Owen's Perspective on Organized Religion

Owen's Perspective on Organized Religion

Owen conveys his views on organized religion through his poetry. The altruistic values usually associated with religion are tarnished so that the latter can be a means of propaganda to promote patriotism and war. This inappropriate converging of state and church affairs leads to Owen’s disillusionment. The futility of the organized church is emphasized since it provides no consolation for those on the battlefield. The genuine values of religion can only be portrayed by the soldiers themselves, in their sacrifice; not to their state but to their fellow soldiers. Owen explores these ideas in various works, namely At a Calvary near the Ancre, Le Christianisme, Anthem for Doomed Youth, and The Parable of the Old Man and the Young (Owen, 1920).

The Incompatibility of War and Christianity

The major and general issue with 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 promoting the church only act as figureheads who provide no consolation to the soldiers. The ‘packed-up saints lie serried’ in Le Christianisme and disregard the rubble above them as the authorities remain indifferent to the suffering of the soldiers. The former are distant from the battlefield and separate from the desolation which they themselves have pushed youths to take part in. This disillusionment is visualized ‘the church Christ’ that ‘was hit and buried’. The ‘church’ represents Owen’s disillusionment which is then again emphasized in the de-capitalization of the word, which shows its futility on the battlefield. Another idle figurehead is the ‘One Virgin still immaculate’. She is untouched by war. It is ironic how she embodies innocence and purity but encourages warfare; ‘Smiles on for war to flatter her’ (Owen, 1920). This reflects the hypocritical position of the authorities who incite hatred towards the enemy but still act as one entity with the church. This creates a conflict between true religion and that promoted by the state which acts as a principal cause for Owen’s disillusionment.

Conflict Between True Religion and State-Sponsored Religion

The contention between the two aspects of religion is mirrored in At a Calvary near the Ancre as well. The ‘disciples’, priests and ‘scribes’ are those attributed to religion and its administration however these are indifferent to Christ’s sacrifice. They take these positions as people of religious values however they are not seen to practice these whatsoever. The church is only used as part of a campaign to justify war; however, their real preoccupation is nationalistic pride. This emphasis on pride defies the idea of religion since the latter usually endorses humility and altruism. Pride is seen as the principal cause of war in The Parable of the Old Man and the Young since Abram did not want to sacrifice the ‘Ram of Pride’ rather ‘slew his son, and half the seed of Europe one by one’ (Owen, 1920). The disillusion is therefore seen where the friction is created between the actual concerns of the warmongers; ‘and in their faces there is pride’, and their inadequate use of religion to promote war. The true message of the church is distorted and thereby so is Owen’s belief in the latter.

The Futility of the Church in Wartime

Apart from the conflicts between war and Christianity, Owen’s disillusionment also is based on the futility of the church and its inadequate response to war. The same church which encourages youths in war is absent on the battlefield. This falsity and futility is mostly seen in Anthem for Doomed Youth where a great distinction is made between the homeland and the battlefield. In the process, the church rituals’ triviality in a war context is emphasized. The funerary environment back home is starkly contrasted with images of action on the battlefield, and we can thereby sense Owen’s bitter tone with respect to this situation. Though those back home are attempting to dignify their loved ones’ deaths this is done to no avail. All these rituals provide no degree of consolation whatsoever that can ease the soldiers’ torture on the battlefield. Rather, they are abandoned on the battlefield as if ‘they were not ours’ (The Send Off) (Owen, 1920).

True Sacrifice and Misguided Justifications

Owen’s disillusionment can be seen in how after being led by the prospect of religion as a source of consolation during war the soldiers are left to find solace in ‘the shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells’. Despite the futile efforts of justifying their loved ones’ deaths, those back in Britain still remain ignorant of the soldiers’ actual sacrifice. Therefore, the only genuine justification of the soldiers’ suffering may be their sacrifice for one another, rather than the basis of organized religion for war. The way of how true religious values can be found amidst savagery on the battlefield rather than in rituals prompted by organized religion continues to emphasize Owen’s disillusionment.

Conclusion: Owen's Poetic Mission

As a soldier poet, Owen is familiar with the reality of war. The inadequacy of institutionalized religion in the war context is realized in his poetry. On the other hand, the true creed is explored in the camaraderie between the soldiers on the battlefield. In the latter situation, warfare is justified since it is motivated by love rather than hate; ‘But they who love the greater love Lay down their life; they do not hate’ (Owen, 1920). This further emphasizes Owen’s disillusionment through the stark contrast of the two. Religion, which traditionally promotes charity and love, abandons all ideas of compassion by promoting warfare, yet the true sentiments of religion come through, through violence on the battlefield. Whereas the soldiers sacrifice their lives for each other, those promoting war do not even acknowledge their sacrifices.

This indifference continues to contribute to the disillusionment of organized religion. Religion is twisted in a way that one cannot genuinely believe in it anymore. Whilst the public back home is ignorant to the falsity of their beliefs, Owen uses his poetry to share his own perspective as well as to shame the church-state relations during the war and restore the true gospel which is practiced by the soldiers, thereby dignifying their death and justifying their killing. ‘Yet these elegies to this generation are in no sense consolatory’ (Owen, 1920). Owen never set out to console his readers in any way – his goal was to highlight the brutality of war and the meaningless sacrifice it implies. Through his disillusionment, as expressed in various works, Owen aims to aggravate the situation more so to the extent that even the church, that has been promised to console them in their suffering, abandons them as well. The church becomes corrupt since it is used for purposes that stray away from the message of Christ; those concerning pride and hatred for others.