and kill In one scene the Chaplain supports war by calling it God s will but his words sound empty Brecht uses this to show how religion can be turned into propaganda The language of God and holiness becomes a tool to justify cruelty The Hypocrisy of Religious Figures The most important religious character in the play is the Chaplain At first he travels with Mother Courage and pretends to be a man of faith But when the situation changes he easily drops his religious identity The Chaplain says To fall in battle is a blessing not an inconvenience The chaplain tries to tell the cook that dying in battle is religious But when it is his turn to fight he avoids risking his life and even changes his religion With this Brecht shows that religion can be empty and fake Ordinary People and the Failure of Faith Brecht also shows how ordinary people suffer while praying for help that never comes The peasants for example pray to God to save them and the town but nothing changes Their faith gives them comfort but it cannot protect them The Peasant s Wife says Pray Nowt we can do to stop the bloodshed The peasant woman believes prayer is the only thing that can help stop the war even though she feels helpless But Kattrin instead of praying takes action and saves the town by banging the drum to warn them Kattrin s actions save the people not prayers In this way Brecht suggests that real goodness comes from human action not from religion Loss of Moral Values Throughout the play the war destroys not only human lives but also human values People steal cheat and betray others all while claiming to follow religion When Swiss Cheese Mother Courage s honest son refuses to give up the regimental cash box he is killed His death shows that moral values like honesty and faithfulness cannot survive in a world ruled by greed and war Brecht shows that religion has lost its power to guide or comfort people in a broken world Brecht s Message About Religion Brecht s purpose is not to attack religion itself but to show how it becomes useless or corrupted when tied to war and politics The play tells the audience that religion should not be used to cover injustice or violence True morality Brecht suggests comes from people who act with humanity courage and compassion not from those who hide behind religious words Kattrin s silent sacrifice becomes more holy than all the Chaplain s prayers Brecht wants his audience to open their eyes and question blind faith In Mother Courage and Her Children religion plays the role of a failed guide in a world destroyed by war It is shown as hypocritical in the hands of the Chaplain powerless for the peasants and meaningless for the soldiers Through this Brecht teaches that salvation does not come from God but from human love and courage