shaped vacuum inside me but I never seem quite able to make up my mind what to do about it.”
JK Rowling Not Sure What To Do About ‘The God Conundrum’
J.K. Rowling is the pen name of Joanne Rowling, who became an internationally known multimillionaire for her book series, “Harry Potter.” The series became the basis for a franchise that includes the wildly successful “Harry Potter” film series, the “Fantastic Beasts” prequels, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, Florida.
In recent years, Rowling has been outspoken about her belief that people’s gender must correspond to their birth sex and frequently interacts with her critics on X. Recently, a user responded to a post from Rowling about the importance of free speech and changing one’s beliefs based on evidence. The user accusing Rowling of wanting “people dead simply for expressing their gender identity” and also told Rowling to “shut the f*** up.”
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Rowling replied:
I’m sure you can back up that assertion with a quote of mine, because otherwise it might look like you’re exactly the kind of person I’m describing: fixed beliefs, zero evidence, inventing grievances to justify a desire to silence people who say things you don’t like.
Someone else asked Rowling what beliefs she has changed. Rowling answered, “I used to believe nurture was everything and that nature wasn’t important. My belief changed because of my own life experience and from reading studies about genetic inheritance.”
“In my early twenties I believed the difference between the sexes was entirely due to socialisation,” she continued. “I no longer believe that (for the same reasons as above.).”
Rowling said she no longer believes in nuclear disarmament or that cannabis is “essentially harmless.” Her reason for changing her view on the latter topic was “because I’ve witnessed it wreaking havoc on someone I care about’s mental health.”
I appear to have a God-shaped vacuum inside me but I never seem quite able to make up my mind what to do about it, said J.K. Rowling.Click to Post
