Religion is a big aspect in the lives of many people. Since I was raised a Catholic, and spent nearly 13 years of my life at a Catholic school, religion is definitely a part of my life. But after reading Hey Nostradamus I realised that sometimes people take religion to literally. The view of religion is beginning to become a fundamentalist view. Once someone has this view they start to believe that only their beliefs are the correct ones and that everyone else is bound to hell. They also begin to look down upon people who are not religious. These traits are not good ones to have and they are far from religious. The effect of taking religion to this drastic literal level actually accomplishes the opposite of what is intended.
The character Reg from Hey Nostradamus is a prime example of taking religion to a negative level. Reg wants everyone around him to be religious, not only in the way they are but in the way he wants them to be. He shuns people that do not follow his ideal type of person. Therefore the only person he did not shun is his eldest son Kent, because everyone else does not fit into his ideal mold. He is unbelievably stubborn and close minded. By taking religion to his level, Reg is left alone and hated by everyone. It is not till the end of the book that he realises how wrong he is. In realising this he does not loose his sense of faith he simply develops a deeper understanding of compassion, understanding and forgiveness, which are basically aspects of religion.
Having a character like Reg helps Douglas Coupland inflict more doubt into people because it shows the audience the negative affects of a fundamentalist view. It is very important that Coupland does inflict doubt because religion is not meant to be taken that literally. Religion is ultimately a guideline on how to live our lives as good people. When taken too literally, like with Reg, the outcome is not positive. The more doubt that can be inflicted on people the less fundamentalist views there will be and the world has a potential being filled with more open minded accepting people. Yes, this does sound cheesy, but a chain effect will happen and it could possibly become the case.
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3 comments:
I'm right there with you Claudia! People do seem to take things a bit too literally and in doing so, do not capitalise on potentially fruitful relationship because these people don't share their literal/hard-line view of the world. In my own personal experience this lead to problems between my sister and I when we where both a bit younger. Those times have passed along with the hurt feelings, but there is a void there which may never be bridged. I think this may be the same way with Reg; even though he changes in the book the relationships he has damaged may never quite heal properly, leaving a scar that may never heal.
I loved what you said Claudia, but I'm coming from a different view. Religion is definitely a big aspect in the lives of many, many people, but not in mine as I was growing up. I have grown up resenting not religion period, but that fundamentalist view some people have about their particular religion. The way some look down on non-believers, and condemn them to hell was something that I could never accept. Coupland definitely made me uncomfortable at the beginning, when it was clear that religion would be a large concept in the novel. By the end however, I was much more open-minded and ready to learn more about it. I agree with you, that hopefully this doubt Coupland is trying to impress upon society will start a chain reaction of acceptance and open-mindedness.
I agree with you all on the importance of keeping an open mind. Being myself an "agnostic with aetheist tendencies," I too was a little freaked out at first by the promience of religion in the novel. I hadn't really thought of the idea of fundamentalist-aetheism before, but Coupland made me think about how that can be just as close-minded a view as the religious extreme. It opened my mind, man. :)
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