"Religion is just mind control." George Carlin, while a known comedian, happened to be a very serious social critic. One of his most common targets was organized religion as this quote of his shows. He believes that organized religion exists not to encourage the worship of a god but to instead control people and exert power over them. A fair bit of literature supports this point of view. The novel "The Stand" by Stephen King deals with a religious figure called the Dark Man who holds sway in the ruins of Las Vegas and exerts power over thousands of people. The novel "Carrie" which is also by Stephen King proves this quote on a more intimate scale: a mother controls her daughter, Carrie, by instilling her with religious doctrine that terrifies Carrie into doing what her mother wants.
"The Stand" by Stephen King most intently examines how religion can be used as mind control after the Dark Man takes over Las Vegas. King uses imagery and characterization to make his point. A striking image comes towards the final half of the novel: the Dark Man has his followers nail to a cross those that would not join him resulting in hundreds of people being crucified. The crosses line the roads to Las Vegas. However, it is also worth noting the characterization of his followers. Lost and desperate after a plague affects the United States, the Dark Man's followers turned to him and were quickly brainwashed by his religion-toned dogma. He offers his followers someone to follow, to listen to and to believe in. He proceeds to use his brainwashed followers as an army and assaults the remaining survivors in the United States.
King similarly examines religion in his first novel, "Carrie." The characterizations of Carrie's mother, Margaret, proves Carlin's quote. Margaret is brainwashed by religion after her father was shot. After her conversion she allowed religion to rule her life. At one point she threw herself down the stairs to induce a miscarriage because she had sex out of wedlock. When she eventually had a child, Carrie, she tried to prevent anything she believed blasphemous from entering the Carrie's life and this included anything to do with sex. When Carrie begins developing breasts Margaret tells her that it is a sign Carrie has sinned. Margaret even refused to tell her daughter about puberty and when Carrie had her first period Margaret declared her a sinner. Religion clearly consumed Margaret's life.
Both of these King novels prove Carlin's quote true. King has even stated that the subtitle of "The Stand" is "A Dark Tale of Christianity." One of the characters in the novel, Mother Abigail, is a staunch believer in God. However, God does eventually appear and wipes away not just the villains but also the heroes. Had the protagonists of the novel not listened to Mother Abigail they would have likely still been alive by the end of the novel.
George Carlin echoes the belief that many people have about organized religion: "Religion is mind control." Carlin's quote is not an indictment of belief in God but instead in an unyielding belief in organized religion. Stephen King has proven Carlin's point in a number of his novels including "The Stand" and "Carrie."
"The Stand" by Stephen King most intently examines how religion can be used as mind control after the Dark Man takes over Las Vegas. King uses imagery and characterization to make his point. A striking image comes towards the final half of the novel: the Dark Man has his followers nail to a cross those that would not join him resulting in hundreds of people being crucified. The crosses line the roads to Las Vegas. However, it is also worth noting the characterization of his followers. Lost and desperate after a plague affects the United States, the Dark Man's followers turned to him and were quickly brainwashed by his religion-toned dogma. He offers his followers someone to follow, to listen to and to believe in. He proceeds to use his brainwashed followers as an army and assaults the remaining survivors in the United States.
King similarly examines religion in his first novel, "Carrie." The characterizations of Carrie's mother, Margaret, proves Carlin's quote. Margaret is brainwashed by religion after her father was shot. After her conversion she allowed religion to rule her life. At one point she threw herself down the stairs to induce a miscarriage because she had sex out of wedlock. When she eventually had a child, Carrie, she tried to prevent anything she believed blasphemous from entering the Carrie's life and this included anything to do with sex. When Carrie begins developing breasts Margaret tells her that it is a sign Carrie has sinned. Margaret even refused to tell her daughter about puberty and when Carrie had her first period Margaret declared her a sinner. Religion clearly consumed Margaret's life.
Both of these King novels prove Carlin's quote true. King has even stated that the subtitle of "The Stand" is "A Dark Tale of Christianity." One of the characters in the novel, Mother Abigail, is a staunch believer in God. However, God does eventually appear and wipes away not just the villains but also the heroes. Had the protagonists of the novel not listened to Mother Abigail they would have likely still been alive by the end of the novel.
George Carlin echoes the belief that many people have about organized religion: "Religion is mind control." Carlin's quote is not an indictment of belief in God but instead in an unyielding belief in organized religion. Stephen King has proven Carlin's point in a number of his novels including "The Stand" and "Carrie."
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