Religion and Fanaticism

The Reverend John P. Wester represents the dangerous rise of religious fanaticism, which Nordenholt sees as a threat to rational order, leading to conflict between emotional faith and pragmatic governance.

The mad alchemist's invocation of Jahveh and the Voodoo priest at Piccadilly Circus show how religious fanaticism fills the void left by collapsed institutions.

Wester's transformation from Christian preacher to prophet of a bastard Buddhism illustrates how fanaticism can exploit exhaustion and despair, threatening social order.