Society in all cultures share a common trait: Religion. Studying religion in any society reveals many of their traits and explains the actions of the individual. For example, Jewish people live their lives according to what was written in the Talmud and the Torah. They respect the Sabbath and also eat Kosher meat. Even when looking at Huxley's A Brave New World, analyzing religion still helps us understand the actions of the societies and characters within the book.
When analyzing religion in any society, one must consider what god the society worships and what purpose that god holds. The `civilized' people in A Brave New World worship the automotive pioneer Henry Ford as their god. But, why is Ford the center of their religion? Henry
…show more content…
Just like how a society that worships love and war is a paradox, a society that has freedom but is caged is a paradox as well, and the religion of the `savage' society illustrates this relationship.
The rituals of a society must be analyzed as well to further understand the actions of the society and its people. Huxley writes about two religious ceremonies, one celebrated by the `civilized' society and the other by the `savage' society. The `civilized' people hold a Solidarity Service where twelve people get together and chant and shout out songs about topics such as the promiscuous idea of "orgy porgy" (84) and the idea that "I am you and you are I." (82) In order to continue ingraining the ideas of a stability and community as an adult, these services are held to continue conditioning the people. In this case, religion is used more as a tool than as a way to grow spiritually. For this society, we can understand that stability and community are very important to them and this ceremony shows this aspect.
The `savage' people have a ritual of their own which has multi-purposes. The details of the ceremony involve a `sacrifice' where a boy gets whipped until he collapses in order to "please Pookong and Jesus." (117) Similar to the `civilized' society, this ceremony shows how the people of this society value community and stability. The boy getting whipped is willing to get beaten for the good of the people so that the land would be blessed
Karen Armstrong, author of “Homo Religiosus,” claimed that without the physical rituals and traditions, religion morphed into a belief. Simply put, Armstrong argued that religion requires not only blind faith but also customs and practices that affect one’s physical and mental behaviors. It is through these rituals and taboos that the religions grows and forms, and yet also changes when deemed necessary. Additionally, Armstrong constantly compares religion to different art forms. She does this to convey the message that much like art, one must focus and study religion for lengthy periods of time to be properly understood. However, this connection also suggests that art and religion can perform an analogous role to humankind when required, as they both evolve and change when a society 's infrastructure does. Throughout her essay “Homo Religiosus,” Armstrong focuses on the similar role that both art and religion play in society to discuss her claim that religion is not just a belief, but rather has to do with changes in physical and mental behaviors that in return create change in society and the religion one needs.
And so, to conclude, Fordianism is that institution, and in Brave New World, the author Aldous Huxley uses the psudeoreligion Fordianism to emphasize the need for human kind to have a sense of purpose, and how that can be taken advantage of and satirized in today’s religious culture . Which begs the question: How far are we willing to push the boundaries and possibilities of religion for our own gain? When will the general, good hearted populous regain their senses and fight back what was rightfully theirs for the sake of their beliefs and spirituality? Is religion REALLY just a construct to gain control of
Religion is a species-specific human universal phenomenon, complex, full of paradoxes, and found in all cultures. Social scientists and anthropologists since the late 17th century have attempted to rationally answer questions about religion, and while we can't evaluate the veracity of religion’s claims, we can attempt to understand its functions.
John is overtaken by the usual grief and despair that accompanies the loss of a loved one. With anger and woe stirring in his heart, “Mr. Savage” is unable to control himself any longer. It has become impossible for him to assimilate into the strange and immoral culture. He loudly professes the rights and beauty of manhood and freedom, but fails to change anyone’s view. Everyone is conditioned to love their life.
Religion and sex are always controversial topics in society. The way these topics are treated often characterizes a society. In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, a community of homogenous, mass-produced citizens live a very strange life by modern American ideals. Citizens are sorted into castes (Alpha, Beta, etc.) chosen for them while they are still embryos. Through hypnopædia and chemical alteration, citizens are taught to love their caste. Pleasure is emphasized in Brave New World, encouraging promiscuity and the use of the drug soma. Bernard Marx and Lenina Crowne travel to the Reservation, where “normal” people are kept. They discover John, a boy whose father is the praised Director of the Hatchery, an unheard of, tainted phenomenon. They bring John and his mother, Linda, back to London, where they become almost a spectacle, thrusting Bernard into a position
In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, the leaders believe that God is obsolete. Morality does not come from religion in the novel it comes from brainwashing. The leaders do not visualize religion as a necessity in a world where science is the basis of everything. If a society has no evident religion, somehow someone will find a form of religion or a Christ figure to praise and believe in. Real societies cannot survive without religion or science. Regardless of what the leaders in Brave New World promote, there is room for both science and religion in society; it’s a necessity.
