Question 2

In Chapter 3, Berry states that mountains, especially in the 19^th century, became a testament of God’s work and were now considered sacred. Throughout history, mountains have always been seen in a spiritual setting, with the heights passing through clouds and upwards to the heavens and to God’s, or the gods’, domain. According to Nicholson, the world in its most pristine form was “the ultimate model for beauty” as it was made perfectly in God’s image. Throughout history, Christians have seen mountains playing parallels with power, like Mt. Zion housing King David. However, mountains also have a negative connotation, as they are seen as imperfections on the landscape, and even though one can climb a mountain to better hear God’s word, it can be seen as challenging authority. During the 1960s through the 1970s, a movement bringing people back to nature was seen. Mountain climbing became popular, preservation efforts came into place, and Christian recreationalists began claiming that nature was a sacred place, mountains were a literal high place to lift up weary souls, and the pristine untouched nature was cleansing to the soul. Pilgrimages to national parks became common, especially with the rise in popularity of automobiles. Due to increased road travel, the National Forest Service helped create a code stating that uncut timber would be reserved along high traffic roads, and native stone was used in barriers alongside roads to help preserve wildlife. This created pleasant scenery along the roads, and these strips of timber were even called “God’s Gardens.”  This shows that even when people were trying to develop all available land, the appeal of nature was still strong. Today, nature is something that people want to control more than enjoy. Even though Christians should try to always be stewards of the earth, it seems as though the excitement and wonder around nature has been lost.