Mother Courage and Her Children Theme of Religion

Mother Courage might be a play about war and social class, but our picture is definitely not complete until we talk about religion. For heaven's sake, the chaplain sings a whole song about Jesus (III, 509-548). For real, though, it's hard to miss the cynicism with which Mother Courage treats traditional Christian values, such as faith, compassion, virtue, and self-sacrifice, and the way it suggests these values only help people in power stay in power. Still, it's not that Brecht's play rejects Christianity outright. What is critiqued in Mother Courage is the abuse of Christian values in convincing the masses to die for the sake of their leaders' profit.

1. How would Mother Courage be a different play without the chaplain?
2. Is the cynicism toward religion shared by Mother Courage and the cook supposed to suggest that they've lost their faith?
3. How is religiosity portrayed among the peasants?
4. Does cynicism toward religion correlate to social class in Mother Courage?
   

Brecht's play portrays people who use biblical themes and references to justify brutality, suggesting that religion is often abused to serve the ends of war.

Religion itself is not up for critique in Mother Courage. Rather, Brecht's play lambasts the political use of religion.