Sunday, February 9, 2014
Lying Religiously
“Anyone
unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not
understand this book”. This sentence grabbed my attention, for the concept of
religion being made up of lies was completely foreign to me. Never before had I
questioned my religion because it had always been a source of comfort and
serenity to me. Even though I was slightly offended by Vonnegut’s seemingly
cold statement, I continued to read John’s story. As the plot progressed, I
started to see the theme of religion arise frequently. On the island of San
Lorenzo, Bokonon is the major religion even though it is illegal there. In many
instances the citizens are participating in Bokononist practices such as boko-maru even though they could be put
to death for these actions. As I questioned this paradoxical situation, I
flipped back to reread a sentence in the pretext: “Live by the foma that make you brave and kind and
healthy and happy”. A little asterisk by foma
defined the word to mean harmless untruths. This definition suddenly clarified
the first phrase that I could not understand. People live by lies in order to
keep themselves happy. White lies truly make life bearable, and religion is a
direct source of “lies” to keep people happy throughout life. Religion helps
people cope with death, illness, and sorrow. But most importantly, religion
gives people hope. Without these lies, life would be heartbreaking. So even
though religion might be a lie, it is necessary because it helps people
continue and progress throughout life.
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In some ways, your comment about Vonnegut's sardonic and satirical portrayal of religion, ties each and every religion together. I admire your ability to confess that Vonnegut's writing made you question your own faith. I wonder if anyone else felt the same way.
ReplyDeleteMy first comment was deleted, therefore I apologize for the disconnect in my current comments. I can completely see how Vonnegut's text may be offensive to many people, especially those who swear and life by their faith day in and day out.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I wanted to highlight, which you touched on, is that all religions, in some way or another, encourage their believers to "live by the foma that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy." In some ways, Vonnegut is ripping apart the ideology of religion and dumbing it down to the fact that all religions are indeed a series of white lies. However, contrary to that, Vonnegut is also tying each and every religion together, regardless of the God they believe in or the way they practice. They all serve the same purpose. So in some ways, I think we are all Bokononists, like Jonah declares that we are.