First of all, God and the Ten Commandments were replaced by Ford, a pioneer of technology and mind-altering drugs called soma (“Christianity without tears“ - Huxley, Brave New World). Even the typical Christian trademark, the cross, became a deformed T, which represents the T-Model invented by the praised Lord Ford.
Religion in “Brave New World“
“What follows? Evidently, that we can be independent of God. 'The religious sentiment will compensate us for all our losses.' But there aren't any losses for us to compensate; religious sentiment is superfluous.“
(Huxley, Brave New World)
In the novel “Brave New World,“ a utopian society lives in a world where any kind of religion as we know it (even Christian and Islamic) was abolished by a World State Government. Religious rituals and values have been exchanged, and God reveals himself in absence, “as though he weren't there at all “ (Huxley, Brave New World). Thanks to the ten World Controllers, not even one of the normal inhabitants of the 'utopia' knows about God or any religion of the past. The question now is whether Mustafa Mond was right in saying:
“God isn't compatible with machinery and scientific medicine and universal happiness.“
Let us first of all take a look at the changes made by the ten absolute World Controllers.
First of all, God and the Ten Commandments were replaced by Ford, a pioneer of technology and mind-altering drugs called soma (“Christianity without tears“ - Huxley, Brave New World). Even the typical Christian trademark, the cross, became a deformed T, which represents the T-Model invented by the praised Lord Ford.
Secondly, instead of visiting church, the whole community is told to attend solidarity services, where twelve members have a soma orgy. The twelve participants are waiting for the greater being to reveal himself. Instead of waiting for the appearance of an almighty god, however, they are waiting for the soma to create an illusion of boundless fortune, which culminates in group sex. This orgy is nothing more than an odd replacement of the communal feeling people experience in church. Even the number of the participants isn't randomly chosen: Jesus, God’s son, had twelve apostles surrounding him as well. Furthermore, prayers have been transfigured into sayings that are used in Hypnopaedia (Sleep-Teaching). Also, sex is an important aspect of the lifestyle in the utopian world. While old-fashioned religions disregard sex without the goal of creating new life, sex based on pure fun is a basic element of the World State.
According to Mustapha Mond, one of the World Controllers, religion causes wars, pain, suffering and tears. It was used to explain the matters of the old world when science wasn’t able to, and to grant absolution. Furthermore, to “compensate us for all our losses.“ People turned towards religion, when they were stressed or had to deal with problems. But in a time when technological progress is at its peak, and all problems are solved by soma and sex, religion is an unnecessary curse. Aging people, who cannot accept that their lifetime is limited, seek absolution and the eternal life in paradise. In a society where no one is afraid of dying, however, religion makes no sense.
It is not right to say, however, that the system of the World Controllers is working without problems. The best proof of this are the islands, to which free thinkers are sent. If the system worked perfectly, there wouldn’t be any people marching to a different beat, and there would be no need for the islands. Secondly, they did not solve the problem properly, because to intoxicate and to dope humans is not right either. Religion doesn't only heal wounded souls, it also gives the people hope and power to overcome all obstacles. So the World Controllers took away freedom and art in order to create stability. There is no person who is allowed to take away the unimpeachable dignity of men!
In my opinion Mustafa Mond is partly right. Our society only clings to religion, because most of us are conditioned to by our parents and our environment. Human kind invented an Almighty Being in order to explain thunder and lightning thousands of years ago. In a time when all these mysteries are solved, we do not implicitly need to cling to these old-fashioned traditions. It is true that many people find help in God, but even more people suffer through wars in God’s name. The human race is slowly losing the ability to have faith in itself and rather trusts in God or destiny. The biggest problem of the religion nowadays is the menace of religious fanatics, who are able to kill masses of people in seconds. They easily get manipulated by their leaders and are willing to give their lives for the illusion of paradise. However, I think that the way chosen by the World Controllers is too extreme, and also takes away the liberty of the people. Even if they wouldn't miss a thing, no one is allowed to take away the right to choose. The healthiest option would be to try to combine technology and religion, or just to let them exist side by side.
