Kafka shows this idea in In the Penal Colony through the machine that could represent an organized religion. The explorer then rejects the idea of ​​having a car because perhaps in Kafka's eyes it is better to have no religion. In addition to the machine, the old governor could represent God or a higher power. On the tombstone of the old governor we read: “There is a prophecy according to which after a certain number of years the governor will be resurrected…” (Cologne 74). This is similar to the biblical idea of ​​the second coming of Jesus. Kafka through the officer demonstrates the ideas of traditional religion, while the explorer represents a modern view of the world. This coincides with the officers' dictum “Be fair!” drawn from the machine's incomprehensible blueprints that could be seen as laws, like the biblical Ten Commandments (Cologne 70). Kafka then criticizes the “organization” of religion and the laws associated with it. In the end the car breaks down and for the officer the “promised redemption” can never be sought (Cologne 74). Therefore, for Kafka, paying full attention to one's religion cannot entail any promise in the afterlife: Kafka's skepticism regarding