Part
of what makes Vonnegut so entertaining to read (for me, at least) is that he is
full of great one-liners. As a casual reader, I might chuckle to myself
then turn the page, but as students of literature we examine them a bit more
closely.
"Anyone unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this blog post either. So be it." (Me).
One of the most telling things about Vonnegut's statement is his choice of the word 'useful.' He could have chosen a word like 'legitimate' or even 'correct,' but instead he chooses useful. This is a deliberate choice. Bokononism arose not from a spiritual revelation or something of the like but rather a very practical need to control and keep happy the people of San Lorenzo. Being followers of this outlawed religion is a small form of rebellion that makes the people feel a little more important. What is also notable is that "a useful" religion implies that there could be any number of other useful religions that are entirely different from one another. Thus the content of the religion and the accuracy of its beliefs are more or less irrelevant in terms of usefulness. This brings us to the next part of his quote, which claims that at least one useful religion is based on lies. Vonnegut has described himself as a freethinker, a humanist, and a Unitarian Universalist among other things. He believed openly that religious beliefs about God and heaven and the like were entirely fabricated nonsense. Not only does Vonnegut create a religion where truth is irrelevant, but he uses it to make a point about real religions. The usefulness of religion is much more about feeling like a part of something and giving meaning to life than knowing the truth.
I think that Bokononism is really just a metaphor for all religions -- as you stated, Vonnegut believes that really all religions are based on foma, or useful nonsense. We can see our entire world as miserable little San Lorenzo, and we placate ourselves with white lies that make our painful world bearable. I think Vonnegut is going so far as to say that all religions were founded for the purpose of distracting from the pain of life. On some level, the San Lorenzans probably suspect that their religion is a little bit ridiculous, but it would defeat the entire purpose of their religion and existence to test it. Many aspects of our real world religion are a little ridiculous, but what good would come of finding out the truth?
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