PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGS
MERE CHRISTIANITY
CHAPTER ONE: The Rival Conceptions of God
Before reading the chapter, number your paragraphs 1-6.
INTRODUCTION
Up to this point Lewis has been providing evidence for his belief that God exists. First, he shows us that not only is there an awareness of right and wrong among mankind but that mankind does not keep the right. In fact he rebels against the right. This standard of right is above and beyond mankind (as seen in the fact that it does not come from him). It comes from a righteous God.
This poses a problem for us. We want there to be a righteous God. It's just that we want Him to overlook the unrighteousness in us. That would be convenient; however, we have no evidence that this righteous God overlooks the unrighteousness in us. Until we have concrete proof this righteous God overlooks our unrighteous behavior, we are engaging in wishful thinking when we claim He overlooks our unrighteousness. The truth is that we are probably in a lot of trouble with this righteous God. As C. S. Lewis puts it: we are His enemies. When it is all said and done, we had better hope that Christianity is true.
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How does the example of arithmetic apply to this principle?
In one of the most controversial passages in Lewis' writings, he puts a young man from Tashban in the New Narnia (heaven). How does Lewis justify putting him into the New Narnia (Book 7 of Chronicles of Narnia)?
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What does the minority of mankind believe about God?
It is an understatement when Lewis calls one group the majority and the other the minority. The truth is that 95% of the world holds the first view, while only 5% of the world holds to the second belief.
Now where would most of this 5% come from? The academic world, the world of the universities. Why is it that this 5% is coming up with a different conclusion that the other 95% are not coming up with? What evidence do they have that the rest of us don't have?
You need to understand what might be driving many of the 5%. For some people, they are simply "above" the rest of us, that is, they are not going to stoop so low and believe what the rest of us believe. In fact they feel superior because they don't go along with the "masses." Well, that might be OK if they were doing this in the area of fashion or taste in movies, etc.; however, this is a dangerous enterprise when they apply this to the area of belief in God. If God does exist and if God does care what we think about Him and how we relate to Him, then this topic is more than purely academic.
For example, Nietsche claimed that God was dead and that even if God appeared right in front of him, he would not believe in Him. Nietsche had better hope that he was right because if God does exist and God does care about what we think about Him and how we relate to Him, then Nietsche is in big trouble.
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What religion(s) holds this view?
What does the second group believe about God?
What religion(s) would hold this view?
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What does Lewis mean by that? (Circle the right ones).
(2) The second group believes that God stands apart from the universe; He made the universe but is not part of the universe. If there is ultimate good and evil, then THIS PARTICULAR God is true. According to Lewis why would this God exist if there really is ultimate good and ultimate evil?
In what sense is Christianity a fighting religion?
Now you are beginning to see why Lewis and Tolkien inject so many battles or so many conflicts in their stories. These conflicts reflect their belief (and the Christian belief) that there is an on-going battle between ultimate good and ultimate evil.
Again, it is ironic that people who are pantheists (or hold to the view that there is no ultimate right or wrong) cannot live consistently with their beliefs. Star Wars is one of the most popular movies of all time. (I helped make it so popular by the # of times I actually went to see it in the movie theaters.) In the movie George Lucas teaches the view that the force (ultimate reality is light AND dark). Yet he is inconsistent. In the movie does he want us to pull for one side over against the other, or does he want us to be blase and not care which side wins?
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You must understand that Lewis' main point is this: the world is NOT just and good; yet we have a real drive for or awareness of justice and goodness. This drive for justice and goodness CANNOT COME FROM THE WORLD because the world is not just and good. It comes from outside the world--from a just and good being, God.
Book Two
Chapter 1
According to Lewis, if you are a Christian, do you have to believe that all other religions are TOTALLY wrong? (Note the emphasis on the word "totally.")
What does the majority of mankind believe about God?
For those who believe God or gods exists, there is another division. What does the first group believe about good and evil?
(1) The first group (God beyond good and evil) are pantheists; this god animates the universe. According to this view are this god and the universe practically synonymous?
If there is no good and evil, then this view is true. Or even better, if this view is true, then there is no such thing as good and evil. If the universe is god, then there is no good or evil since there is no perfect standard of measurement in the universe which can help us determine what is evil and what is good. (This standard simply does not exist in the universe; because the universe has nothing perfect in it, if this standard exists, then this standard must come from outside the universe, that is, from a perfect being, God.)
The issue then becomes: "If God is good, then why is the universe evil?"
When Lewis was an atheist, he claimed that God did NOT exist because of how evil and unjust the world was. What was the problem with this argument?