After reading and analyzing the novel Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, I came to the conclusion that the religion on which the book is based, Bokononism, falls within Sigmund's religious criteria Freud. For starters, Freud has a theory that religious practices and beliefs are all invented by humans based on their desire to relieve anxieties. The practices and beliefs of a religion are comparable to childhood neurosis. Childhood neurosis is the occurrence of a wide range of neurotic conditions such as fears, anxieties, compulsions, etc. Religious beliefs are similar to infantile neurosis because, like other neuroses, they are semi-conscious creations designed to relieve anxiety, trying to recapture for us childhood feelings and securities. Even if these neuroses work, they come at a cost. As children we begin with the belief that the world is good and that our parents are perfect. As we grow up, we realize that our parents can and will make mistakes and that everything is not as good as it seems. According to Freud we then need something that compensates for the anxieties of o...