43 & 44 ;; for the headcanon meme
Religion?
Voldemort has a very complicated relationship with religion. The orphanage had a small section quartered off so the children could pray. It wasn’t exactly a church but they still brought in a priest and conducted the sermons every Sunday. In the middle of the room would be an over-sized Catholic cross. The priest would stand in the center in front of it and speak of forgiveness and good fortune. However, the illusions of religion quickly lost their appeal to Tom. By the time he was 7 he held a firm hatred towards God, the church, and those who practiced were considered fools. In his mind either the entity of God did NOT exist or he was unimaginable cruel. Either way he would never sacrifice his free-will to what he saw as as an illusion for fools. Young Tom Riddle swore to never kneel before anything or anyone, ever again.
Although he stopped actively participating at a very young age Tom was still required to join the others when he was home for the summer. As he got older he began to peak through slitted eyes and watched with curious interest at the devotion many of his classmates and roommates still held towards a non-existant figure. They could neither see nor touch “God” yet they loved him unconditionally. Although he found this all very pathetic he began to crave the power that so many willingly gave up. It was at this time (his 2nd year) when he began to truly ponder what it meant to be a God.
Yes, my fellow readers, the idea of becoming a God among men originated within Gods own sanctuary. Tom may not have been able to feel true “love” himself, however, that doesn’t mean he was unable to recognize it in others. Yes, it’s true folks. Tom Riddle recognized L O V E as a powerful tool. By acknowledging this and having people flock towards him like moths to a flame he was not only able to gain a tremendous amount of power, but possible fulfilled a deeper psychological need. He was now receiving all the love attention he had craved as a child.
Superstitions or views on the occult?
You would think that someone with Tom’s level of intelligence and skepticism he would be dead set against things such as astrology, divination, and the belief in gaining luck through rituals. However, that is not the case. His interest in rituals to increase ones luck and fortune originated during his first year of Hogwarts. Like so many interests of his it quickly evolved into somewhat of an obsession.
It’s highly unlikely that he was the only student to have such an interest, but nonetheless he kept it very private. Many of his closest friends did not know the true extent of his beliefs until his first rise to power. The reason for this is mostly due to the fact that superstitious behaviors were looked down upon even in the wizarding community, although not to the extent that muggles would. Tom’s consistent fear of being ridiculed in any way ensured that he revealed very little about these beliefs.
The most important part of this behavior to remember is that Tom does view his superstitions as odd. He knows that his views differ from many, but that was never anything new to him. In his mind making sure to create SEVEN horcruxes or taking the prophecy seriously were just other ways to ensure nothing stood in the way of his goals. Which is ironic, if you think about it, because if he hadn’t believed in the prophecy and pursued Harry it wold never have been fulfilled and Lord Voldemort would have won the war.