Martel has foreshadowed religion as a topic that would be considered by Pi, by his comparing it to zoos, and in subtle ways that certainly led to his admission that religion is indeed important to him, and Hinduism formed his basis for all other thoughts about life.
Here, while the family is on holiday, Pi wanders purposefully into a Catholic church:
Catholics have a reputation for severity, for judgment that comes down heavily.
(p. 66)As a Catholic, I find this a hoot, though it seems to be a bit more commonly held an opinion than I guessed. Luckily, Pi finds that his fears are ungrounded as well, as he has tea with Father Martin who tells him a story:
"Yes, Father, that would be the right and logical thing to do. Give me a moment to wash up."
"Hallelujah, my son."
"Hallelujah, Father."
What a downright weird story. What peculiar psychology. (p. 67)
The kettle of religion is boiling again, with the above "myth" being actively debated online, and in fact, in waiting for the new dirty word that the Fall television debuts would bring (last year's was ass, I believe) I've noticed that by the second show of any drama series, there's someone proclaiming the nonsense of religious belief.
I do enjoy the manner in which Martel approaches some of these dramatic points in the novel; they are not just treated with light humor, but in a very down-to-earth, human way that I find delightful. Martel's message comes through however; he is careful not to overshadow his meaning with rhetoric.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology