'Nature, Pt. 2' / John Cassavetes

Well the show is kind of littered with examples of how modern-day christianity is less about Christ's message of brotherly love and more a bastardized hodgepodge of self-righteous conservativism, simple and belligerent jingistic or proselytizing beliefs, and a total loss of cathersis in any from from over-involved self-censor in the name of ascetic purity.
Kind of the whole show is Orel's slow realization that those around him are not in fact good people, but desperate, confused, and afraid, with a religion and ethical system that are slowly driving them insane.

Consider the mother, ever more obsessively cleaning the house (she cleans her cleaning supplies). The younger brother, completely out of control because Orel's dad is unwilling to raise a child that isn't his own. The town's Preacher, terribly alone and until he reunited with his daughter quite unhappy. And his Father, a violent angry drunk who's lost whatever dreams he used to have, and who's only outlet is to drink himself into oblivion.
From this perspective, the whole thing kind of makes sense if re-watched.

If you watch one of the first season episodes (can't recall which one) you can see the beginnings of the thread that reached a climax in Nature 2. When he goes to the sex shop, and meets Stephanie. He is confronted by first her total difference in mentality, and then her apathy to everything his community, family, and even himself care deeply about, and finally becomes infatuiated by her kind demeanor and infectious happiness.
Obviously, the message being that hope exists outside of Moralton to find peace of mind, and that alternative philosophical paths can lead to happiness. which I guess you can kind of see growing in his head for a while as the series rolls along. This is evidenced later by the episode where he conducts buddhist meditation. By the time of Nature, he's showing his thoughts and experiences have made him seriously question what he's being taught, in that he is unwilling to shoot animals. Ultimately, his dad forces him to choose between walking down the self-destructive path he himself did, or forging out on his tentative alternative beliefs and opinions.
In short, Nature is a "coming to a head" for Orel. He had to choose, and he choose to reject his father.

I'm now interested if his rejection of his father goes as far as to reject his religion in entirety. It will be FUN!

Orel's father kind of becomes John Cassavetes in tone and mannerism during his speech about how much his life blows chunks.

Sincerly, Bob's Your Uncle

And you remember Orel's lack of resistence, or even comprehension, to said ennui?