How is this even a "theme," you might ask. Isn't the whole book about religion—a moral lesson disguised as an adventure story? Well, yes and no.
The notion of organized religion, with hierarchies, traditions, forms of worship, etc., are ideas that Bunyan examines very closely in The Pilgrim's Progress. The Puritans stood for a return to the word of the Bible itself and rejected the "worldly" nature of institutions like the Church of England or Roman Catholicism. One thing he's trying to do in this story is to highlight how the big Christian institutions during his time have become, in his mind, not that Christian at all.
Questions About Religion
- What are some examples of organized religion that Bunyan represents in the text?
- What aspects of religion come under fire in particular? How does the approach of Christian differ from standard religious forms?
- While Catholicism and Judaism take a lot of flack in this allegory, do atheists fare even worse? What specifically does Bunyan target and criticize in his depiction of Atheist and Ignorant and their conversations with Christian?
- Who are some examples of biblical figures that Bunyan directly references in his text? Why does he do this? What is the effect of it in a story where no one else has a distinct name or country?
Chew on This
Bunyan's examples of different religions draws a clear line between "bad" religions (Judaism, Catholicism) and his own form of faith (Puritanism).
The extent of Bunyan's allegory and its incorporation of key symbols (the cross, the lamb, the shepherd, etc.), place it in an ancient Christian literary tradition.