Whither Religion

In Chapter 2, Berry discusses the way in which Americans band together and create organizations that revolve around discovering, interacting, surviving and preserving nature. He talks about how it can be seen as the foundation for the contemporary environmental movement, but also how these early organizations (like the Sierra Club, The Boy Scouts of America and the Wilderness Society) were sometimes overshadowed by political affairs revolving around nature. Whether they were political or otherwise, he highlights the prevalence of nature centered organizations and their widespread influence across the country. The organizations tended to ground themselves in the spirituality that accompanied nature, and used those ideals to promote their morals and religious beliefs, while conserving nature all at the same time. He uses the example of the City Beautiful project that enhanced the infrastructure and nature that was destructed by "the moral decay brought about by the pressures of urban life" (Berry 65). Not only did the movement aim at creating public parks, but they also aimed at cleansing the cities of physical and moral pollution. 

A 21st-century American example of this ideal of moral cleansing would be Pope Francis' comments on climate change. He said Earth was, "an immense pile of filth" and that our relationship with the Earth would never heal unless human relationships heals. This relates back to what Berry said because the City Beautiful project was not only combatting the physical damage, but also purging society of their negative morals through nature and recreation. If more projects like this continued to pop up around the nation, the world potential could begin to evolve and "heal" like Pope Francis called for, thus hopefully improving the condition of the Earth. 

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-renewed-importance-of-pope-franciss-encyclical-on-climate-change