In "By the Waters of Babylon," how is John's society different from the one that came before it?

The society is spiritual since it was governed by priests. His society seems to be one that is more in tune with nature and intuition than the Place of the gods. John’s people lived in the middle of natural elements, not in a large city. Subsequently, spiritually, their principles seem to be modeled after those of Native Americans, rather than contemporary day man. They seem to worship nature in its place of science. They have priests who executed chants, spells, and do some healing. They have taboos and fear demons and spirits.