A passage from Wendell Berry's A Continuous Harmony that sparked my interest can be found on page 5 in the chapter titled "A Secular Pilgrimage." In this chapter, Berry discuses as to what he perceives to be the greatest failure in human religion. Berry believes that religion, most notably Christianity, promotes a negative relationship between man and nature. Berry states that in response to the question on how man should live in the world, Christianity has "usually tended to give a non-answer" by asserting that "he should live for the next world." I agree with
Berry's assessment on Christianity here. I was born into a Christian family, and while we were not regular church goers, I was always surrounded by elements of Christian ideology, especially as a part of my experience while attending Catholic school for 13 years. My exposure to these ideologies, I feel, is responsible for my gradual dissatisfaction with the Christian faith that has grown over the years. While I still consider part of myself to be "spiritual" in common sense of the word, I believe in a higher power and a greater purpose behind life, my belief in the ideologies behind Christianity have dwindled. Berry's viewpoint on Christianity's relationship with nature for the most part parallels my issues with Christian ideology. I feel that too much emphasis is placed upon the afterlife rather than the quality of life we have now.
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