I believe that religion can and does play a role in dystopian structures. The example provided in the question of Catholic priests developing a new form of theology to combat the oppressive authoritarianism proves that religion can influence and possibly change a dystopia for good, or for worse. We assume through this question that religion is supposed to be the solution, but in many cases, it can be the opposite and spiral a dystopia into further destructive tendencies. As for being crucial or possibly essential, it is a back and forth and sometimes contradictory topic. In 1984, the non-existence of religion is remarkable, but it made me question when I recalled the interactions of Winston with other characters, that even though there was no mention of religion they seemed to move in a religious, drawing on community, having a common goal, and believing in a certain ideal of what their lives of should be. Even in the antagonistic sense, the propaganda being pushed had a lot of religious similarities; proving their truth is the one truth and presenting the best model of what the individuals in society should behave like.
