Saturday, March 9, 2019

In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden describes Ossenburger's religion as "bogus." What are some religious beliefs Holden might regard as genuine?

In chapter 3, Holden describes "ole Ossenburger" as a phony in regards to religion. What he appears to object to is Ossenburger's way of showing off how good of a Christian he is by claiming he is never afraid to get down on his knees and pray to Jesus, even in public, and that he talks to Jesus all the time. This is the first mention of religion in the novel, and it establishes Holden's attitude toward organized religion right away.
Holden appears to take a cynical perspective toward organized religion, though he does not reject spirituality as a whole. Though he identifies himself as "sort of an atheist," he admires the teachings of Jesus and tries to pray. He says he likes Jesus but dislikes the disciples. He does not believe the disciples are worthy of respect and that they were screw-ups as followers.
Holden's dislike of the disciples extends to modern Christian churches, which he believes have skewered Jesus's message and character. This is evident when he gets into an argument with his Quaker classmate, Arthur Childs, about whether or not Jesus sent Judas to hell after he betrayed him:

I remember I asked old Childs if he thought Judas, the one that betrayed Jesus and all, went to Hell after he committed suicide. Childs said certainly. That’s exactly where I disagreed with him. I said I’d bet a thousand bucks that Jesus never sent old Judas to Hell. I still would, too, if I had a thousand bucks. I think any one of the Disciples would’ve sent him to Hell and all—and fast, too—but I’ll bet anything Jesus didn’t do it.

Essentially, Holden thinks Jesus is far more moral and authentic than his followers ever were, past or present.
Holden is mainly resistant to attempts to draw him into a church. For example, in the scene where he encounters two nuns, he enjoys talking with them about the books he's read, but he cuts the conversation off because he is nervous that they'll try to see if he's Catholic. He also dislikes ministers because when they speak to people, they don't approach them on an intimate, human level, instead speaking to everyone with "Holy Joe voices."
From all these examples, it would seem Holden is not really an atheist at heart, but that the kind of religious experience he craves is authentic and untouched by dogma. He does not like being told what to believe and wants to follow his own convictions rather than blindly believe what a church says he should. Religious beliefs he might regard as genuine would be a simple faith in God or an ardent desire to love one's neighbor, as Jesus taught.

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