PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGS
MERE CHRISTIANITY
CHAPTER 7: Forgiveness
Number your paragraphs 1-11.
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How did people respond during WW2 whenever they were told they were to forgive their enemies, the Germans?
Corrie Ten Boom
People don't find this virtue too high. What do they find it to be?
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When it is all said and done, a lot of times when we reject what Lewis says in Mere Christianity, what are we really rejecting?
Right in the middle of the Lord's Prayer is the request that God "forgive us our sins as we __________________ _______________ ______ _________ ______________ _________________."
According to this request what is perfectly clear?
The question becomes: "Why is forgiveness os important?" The same importance is attached to mercy (charity to the poor), humility, holiness, and love. Why? What is the connection among these 5 attributes?
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How does these relate to loving your neighbor?
Which of the statements is true: (1) Lewis thinks himself a nice chap because he loves himself or (2) he loves himself because he is a nice chap?
How does this help him love his neighbor/enemy?
In his most clear-sighted moments what does Lewis think about himself?
What does this allow Lewis to do about some of the things his enemies do?
What did some Christian teachers tell Lewis long ago?
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What were some of the things that Lewis hated about himself while yet still loving himself?
In fact why did he hate those things about himself?
Does Christianity want us to stop hating treachery and cruelty?
How does Christianity want us to hate them?
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If we respond the second way, what are we in the process of becoming? Why?
If we take the second approach, what kind of universe might we be fixed in forever?
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If you commit murder, what is the Christian thing you should do?
What is it right for a Christian judge to do?
Why can't you use the command "Thou shalt not kill" to rule out capital punishment?
Did Jesus or John the Baptist ever command soldiers to leave the army, an institution which has its primary purpose of killing at the appropriate time?
According to Lewis what is one of the great Christian ideas?
What does Lewis mean by semi-pacificism?
Semi-pacificism robs us of what?
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According to Lewis what really matters?
Even though we must kill and punish, what must we not do?
We cannot guarantee that we will never "want" revenge; however, what must we do whenever the head of revenge pops up?
How should we feel about our enemy even when we are punishing him or killing him?
What does the Bible mean by loving your enemy?
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How does this affect our love for others?
What do we do that shows us that there is nothing within us to love?
Book Three
Chapter 7
Lewis claims that the Christian command to love your neighbor as yourself is probably the most unpopular of the Christian virtues. What does this command include which makes it so unpopular?
When do people stop thinking that forgiveness is a lovely idea?
In this book Lewis is not telling us what he would do in certain situations. What is he telling us?
In order to make it easier to love our neighbors as ourselves, what 2 things does Lewis suggest?
According to Lewis does he always feel fond or affectionate for himself? Does he always enjoy his own company?
At first Lewis thought it was strange to love the sinner and hate the sin. Then he realized that all along he was actually loving one sinner and yet hating that sinner's sin. What was that person?
What are 2 possible responses we might have whenever we read in the newspaper about something atrocious somebody might have done and yet find out it was not all that bad to begin with?
Does loving your enemy mean you don't punish him?
How does Lewis use the story of him and the German soldier killing each other simultaneously illustrate his concept of the joyful Christian soldier?
Even though Christianity allows us to punish and execute criminals, how does it differ from the ordinary view of morality?
All this means that we must love those who are unloveable. Even though WE are unloveable, why do we love ourselves?