Orwell's Critique of Religion in '1984'

Name : Baraiya Krishna

Sem: M.A., 2

Roll no.: 11

Department : Department of English  (MKBU)

Introduction:

The introduction of George Orwell's novel 1984 sets the stage for a chilling exploration of a dystopian future under totalitarian rule. Published in 1949, the novel is set in a world where the government, represented by the Party, exercises absolute control over every aspect of its citizens' lives. The story takes place in Airstrip One (formerly Britain), a province of Oceania, one of three superstates locked in perpetual war. The Party is led by the figure of Big Brother, whose image is omnipresent, and its power is enforced through surveillance, propaganda, and fear.

At the center of the story is Winston Smith, an employee at the Ministry of Truth, whose job is to alter historical records in order to align them with the Party's ever-changing narrative. Despite his outward conformity, Winston harbors rebellious thoughts and is deeply disillusioned with the Party's oppressive regime. Orwell’s 1984 explores themes of mind control, the manipulation of truth, and the dangers of unchecked political power. It serves as a stark warning about the potential consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and the suppression of individual freedoms.

Historical and political context:

The historical and political context of Orwell's critique of religion in 1984 is rooted in the global climate of the early 20th century, particularly in the aftermath of World War II, the rise of totalitarian regimes, and Orwell's own personal experiences with politics and social systems.

Aspect	Details
Rise of Totalitarianism	Orwell wrote 1984 in the aftermath of World War II, observing the rise of totalitarian regimes like Stalinist Russia and Nazi Germany. These regimes saw religion as a threat and worked to replace it with state ideologies.
Influence of Stalinist Russia	Stalin's USSR persecuted religious leaders, closed churches, and promoted state atheism. Orwell critiques how totalitarian regimes replace religion with a god-like figure (Big Brother) to maintain control over people’s beliefs and actions.
Role of Propaganda and Control of Truth	The Party manipulates truth and history, similar to how religion in some societies has been used to maintain control. Orwell critiques how political systems use propaganda to shape reality and suppress dissent.
Decline of Religion in Western Societies	In the early 20th century, the decline of religious authority in Western societies led many to question traditional religion’s role. Orwell critiques how the absence of religion or a moral framework enables authoritarian control.
Orwell's Personal Experiences	Orwell’s personal experiences, especially in the Spanish Civil War, shaped his mistrust of totalitarian regimes. He critiques any ideology—religious or political—that seeks to control people’s beliefs for power.

The Party as a Substitute for Religion in 1984

In 1984, George Orwell presents a disturbing vision of how totalitarian regimes can use ideology to replace and even pervert religion. The Party, with its absolute control over every aspect of life, becomes not just a political force but a quasi-religious institution that demands absolute loyalty and submission. The Party’s relationship to religion is a tool of both manipulation and oppression. Through its ideological apparatus, the Party not only replaces religion but also transforms its structures and rituals to ensure the control of people's inner lives.

Big Brother as God: The Central Figure of Worship

At the heart of the Party's ideology is Big Brother, a figure who mirrors the traditional role of God in organized religions. Big Brother is an omnipresent figure: his image is displayed on posters, coins, telescreens, and everywhere people look. In a society where surveillance is constant, Big Brother embodies omniscience, knowing every citizen's thoughts and actions. This omnipresence and omniscience echo the attributes of a divine being, creating an aura of infallibility and omnipotence.

• Omnipresence: 

Just like God is often depicted as everywhere, Big Brother’s face is literally everywhere. Through telescreens, propaganda, and constant surveillance, he is always watching. His slogan, "Big Brother is watching you," becomes a warning and a reminder of the Party's absolute power.

• Omniscience:

Big Brother is not just physically omnipresent but also omniscient, with the Party's surveillance systems knowing every move, every action, and every thought. The Party uses this to control not just external behavior but also the internal lives of its citizens. The Thought Police ensure that thoughts are aligned with Party doctrine, much like how religious authorities might attempt to control or influence the beliefs and thoughts of their followers.

• Eternal: 

Big Brother is presented as a figure whose image never fades or changes, much like how religious deities are often considered eternal and unchanging. In 1984, the Party indoctrinates citizens to believe in the unchanging and eternal nature of Big Brother, ensuring they accept that nothing can alter the authority of the Party.

Citizens are taught to love Big Brother unconditionally, just as religious worshipers are often taught to love their God above all else. This blind devotion is key to the Party's control, as it replaces the personal connection to a higher power with unquestioning loyalty to the state.

The Two Minutes Hate and Rituals: Emotional Manipulation as Religious Practice

The Two Minutes Hate is one of the most vivid ways Orwell illustrates how the Party uses rituals to maintain control. This daily event involves citizens expressing collective hatred toward the Party's enemies, primarily the figure of Emmanuel Goldstein, the alleged leader of the Brotherhood, which represents opposition to the Party.

