Larkin's Church in Progress: a failed exploration of religious faithMurdoch's critique of artistic and natural beauty, entitled The Sovereignty of Good and Other Concepts , cites Plato's belief that "beauty is the only spiritual thing that we love by instinct." "Therefore, beauty is the only spiritual connection that atheist Philip Larkin seeks in a church. Larkin's poem Church Going begins as a confessional as he mentions how he often stops at random churches, can -be because he is looking for a place of worship that is beautiful, both naturally and artistically. In other words, given the nature of the Church, he is looking for a warm group of people rather than a tense group. As for artistic beauty, Larkin seeks truthful religious scriptures and an aesthetically pleasing environment, not in the sense of luxurious windows and gilded decorations, but rather in an inviting sense. Larkin begins ChurchGoing by confessing his unfamiliarity with the church. and religious practices, then creates a scenario of an unfaithful world where churches are no longer used, which is possible given the political problems that arose around the publication of this poem (1955). Larkin creates a scenario of a world without religion as a way to unconsciously rationalize his worries and uncertainty about his own afterlife, and also to create "good art" as he sits in this church full of " bad art.” Larkin's search for spirituality begins to deteriorate when he realizes that there is no natural beauty in this particular church. His discomfort is evident in the first stanza of the poem, where he describes the nature of the church as being strained by, and typical of, "a tense, musty, unignorable silence." ..... middle of paper ...... and only focuses on beauty for a connection. Finally, Larkin's epiphany lies in his ability to produce beautiful writing while reflecting in this reckless church on his ability to narrate the "ugly." truth" and gives his honest, but controversial, opinions on religion, makes Larkin a good artist according to Murdoch's The Sovereignty of Good and Other Concepts. Works Cited Larkin, Philip. "Church Going." The Norton Introduction to Poetry. Ed . Paul Hunter, AlisonBooth, and Kelly J. Mays. New York: WW Norton and Company, 2007. Murdoch, Iris. Online publication March 1, 2010. .Walker, Jim. “Hitler’s Religious Beliefs and Fanaticism.” Professional site July 7, 2010. < http://www.nobeliefs.com/Hitler1.htm.>.