← Back to Concept Index
religion-and-power
The chapter explores how religious institutions endure and maintain authority even as their original meanings become obscured.
1 chapter across 1 book
Dune (1965)Frank Herbert
1. The realization that all religions had at least one common commandment: “Thou shalt not disfigure the soul.”
This chapter details the efforts of the Commission of Ecumenical Translators (C.E.T.) to unify major religions by producing the Orange Catholic Bible, a text intended to harmonize diverse faiths and remove divisive claims of exclusive revelation. Despite initial hope, the project incited violent backlash, revealing deep societal tensions around faith, tradition, and institutional authority. The chapter also connects the philosophical and religious groundwork laid by C.E.T. to the later religious and political role of Paul-Muad'Dib, illustrating the enduring influence of these ideas.