The Two Minutes Hate has striking similarities to religious rituals, particularly those in which followers gather to express devotion or collective emotion. The mass hysteria during the Two Minutes Hate serves several functions:

• Unity through Emotion: 

Just as religious ceremonies can unify believers through shared emotional experiences, the Two Minutes Hate serves to unite citizens in a common cause—hatred of the Party's enemies. The ritual is designed to eliminate personal feelings and turn individuals into part of the collective emotional experience, redirecting their anger and frustration toward a common enemy.

• Reinforcing Ideology:

In the same way that religious rituals affirm belief systems and group identity, the Two Minutes Hate affirms the Party’s ideologies. It is an act of ideological submission that reinforces the importance of loyalty to Big Brother and hatred of any opposition.

These ceremonies are carefully orchestrated to elicit strong emotional responses from the participants. Through these rituals, the Party controls not just the actions of individuals but also their emotions, ensuring that citizens feel what the Party wants them to feel.

O'Brien as a High Priest: The Party’s Religious Leadership

O'Brien, a high-ranking member of the Party, plays a role similar to that of a religious priest or spiritual leader. He is a key figure in Winston's indoctrination into the Party's warped version of truth. O'Brien's role parallels that of a priest who controls knowledge, truth, and access to spiritual insights. He teaches Winston, not just through reasoning but through an almost religious initiation, that truth is what the Party says it is. His famous dictum, "2 + 2 = 5," is a clear illustration of how the Party manipulates reality to serve its needs.

• Enforcing Dogma:

Just as religious dogma can be enforced regardless of logic or empirical evidence, O'Brien forces Winston to accept the Party's version of truth, even when it contradicts basic facts. This is a powerful metaphor for how religious or political ideologies can dominate and control people's perceptions of reality.

• Control of Thought:

O'Brien’s role goes beyond simply teaching Party doctrine; he is also responsible for breaking Winston’s resistance and forcing him to surrender his ability to think critically. Much like religious leaders have historically sought to control not just actions but thoughts and beliefs, O’Brien ensures that Winston’s thoughts are fully aligned with the Party’s ideology.

Transformation of Religion into Ideological Control

In 1984, Orwell’s critique of religion is not simply a denunciation of belief itself but of how ideologies—whether religious or political—can be used to manipulate people. The Party has absorbed the function of religion, not just replacing it but appropriating its tools of ideological control.

The Party has created a system where people no longer turn to religious faith or moral codes as a guide for living. Instead, the Party provides all answers, all meaning, and all purpose. It dictates what is true, what is moral, and what is real. Like a religious institution, the Party offers its citizens a worldview that requires complete submission and obedience.

By replacing religion with its own totalitarian ideology, Orwell shows how a political regime can elevate itself to the point of religious worship. In this way, the Party becomes a godlike force, with absolute control over the mind, body, and soul of its citizens. This transformation of religion into political control is one of the central critiques of Orwell’s novel, as he warns against the dangers of totalitarianism and the loss of individual autonomy in the face of overwhelming ideological pressure.

The Erasure of Traditional Religion in 1984

In George Orwell’s 1984, religion is not directly discussed, yet its absence speaks volumes. Orwell uses this erasure to emphasize how totalitarian regimes eliminate all competing ideologies, including religious belief, in their quest for absolute control. The Party seeks to be the sole authority—morally, spiritually, and intellectually.

1. Totalitarian Regime Views Religion as a Rival

• Religion Offers Competing Loyalty: Traditional religion promotes allegiance to a divine power higher than the state. This conflicts with the Party’s demand for total loyalty to Big Brother.

• Moral Codes Beyond State Control: Religions often contain ethical systems (e.g., the Ten Commandments) that can directly oppose state-imposed values, making them dangerous to a regime that wants to define its own morality.

• Historical Parallels: Like Stalin’s Soviet Union or Hitler’s Nazi regime, the Party eliminates religion to prevent ideological competition and moral questioning.

2. The Role of Language – Newspeak and the Destruction of Spiritual Concepts

• Newspeak Eliminates Moral Vocabulary: Orwell’s invented language removes words like “soul,” “sin,” “faith,” and “God,” erasing not only vocabulary but the very ideas themselves.

• Loss of Thought Through Loss of Words: Without language to express religious or ethical thought, people can no longer conceive of those ideas, much less act on them.

• “Thoughtcrime” Prevents Inner Rebellion: By restricting language, the Party limits thought, making it impossible to even internally question the regime. This linguistic control ensures that spiritual resistance never even begins.

3. Consequences: The Loss of Moral and Spiritual Resistance

• No Higher Power to Appeal To: Without religion, citizens have no external or spiritual framework to judge right from wrong. The Party becomes the only moral authority.

