Question 2: Chapter 4

           In chapter 4, Berry talks about recreationalists achieving nature spirituality, meaning they are forming bonds with nature itself, just like Christians define their spirituality based on their connection to God. Members of these recreational clubs, like the Mountaineers and Sierra Club, published their own experiences through nature spirituality to bring out the individual as well as community perspectives on the benefits of nature. These writers wanted to make sure they were reaching wider audiences so they cut back on the Christian language of the gospel in a way that did not challenge other people’s beliefs. Berry discusses that the Progressive Era recreationists were getting away from the stresses of the world and finding solace in nature, but doing this in large groups where everyone would “hike and camp together as a small mobile village for weeks at a time”(149). These outings had both male and female members participating, although there were gendered roles within the group, which created gendered experiences for the two sexes.

            Berry also goes into detail about the long-term efforts of the recreationalists and preservationists, with their ideas about nature spirituality playing into mainstream religious life, to conserve nature and advocate for human beings to have a relationship with the natural world. Men and women both formed these groups to share in their love of the outdoors and serving nature in most proper way. Groups like the Mountaineers sent positive messages to the troops in WWI and invited those men to join their community so they could all share in the experience of nature spirituality. Berry even noted that these recreationalist and preservationist groups were working with the National Park Service and US Forest Service to build and expand more national parks across the country in order to provide Americans with national places so they can start to develop their own nature spirituality and bring about a sense of comradery in nature.  With all the effort put forth from these different clubs and groups, aided in the development of environmentalism becoming a social change movement that has continued on into present day. The Mountaineer and Sierra Clubs are two of the many recreationalist groups that are still active today and provide the basically the same ideas and activities they first started in the 20^th century; that is getting out there in nature, learning about it and experiencing it through one’s own and group nature spirituality.