What is religion? What does it mean to be religious? These are questions that both believers and non-believers have been asking for centuries. Each individual has their own way of interpreting religion as well as their own faith. The standard definition of religion is a person's belief or worship of a supernatural being such as a deity or deity. Religion can be used to unite people of all races and backgrounds, but it can be the only thing that can completely divide people. The book Persepolis is set during the Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s and shows Marjane's childhood and coming of age experiences. Unlike most books where religion is portrayed as either good or bad, Persepolis portrays it as both. In the graphic novel written by Marjane Satrapi Persepolis, the topic of religion is constantly raised and we are shown how religion is used as a method of justification for political movements and as a metaphorical wall between reality and what we want. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Throughout the book, various scenes are shown where religion helps Marji deal with pain, sadness, and joy. For example, the chapters The Veil, The Heroes, and The Sheep demonstrate the progression of Marjane's unshakable faith towards no faith. Marji, as stated on page 6, was “born with religion” and desired to become a prophet, “…Because our servant did not eat with us. Because my father had a Cadillac. And above all because my grandmother's knees always hurt." In The Veil it is shown that every night Marjane had a conversation with “god” and wished to be his justice, love and wrath. However, as we progress through the book in the Heroes chapter, we discover that God is Marji's safe place. A place of comfort and security that no one else had. In the chapter The Sheep we are shown the last scene of God as he disappears from his life after the death of his uncle Anoosh. A place that was once a place of comfort and safety has turned into nothingness. This is a major turning point that reveals to Marji that the world is unfair. Furthermore, schools that were once separate coeducational, bilingual schools were a sign of capitalism, and women were forced to wear headscarves. Parties were no longer allowed, smoking and drinking were prohibited as was the purge of Western culture. The country was going through a cultural revolution, meaning they were getting rid of Western, non-Islamic ideas and replacing them with Islamic ideals and politics. The teaching that the Shah was chosen by God was implemented in schools as was the idea that child soldiers would go to heaven if given a key. Obviously as a child Marji believed this as this was the Shah's only teaching, she was baffled by it and this moment seemed to be the turning point for her. “The education system and what is written in school books, at all levels, are decadent. Everything must be reviewed to ensure that our children are not led astray from the true path of Islam.” As previously stated, religion was implemented in schools, which led children to believe that the Shah was chosen by God. Many violent protests broke out, some in favor of the headscarf, some against. Most of the laws enacted were very oppressive towards women in particular. Any culture other than their own was banned and women began to conform to what society wanted to see and lost their personal identity. Not only that, but we are shown what Western culture is like.