• The Collapse of Individual Morality: Winston’s personal search for truth and morality is ultimately crushed because he has no higher moral compass to rely on—just the shifting, oppressive ideology of the Party.

• Symbol of Total Control: The absence of religion signifies the complete dominance of the Party—not just over public behavior, but over the private thoughts and inner lives of its citizens.

 Religion as a Tool of Oppression – Orwell’s Perspective (with Animal Farm Parallel)

Aspect	Details
Character	Moses the Raven — Represents religious figures who preach about a better afterlife (e.g., priests or prophets).
Symbol of Religion	Sugarcandy Mountain — A metaphor for heaven, where animals are told they’ll go after death, offering hope amidst suffering.
Initial Attitude of Leaders	The pigs (revolutionary leaders) reject Moses at first, calling his teachings lies meant to pacify and distract the animals.
Shift in Strategy	Later, the pigs allow Moses to spread religious tales, realizing it discourages rebellion and keeps animals obedient.
Orwell’s Critique	Orwell suggests religion can be used by those in power as a tool to maintain control, offering false hope instead of real justice.
Function of Religion	It acts like a psychological sedative, keeping the oppressed calm by promising future paradise instead of prompting action in the present.
Connection to 1984	In 1984, religion is eliminated because it threatens state power. In Animal Farm, religion is used strategically to control the masses.
Deeper Implication	Orwell warns that any ideology, including religion, can be co-opted by authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent and ensure obedience.

The Moral Vacuum Left by Religion’s Absence:

In 1984, George Orwell is not just attacking religion — rather, he is offering a nuanced critique. He suggests that while religion can be misused, its complete removal from society creates a dangerous emptiness — a moral vacuum that can be filled by totalitarian ideologies.

1. Religion as a Moral Foundation

• Traditionally, religion provides a moral compass, helping individuals distinguish right from wrong.

• It also offers spiritual resistance — a belief in a higher power or truth that can’t be controlled by earthly authority.

• In the absence of religion or a strong ethical code, people are left morally disoriented.

2. Totalitarianism Fills the Void

• In the world of 1984, the Party replaces religion with its own ideology.

• There are no spiritual values, no universal moral truths, and no higher power to turn to — only Big Brother and the Party.

• The Party decides what is right or wrong, true or false — even 2 + 2 = 5 becomes "true" if the Party says so.

3. Winston’s Struggle and Defeat

• Winston Smith, the protagonist, tries to reclaim truth, love, and moral independence.

• But without a deeper foundation (such as religion or a higher ethical ideal), he has no external authority to support his rebellion.

• The Party crushes his spirit, proving Orwell’s point: when there's no spiritual or moral grounding, totalitarian power becomes absolute.

4. Orwell’s Fear and Warning

• Orwell feared that when religion is erased, the state becomes god.

• In such a world, people are easier to manipulate because they lack any moral resistance or spiritual guidance.

• This results in a society where citizens are not just controlled externally — they are empty inside, vulnerable to domination of their thoughts and beliefs.

5.Summary Table

Theme	Explanation
Religion's Traditional Role	Provides moral guidance, spiritual strength, and a sense of right and wrong.
Effect of Its Removal	Creates a moral void — people no longer have internal values to resist oppression or manipulation.
Party’s Replacement	The Party fills this void, becoming the only source of truth and morality.
Winston’s Failure	He lacks a higher moral authority to justify his resistance — and so is crushed by the state.
Orwell’s Warning	A godless, morally void society is easier to control — tyranny thrives where there is no spiritual resistance.

Conclusion:

In 1984, George Orwell presents a powerful and complex critique of both religion and its absence in a totalitarian society. Rather than launching a straightforward attack on religion, Orwell explores how its removal can lead to a dangerous moral vacuum—one that can be easily exploited by authoritarian regimes. Through the Party’s godlike image of Big Brother, ritualistic practices like the Two Minutes Hate, and figures such as O’Brien who resemble religious authorities, Orwell illustrates how totalitarianism mimics and manipulates the structure of religion to enforce absolute control.

By erasing traditional religion and ethical frameworks, the Party ensures there is no higher authority for individuals to turn to—only the state, which defines truth and morality on its own terms. Winston Smith’s doomed resistance underscores the consequences of living in a world without spiritual or moral grounding: in the absence of religion or a higher ethical ideal, people become vulnerable to manipulation, unable to challenge oppressive power with meaningful resistance.

Ultimately, Orwell warns that while religion can be misused by those in power, its complete elimination can lead to a society that is not just externally oppressed, but internally hollow—lacking the moral compass and spiritual resilience necessary to resist tyranny. His message is clear: without some form of deeper truth or higher ideal, humanity is left defenceless in the face of absolute power.