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Essay / Owen's View on Organized Religion
Owen conveys his views on organized religion through his poetry. The altruistic values usually associated with religion are tarnished to the point that it can be a means of propaganda to promote patriotism and war. This inappropriate convergence of state and church affairs leads to Owen's disillusionment. The futility of the organized church is emphasized since it provides no consolation to those on the battlefield. The true values of religion can only be represented by the soldiers themselves, in their sacrifice; not towards their state but towards their fellow soldiers. Owen explores these ideas in various works, including At Calvary by the Anchor, Christianity, Anthem for Doomed Youth, and The Parable of the Old Man and the Young. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The major and general problem of Owen's disillusionment is the incompatibility of war and Christianity, or rather patriotism and religion, respectively. There is no religious comfort on the battlefield. The authorities who promote the Church only play the role of figureheads who bring no consolation to the soldiers. The “wrapped saints lie” in Christianity and ignore the rubble above them, the authorities remaining indifferent to the suffering of the soldiers. The former are removed from the battlefield and separated from the desolation in which they themselves have pushed the young people to participate. This disillusionment is visualized as “the Christ of the Church” who “was smitten and buried.” The “church” represents Owen’s disillusionment which is then reemphasized in the decapitalization of the word, which shows its futility on the battlefield. Another idle figurehead is that of “An Ever Immaculate Virgin”. It is not affected by the war. It is ironic how she embodies innocence and purity but encourages war; “Smiles at war to flatter it.” This reflects the hypocritical position of the authorities who incite hatred towards the enemy while acting as one entity with the Church. This creates a conflict between true religion and that promoted by the state, which is one of the main causes of Owen's disillusionment. The conflict between the two aspects of religion is also reflected in At Calvary near the Ancre. The “disciples”, priests and “scribes” are those attributed to religion and its administration, but these are indifferent to the sacrifice of Christ. They take these positions as people with religious values, but we don't see that they practice them at all. The church is only used as part of a campaign to justify war; however, their real concern is nationalist pride. This emphasis on pride challenges the idea of religion since the latter generally advocates humility and altruism. Pride is considered the main cause of war in The Parable of the Old Man and the Young since Abram did not want to sacrifice the "Ram of Pride" but rather "killed his son and half the seed of the Europe one by one.” Disillusionment is therefore seen where friction is created between the real concerns of the warmongers; “and on their faces is pride,” and their inadequate use of religion to promote war. The true message of the Church is distorted, as is Owen's belief in it. In addition to the conflicts between war and Christianity, Owen's disillusionment is also based on the futility of the Church and its inadequate response to the war. The same Church that encourages young people to go to war is absent on the fields of war..