1984 by George Orwell
“From God to Power: Religion, Worship, and Control in 1984”
God is Power in 1984 :
In this video in , the final part of 1984 the phrase "God is Power" highlights the core ideology of the Party Oceania is depicted as an atheistic, dystopian society with no traditional religion, where the word "God" is only mentioned about eight times Instead, the Party elevates itself to a god-like status, replacing theology with political authority. In the final part of Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, the phrase “God is Power” clearly shows the main idea of the Party’s ideology. Oceania is shown as a society without traditional religion. The word “God” is rarely mentioned, and instead, the Party makes itself god-like. Political power replaces religion, and citizens are forced to worship the Party and Big Brother.
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is usually read as a political novel about dictatorship, but the phrase “God is power” opens a deeper meaning. Interestingly, the word “God” appears only a few times in the novel, mostly in the final part. In the atheistic society of Oceania, religion officially does not exist, yet this reference to God becomes very important. The phrase is first spoken by O’Brien during Winston’s torture, and later Winston himself writes it after his mind is completely broken. This shows that the idea of God is not religious here, but symbolic of absolute authority. In the novel, the Party replaces God with political power. O’Brien says, “We are the priests of power,” meaning that power itself has become divine. Big Brother functions like an all-seeing god—“Big Brother is watching you” sounds similar to the belief that God is always watching. The Party demands not only obedience but also love and devotion, just like religion demands faith and worship. Through slogans like “Freedom is Slavery” and forcing Winston to accept “two and two make five,” the Party proves that real power is control over the human mind, memory, and reality itself.
Winston at first believes in the “spirit of man”—the hope that human nature will resist tyranny. He does not believe in God, but he believes in human dignity. However, after torture in Room 101, he loses this faith. When he finally writes “God is power,” it means he has accepted that the Party is the ultimate truth. His independent thinking is destroyed. The Party becomes an immortal, collective force, and individuals must lose their identity to become part of it. The phrase also reflects Orwell’s warning about totalitarianism. When power is treated like God, it becomes unquestionable and absolute. Through surveillance, propaganda, and endless war, the Party keeps citizens in fear and loyalty. Orwell suggests that just as religious devotion can shape minds, political systems can use the same methods to gain control. Thus, “God is power” shows how authority becomes sacred, and how dangerous it is when people stop questioning it.
At the same time, this idea leads to another interpretation—that the novel may also criticize religion itself. If people are trained to worship blindly, whether God or a political leader, they can easily become obedient followers of any powerful system. In this way, the phrase carries a double meaning: it criticizes both extreme political power and the habit of unquestioning faith.
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Critique of Religion :
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is usually understood as a strong warning against totalitarian governments. However, some interpretations suggest that the novel also criticizes organized religion, especially Catholicism. This view argues that Orwell shows how religious structures and blind worship can resemble political dictatorship.
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is usually understood as a political satire about totalitarian government. However, some critics argue that the novel can also be read as a powerful critique of organized religion, especially Catholicism. According to this view, Orwell shows strong similarities between the Party’s system and religious structures. In the novel, Big Brother functions like a divine, all-seeing figure. His image is everywhere, and people are expected to love and obey him without question, just as believers obey God. The Inner Party acts like a special priesthood with higher authority and secret knowledge. This structure resembles the hierarchy found in organized religion.
The novel also presents political practices that look like religious rituals. Forced public confessions and Winston’s torture in Room 101 can be compared to religious penance and purgatory. Just as religion may use confession and suffering to “cleanse” the soul, the Party uses pain and fear to purify citizens’ minds and force them to accept its truth. Room 101 becomes a kind of secular hell where individuals are broken and remade. This interpretation is strengthened by Orwell’s personal background. Though he was raised in a Christian environment, he later identified more closely with atheism. During the Spanish Civil War, he observed the Catholic Church supporting fascist governments because of its opposition to socialism. These experiences increased his distrust of organized religion and its connection with authoritarian systems.
Here is the infographics :
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Here is the slidedeck :
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