Religion was a huge part from Brave New World even if it be from the lack of it. As stated by others, in this brand new society God has been replaced by the word Ford. Fordship is the new so called "religion", replacing Christianity, and every other religion known to us. Throughout the book there are rituals shown to celebrate Fordship like the Solidarity Days and Ford Day.
At his Solidarity Day, Bernard Marx lies about feeling his Fordship coming to him, so he can fit in. He does not understand why the rest of his group is saying these things, or get what they are feeling. When Marx goes to the Reservation with Lenina, they witness a ritual and offering by the Indians. While watching this Lenina is disgusted, while Bernard is fascinated and seems to understand in a way what they are doing. If we were put in a situation where we witnessed the rituals of another religion would we be disgusted as well? Why so? Are we so judgmental and single minded that if people do not share the same religion as us they are wrong themselves?
Bernard brings back John the Savage, so he can study how he will react and adjust to the upper world. Upon arrival, John does not understand the actions that the society does aside from what his mother had told him in stories. John is disgusted at their lack of individualism and openness with each other. This is magnified when Lenina goes to his apartment and tries to make John have her. John is appalled by her actions and labels her whore, which in his religion is the natural thing to do. Lenina on the other hand thinks he has gone crazy. Is it possible for people from two different religions to come together as one without making any sacrifices in their own religions? John leaves London because he wants to be alone. He focuses on purifying himself from the wretches of the new world he had lived in. When John was making his bow out of wood, he found himself singing. This angered him because he was betraying the reasons he had gone to the light tower in the first place. He would not find the privacy he wanted, so he could not practice his religion as he had wanted. This caused him to take his own life because distractions from the other world were effecting his pursuing of purity. Would you consider John a martyr of his time? How often does technology distract us from our own religion? In our respective religions has technology tainted our own purity?
I wouldn't say that it is technology itself which has tainted our purity, but it has definitely made the process a lot quicker and easier. Nonetheless, it has and always will be ultimately our choice on whether or not we choose to engage in cyber activities that may take away our innocence and purity. Often times, the issue of racy pop up images on the internet is brought up, but even in these situations there is always the shut down button. No one is forcing you to keep looking.
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