How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Angel of God, my holy protector […] set my mind firmly on the true path and tell dear mama that it's good for me here, so that she doesn't worry." (1.6.6)
We find out quickly that the young Yuri Zhivago is a strong believer, not only in Jesus Christ, but also in angels and heaven. Shortly after his mother's funeral, he begs for an angel to visit her in heaven and to tell her that he's okay.
Quote #2
"God exists, of course. But if He exists, the He—is me. I'm going to order it." (1.8.8)
Whoever or whatever God is, Yuri thinks that he/she/it is inside everything, including him. At this point, he tells the wind to blow on a nearby tree, and this is exactly what happens. It's a total coincidence, probably, but Yuri takes it as proof that God is part of him. Because Yuri is an artist at heart, we get the idea that creating art is sort of like being God, because art brings new life into the world.
Quote #3
"It has been considered up to now that the most important thing in the Gospels is the moral pronouncements and rules, but for me the main thing is that Christ speaks in parables from daily life, clarifying the truth with the light of everyday things." (2.10.29)
Zhivago's uncle Nikolai has very clear ideas about why religion is so important: it's because religion offers us a bunch of short stories that help us make sense of how we should live our daily lives in a totally practical way. Stories, as we all know, are way easier to remember than a bunch of rules and commandments. So one of the things that makes religion great is the way it teaches us how to live through storytelling. It's an art form in and of itself.