The functionality of America would not be as novel or ingenious without religion, a monumental influence in the building of the United States. If we trace back hundreds of years to colonial times, religion acted as the absolute driving force that convinced colonists that America was the new haven they had been looking for. It also contributed long lasting moral, social, and political impacts seen in countless movements reflecting the christian ideals of truth, life without sin, and altruism, or good works. Lastly, religious liberty is a major campaign so trite that one will find religious tolerance laws in every state as well as various religious tolerance groups with ease. Patently, the rudiments of religion are responsible for shaping
Historically, we have been introduced to two different Indians, the noble and ignoble savages. The Indian man was either a respectable, fierce less brave or blood thirsty warrior. The sharp contrast between the noble and ignoble savage blurs what they both share, savagery. Savagery referred to a condition of social development below “civilization” and in
On occasion, authors approach cultural subjects as historians. However, Huston Smith limits the historical facts to stay focus on the values of the religions (Smith 10,12). Having an history filled book can cause readers to lose interests in his discussion. To keep the numbers down, Smith picks the religions that most people acknowledge and would share the most common themes in their life (11). He is passionate about his studies, and he wants the audience to find their own appreciation for religion. To accomplish this, Smith simply states that,”This is a book about values”(12). Some books describe a certain faith’s good and bad qualities and can sometimes put more emphasis on the bad if the
To go in depth into this topic relating to the justification of a BNW’s sacrifice, a background of the story and the important details must first be established. In the novel, all the major values that are highly regarded in contemporary society are presented. These are shown in the civilized society where the ideals of happiness, peace, and security are ensured, and in the savage reservation where freedom, truth, and purpose and portrayed. Inevitably, the reader is forced to consider and ponder the reasonability of this trade, as the author juxtaposes the two contrasting sets if ideals when John, from primitive society, is immersed into the advanced and civilized society of a Brave New World. The ideal of happiness is shown in the novel as the civilized turn to their soma satisfaction pills and sex whenever they feel the want for it. The ideals of ultimate peace and security, with no form of suffering or conflict are shown through the extreme conditioning of the new generations and the ideal that everyone in society is one and equal (Huxley 55). On the other hand, the possibly more discouraging ideals of truth and purpose are presented only in the savage reservation, as they have a strong sense of religion, a goal in life, and can distinctly distinguish rights from wrongs. The ideal of freedom is also shown, as a higher branch is never shown to hold the “savages” back and they are born
The world is composed of a variety and number of religious beliefs and organizations. Religion is not necessary an explanation of creation, nor is it a set of rules or morals that one follows; instead, it is simply just a way to believe in something or someone. Ever since the beginning of time, religion has had an impact on government, literature, history, and much more. Many say that America originated as an enlightened or spiritually aware country. Despite the assumption of America being an “enlightened” nation founded on the separation of church and state, religion is so blatantly intertwined with American literature and history because it simply made up a huge part of its backstory.
The religions around the world are practiced in America such as Christianity,Islam,Jewish,etc and this country still remains one of the most religious nations in the world today.Population also usually can be participates in organized religious practice while others can choose to engage in a private spirituality.Besides that,religion can be describes as spiritual belief in, worship of, or obedience to a God and considered to be divine or to have control of human destiny.I believe the percentages in American people that believe in God still be higher in 50 years ahead,but the religious practicing probably will decreasing.It has many factors such as age, race, gender, economic class, and other demographic factors that can affect American
We all have some experience with religion. Whether our parents are religious, our own religious views, or others who try and convert you to a religion, we have all come in contact with a religion. But what do sociology and religion have to do with each other? The answer to this question is that religion meets sociology in the affects that it has on an individual or society (Schaefer, Richard T, 2009, pg 323).
The rise of Social media within the last 10 years has revolutionized the way people interact with another. By analyzing the boundaries and practices of the Catholicism, this paper explores the tension between the Church and Social Media
Religions of the World Since the creation of The Church of Jesus Christ of The Latter-Day Saints, there have been many controversies concerning the similarities and differences between Mormonism and Catholicism, Christianity and Protestantism. Other than the obvious, that Catholicism, Christianity and Protestantism believe that there are no more prophets, and Mormons believe that there are still prophets walking the earth today, differences between the faiths range in varying ways. The Church's founder, Joseph Smith, was born a Protestant and put his beliefs into the foundations of Mormonism. Other than this, the faiths are very different. Mormonism differs from other faiths in several different