Religion in Huckleberry Finn Religion is one of the most constant targets of Twain's satirical pen. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain describes contemporary religion as superficial and hypocritical. He criticizes the hypocrisy of conventional religion by comparing it to Huck's true religion. Most of the characters in Huckleberry Finn, while ostensibly devout Christians, actually behave in anything but Christian ways. Some use religion as a tool to gain wealth. The king, who twice poses as a preacher, is the epitome of the greedy evangelist. His actions are, in Huck's words, "enough to put a body of the human race to shame" (131). Many do not exploit religion, but most are hypocritical. For example, the Grangerfords go to church, own religious books, and say the sermon on brotherly love is very lovely. However, they kill their neighbors and take their weapons to the church. The most significant hypocrisy in Huckleberry Finn concerns slavery. Some very devout people, like Miss Watson and Silas Phelps, who is a preacher, own slaves. This hypocrisy ...