In the end, I want to quote Albert Einstein in order to support my opinion, who said, that:
“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.“
Religion in “Brave New World“
“What follows? Evidently, that we can be independent of God. 'The religious sentiment will compensate us for all our losses.' But there aren't any losses for us to compensate; religious sentiment is superfluous.“
(Huxley, Brave New World)
In the novel “Brave New World,“ a utopian society lives in a world where any kind of religion as we know it (even Christian and Islamic) was abolished by a World State Government. Religious rituals and values have been exchanged, and God reveals himself in absence, “as though he weren't there at all “ (Huxley, Brave New World). Thanks to the ten World Controllers, not even one of the normal inhabitants of the 'utopia' knows about God or any religion of the past. The question now is whether Mustafa Mond was right in saying:
“God isn't compatible with machinery and scientific medicine and universal happiness.“
Let us first of all take a look at the changes made by the ten absolute World Controllers.
First of all, God and the Ten Commandments were replaced by Ford, a pioneer of technology and mind-altering drugs called soma (“Christianity without tears“ - Huxley, Brave New World). Even the typical Christian trademark, the cross, became a deformed T, which represents the T-Model invented by the praised Lord Ford.
Secondly, instead of visiting church, the whole community is told to attend solidarity services, where twelve members have a soma orgy. The twelve participants are waiting for the greater being to reveal himself. Instead of waiting for the appearance of an almighty god, however, they are waiting for the soma to create an illusion of boundless fortune, which culminates in group sex. This orgy is nothing more than an odd replacement of the communal feeling people experience in church. Even the number of the participants isn't randomly chosen: Jesus, God’s son, had twelve apostles surrounding him as well. Furthermore, prayers have been transfigured into sayings that are used in Hypnopaedia (Sleep-Teaching). Also, sex is an important aspect of the lifestyle in the utopian world. While old-fashioned religions disregard sex without the goal of creating new life, sex based on pure fun is a basic element of the World State.
According to Mustapha Mond, one of the World Controllers, religion causes wars, pain, suffering and tears. It was used to explain the matters of the old world when science wasn’t able to, and to grant absolution. Furthermore, to “compensate us for all our losses.“ People turned towards religion, when they were stressed or had to deal with problems. But in a time when technological progress is at its peak, and all problems are solved by soma and sex, religion is an unnecessary curse. Aging people, who cannot accept that their lifetime is limited, seek absolution and the eternal life in paradise. In a society where no one is afraid of dying, however, religion makes no sense.
It is not right to say, however, that the system of the World Controllers is working without problems. The best proof of this are the islands, to which free thinkers are sent. If the system worked perfectly, there wouldn’t be any people marching to a different beat, and there would be no need for the islands. Secondly, they did not solve the problem properly, because to intoxicate and to dope humans is not right either. Religion doesn't only heal wounded souls, it also gives the people hope and power to overcome all obstacles. So the World Controllers took away freedom and art in order to create stability. There is no person who is allowed to take away the unimpeachable dignity of men!
In my opinion Mustafa Mond is partly right. Our society only clings to religion, because most of us are conditioned to by our parents and our environment. Human kind invented an Almighty Being in order to explain thunder and lightning thousands of years ago. In a time when all these mysteries are solved, we do not implicitly need to cling to these old-fashioned traditions. It is true that many people find help in God, but even more people suffer through wars in God’s name. The human race is slowly losing the ability to have faith in itself and rather trusts in God or destiny. The biggest problem of the religion nowadays is the menace of religious fanatics, who are able to kill masses of people in seconds. They easily get manipulated by their leaders and are willing to give their lives for the illusion of paradise. However, I think that the way chosen by the World Controllers is too extreme, and also takes away the liberty of the people. Even if they wouldn't miss a thing, no one is allowed to take away the right to choose. The healthiest option would be to try to combine technology and religion, or just to let them exist side by side.
In the end, I want to quote Albert Einstein in order to support my opinion, who said, that:
“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.“
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