Down With God, Oops, Sorry, Big Brother

In the novel "1984", Winston Smith did not worship Big Brother. Winston Smith did not obey Big Brother's commandments (especially when it came to the opposite sex). Winston Smith made a Big Mistake. So did Julia, that member of the opposite sex.

Does the above sound slightly familiar but in a different setting and context? While we don't find a great deal admirable about Big Brother (or Dear Leader in North Korea to use a real and more modern parallel), we seem A-OK with Big Brother's alter ego - God. There are lots of parallels between "1984" and God of the Bible.

There's no actual evidence in "1984" that Big Brother actually even existed. The same with God, or the God concept. God dictates to you what comes first and that's love and worship of God (instead of love and worship of Big Brother). You will have no other entities ahead of God, and of course Big Brother is the supreme head of The Party in “1984”. God tells you what to think (ditto Big Brother); what to believe (ditto Big Brother); what to eat / not eat; what to wear / not wear; who to have sex with and in what position, and to top it all off, Big Brother, oops, sorry, God is watching you 24/7/52, even unto your dreams and what's recorded secretly in your diary.

"1984" had the telescreen (that's just God in another form or disguise) and the Thought Police (God's administrators) and even Room 101 (Hell). You could say that the Inner Party are God's angels and other administrators (or enforcers); the Outer Party is more akin to those employed working for God, like priests, and other sheep herders, etc. The Proles are of course the flock of sheep and the sheep of course love Big Brother (God) and worship Big Brother (God again) - or else it's Room 101 for them and for you! At least "1984" had a 'happy' ending, for in the end Winston Smith saw the error of his ways and he loved and worshipped Big Brother.