What the hell are you getting so upset about?' he asked her bewilderedly in a tone of contrive amusement. 'I thought you didn't believe in God.'I don't,' she sobbed, bursting violently into tears. 'But the God I don't believe in is a good God, a just God, a merciful God. He's not the mean and stupid God you make Him to be.'Yossarian laughed and turned her arms loose. 'Let's have a little more religious freedom between us,' he proposed obligingly. 'You don't believe in the God you want to, and I won't believe in the God I want to . Is that a deal?
In this exchange, Yossarian is perplexed by a woman's emotional response regarding the concept of God. He appears amused but fails to grasp the depth of her feelings. The woman expresses her distress not over God’s existence, but over the negative portrayal of God that Yossarian seems to hold. Her tears highlight a conflict between her moral beliefs and the harsh view of divinity she perceives from him.
Yossarian’s light-hearted suggestion of "religious freedom" implies a desire for mutual respect regarding differing beliefs. He proposes that they each hold their personal interpretations of God, indicating a willingness to avoid conflict about their differing views. This dialogue reflects deeper themes of faith, morality, and the quest for understanding in Joseph Heller's "Catch-22."
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
