Faith and False Consciousness: A Critical Study of Religion

I am writing this blog as part of a critical thinking task assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad. The purpose of this assignment is to engage seriously with the ideas presented in the videos “God is Power” and “Critique of Religion” and to examine how religion operates not only as a matter of faith but also as a structure of power and ideology. Through this blog, I attempt to reflect on the philosophical arguments discussed in the videos and to connect them with theoretical perspectives studied in class. This task encourages analytical thinking and helps in understanding religion from a socio-political and critical framework rather than a purely devotional one.

Video 1: God is Power

The phrase “God is Power” in Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell appears in Part Three during Winston’s interrogation by O’Brien, and it is central to understanding the ideological core of the Party. In an officially atheistic and dystopian society like Oceania, the reference to “God” is striking. The novel mentions God only a few times, and significantly, the explicit equation “God is Power” is articulated by O’Brien and later internalized by Winston after torture. Here, Orwell is not affirming theology but exposing how political authority replaces divinity. O’Brien declares that the Party members are “priests of power,” suggesting that power itself has become sacred. Just as religion historically demanded faith, obedience, confession, and devotion, the Party demands total submission of both body and mind. Winston’s forced acceptance—writing “Freedom is Slavery,” “2 + 2 = 5,” and finally “God is Power”—marks the complete erasure of independent thought. The phrase therefore signifies that power has assumed the role traditionally occupied by God: it defines truth, shapes reality, controls memory, and demands love. Orwell warns that when power becomes absolute, it turns into an object of worship, and political authority begins to function like religion. The equation of God with power thus exposes the danger of totalitarian systems that seek not only to govern actions but to dominate consciousness itself.

 

Video 2: Critique of Religion

The video Critique of Religion encourages a reading of Nineteen Eighty-Four beyond its usual interpretation as merely a political satire. While George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is widely understood as a critique of totalitarian politics, the novel also exposes structural parallels between authoritarian regimes and organized religion, particularly Catholicism. The division of the world into three superstates can be symbolically compared to competing religious systems, suggesting that ideological conflicts—whether political or religious—operate through similar mechanisms of dominance and control.

Big Brother functions as a secular god figure whose omnipresence echoes the idea of an all-seeing deity. The slogan “Big Brother is Watching You” mirrors the theological concept of divine surveillance, but in Orwell’s dystopia this “watching” becomes an instrument of fear rather than protection. Similarly, the ritual of public confession, especially Winston’s torture and forced declaration of love for Big Brother, resembles a distorted sacramental process of sin, penance, and redemption. The Ministry of Love operates like a perverse purgatory where suffering purifies dissent and restores ideological “faith.”

The Party’s hierarchical structure, regulation of sexuality, and demand for absolute devotion further recall religious institutions that value obedience and suppression of individual desire. Orwell’s own skepticism toward organized Christianity, shaped by his experiences during the Spanish Civil War, strengthens this interpretation. Thus, the novel can be read not only as a political warning but also as a critique of any system, religious or political, that transforms power into an object of worship and replaces critical thought with unquestioned belief.

Visualizing the Deification of Power in 1984

📊 SlideDeck: Visual Interpretation of 1984 as a Critique of Religion

The following SlideDeck presents a visual analysis of Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, focusing on the idea that the novel functions not only as a political satire but also as a critique of organized religion. Through structured comparisons, such as Big Brother as a secular deity, the Party as a Church, confession as ritual, and “God is Power” as ideological replacement—the slides illustrate how political authority assumes sacred status in Oceania. This visual presentation supports the argument that Orwell warns against any system that transforms power into an object of worship and replaces critical thinking with blind submission.

the-theology-of-1984-worship-power-and-political-religionfrom sejadchokiya