Religion and science play opposing roles in the real world, although, in Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, they are noticeably similar. It's human nature to be searching for the truth to life. The common person in the novel is so in need of a "guide" to follow for the truth, that they are willing to follow anything, even if it is a lie; hence the purpose of science and religion. Yet their purpose is similar, they both embrace different roles in leading the idiotic human society for the search for meaning.

Vonnegut creates a fictional religion in the novel called Bokononism, carried out by the "Books of Bokonon." The first sentence of the book gives us a warning stating, "All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies." Bokonon, aka Lionel Johnson, created these lies for the inhabitants of San Lorenzo, which was populated with...