I would say that it's untrue insofar that he comes up with plenty of rituals and proverbs and prophecies. Theology definitely appears when it comes to the nature of the space messiah that the Fremen are waiting for. And we definitely see everyday people engaging in that throughout the book!
But I do also grok what you're getting at- ultimately these trappings of religion are part of the medium of power, and covers up the base desires of humanity, even when it becomes transhuman through space spice-psychic magic. Herbert's elaborate spiritual systems then become manifestations of the culture under religion, but don't hold true moral or philosophical significance that religion is supposed to have, because the true moral reality in his setting is ultimately still about power.
I don't know, I haven't read the sequels, this interpretation might be really off-base.
>Herbert's elaborate spiritual systems then become manifestations of the culture under religion, but don't hold true moral or philosophical significance that religion is supposed to have, because the true moral reality in his setting is ultimately still about power.
In the later novels it introduces the concept of "Arafel" a word which comes from the Hebrew word for darkness. It represents the apocalypse (the end of humanity) and the idea is that through the golden path humanity is steered away from Arafel, so there is a thin veneer of a moral justification beyond power..
But I do also grok what you're getting at- ultimately these trappings of religion are part of the medium of power, and covers up the base desires of humanity, even when it becomes transhuman through space spice-psychic magic. Herbert's elaborate spiritual systems then become manifestations of the culture under religion, but don't hold true moral or philosophical significance that religion is supposed to have, because the true moral reality in his setting is ultimately still about power.
I don't know, I haven't read the sequels, this interpretation might be really off-base.