Religion in Mumbo Jumbo

It's clear from early on in Mumbo Jumbo that Ishmael Reed is not attempting to portray Christianity in a positive light. Christianity is at the heart of the Atonist movement, with the Knights Templar utilising Christian dogma to justify what they do. All of this goes without saying, but what's interesting is Reed's depiction of other religions, as it turns out that they're also portrayed negatively.

The two primary religions to use as examples are Egyptian mythology and Judaism, which appear and intertwine with each other during PaPa LaBaz's narrative at Villa Lewaro. Reed's telling of Egyptian mythology is firmly grounded in the actual mythological stories. One of the most famous stories in Egyptian mythology is that of Set's triumph over Osiris, in which Set tricks Osiris into trapping himself in a coffin, which Set's minions then destroy, fragmenting Osiris's body into countless pieces. Isis and Horus subsequently vow to avenge Osiris, working to rebuild his body while dodging several attempts by Set to kill them. This all happens in Mumbo Jumbo mostly by the letter, albeit with the added element of the struggle between Jes Grew and Atonism. But from there, things get a bit odd. Isis, Horus, and Thoth sort of disappear, and Set goes insane. What the original mythology depicts as an ongoing struggle between order and chaos that oscillates back and forth but never swings too heavily toward either side, Mumbo Jumbo depicts as a rapidly deteriorating situation that doesn't really turn out well for anyone.

And then there's Judaism. Now, I'm not Jewish, so I could be completely wrong here, but I'm under the impression that Moses is sort of the central figure of Judaism. He didn't found it, so he's not quite the Jewish equivalent of Jesus or Mohammed or Siddhartha, but I still get the sense that he's the most important. Ishmael Reed takes this sacred image and turns him into a corrupt, power-hungry man whose entire life is a strange kind of disaster that almost hurts to watch. He goes to so much trouble and takes advantage of so many people to acquire the Book, only to fail miserably when he tries to use it.

There are a couple of other religions that are given brief mention, such as Islam, which features in one scene: the conversation between PaPa LaBas, Black Herman, and Abdul Hamid. It too is portrayed negatively, being called restrictive and close-minded in much the same way that Christianity is.