The influential aspects of any religion have the power to dictate how the lives of those who choose to follow it will be lived. However, people become consumed by their faith, which has the ability to provoke constructive action or create chaos. In Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Silas wears out his faith and creates havoc in various ways. Through his corrupt actions to protect the faith he believes in, Silas often harms people with selfish reasoning. Because of Bishop Aringarosa's miraculous actions that saved Silas' life, Silas feels the need to perform whatever the bishop asks of him. Although some things contradict his beliefs, Silas ignores them and goes as far as to sin. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks is a novel about a Jewish codex and its journey through different periods of history, as well as the people who protect the scriptures from government forces such as the Nazi regime, in hopes of unraveling the mystery behind the book. Over time, people who had the opportunity to handle the Haggadah came to understand the meaning and power that the book possessed. Although they were not Jews, they respected the religion so much that they risked their lives to go against other people's beliefs and protect the precious book. Religion has the power to not only shape the minds of characters, but to greatly influence their actions. Secrets play a significant role and are necessary to control chaos and provide trust in a community. In both novels, religion has a direct impact on people's way of life, as well as their ethical beliefs and actions. Religion has a great influence on people, providing faith and direction to each individual as they control a...... middle of paper ...being brought to the edge of life or death due to the importance religion has in one's life. The use of secrets to protect harmful truths or opposing powers that damage the prestige of a religion is also a common action that is considered necessary to maintain balance within a community. The constant influential attributes that religion possesses can dictate the actions someone performs. It is seen solely as a positive system that creates peace among beings, however religion obtains negative factors that also negatively affect believers. People tend to turn to religion as an answer to the unknown, as well as allowing it to dictate most aspects of a human being's life. This prevents people from deciding their own unique path in life and prevents them from further inquiring about available answers to questions they are unaware of..