Meandering down a Stream of Consciousness on Mumbo Jumbo and Monotheism
I think that generally Ishmael Reed takes a very iconoclastic approach to Christianity, aligning it with the Templars, the crusaders, and the Wallflower Order (the central antagonists of the book) and making its existence in the ultimate form a mere disguise for Atonism. I think this is meant to be a satirical caricature of Christianity and monotheism as a whole, similar to the arguments about the significance of Abdul Sufi Hamid’s lampoons as was discussed in class. This interpretation is furthered by Reed’s own words in an outside interview: “I’m not against Christianity. I only want to humble it, like it says it ought to be.”[1] Reed’s portrayal of Christianity, and to a greater extent monotheism, is wide-reaching in and beyond the novel: Moses, an important figure in all the Abrahamic religions, is depicted as a cultural appropriator, an ancient Elvis who commits the original sin—under Set’s goading—of reading the book in its Petro aspect. Outside of Mumbo Jumbo, Reed’s ...