Utopia by Sir Thomas More | Book 2, Chapter 9 | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Utopia explores their unique religious beliefs and embraces Christianity, but remains critical of other religions and governments.

Key Insights

• 🛐 Utopian religion encompasses worship of celestial bodies and great historical figures, but also embraces a singular God.
• 🉑 The Utopians accept Christianity due to its similarities to their utopian philosophy.
• 🥹 The Utopian priests hold a revered status and cannot be punished for any crime.
• 🤗 Utopian temples are spacious and beautiful, lacking images of God, and open to all worshipers.
• 🛟 Raphael criticizes other governments as serving the interests of the wealthy.
• ❓ Thomas More distances himself from Raphael's critique of religion and government, emphasizing his own Catholic beliefs.
• ⛪ The Utopian critique of the church and monarchy in Utopia aligns with some of Thomas More's own beliefs.

Transcript

book 2 chapter 9 of utopia is the final chapter and at first it describes utopian religion while religious utopians are not Christians some utopians worship the Sun the moon or the planets some worship great men of the past as deities most however worship a singular God called Mithras Raphael describes himself as acting as a missionary by explainin... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How do Utopian religious beliefs differ from Christianity?

Utopians worship the Sun, moon, planets, and great men of the past as deities, along with a singular God named Mithras. This differs from the Christian belief in the Holy Trinity and the worship of Jesus Christ.

Q: How do the Utopians embrace Christianity?

After Raphael explains Christianity to the Utopians, they embrace its teachings and decide to choose a priest from among themselves. However, non-priests like Raphael cannot administer the sacraments.

Q: How are Utopian priests revered?

Utopian priests are highly venerated and immune to punishment for any crime. They dedicate their lives to hard work and are considered essential to the religious practices of Utopia.

Q: What is Raphael's critique of other governments?

Raphael describes all other governments as conspiracies of the rich, pursuing their own interests under the guise of managing the public. He argues that Utopian values are more likely to lead to happiness.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Utopians worship various deities, including the Sun, moon, planets, and a singular God named Mithras.

• The Utopians embrace Christianity after Raphael explains its teachings, but non-priests cannot administer sacraments.

• Utopians have revered priests, spacious temples without images of God, and a government criticized as a conspiracy of the rich.