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Lewis: The Problem of Pain
According to Lewis, there is a reason that a loving, caring, compassionate, and concerned God would still allow the suffering of the human beings that he created. In his book The Problem of Pain, Lewis states that human beings believe that living a life that was pain-free would mean that God loves us. When we suffer pain we think that God is angry with us and does not loves us and therefore we have a hard time reconciling the idea that He loves us so much but yet allows us to suffer. In truth, the idea of suffering has much more to do with God very much loving all of the individuals that he has created (Lewis, 104).
Lewis's argument continues in the idea that pain and suffering is what God uses to prepare us for the glories that Heaven will bestow upon us what we die. The old Christian doctrines used to talk a lot about suffering and about how it made individuals holy and blessed. Lewis merely expands on this...
That does not mean that Lewis' arguments are correct or that everyone will believe him, but only that they are translated from a language and wording that was often archaic and difficult to decipher. The book also works to remind the readers that man, not God, was the actual creator of pain through the sins that began so long ago with Adam and Eve (Lewis, 65).
There are, however, some parts of Lewis's book that are somewhat odd. In chapter 5, for example, it seems as though he is agreeing with the idea of evolution which is contrary to the Christian beliefs of creation (Lewis, 72). Not all of the book completely clears up all of the questions that anyone would have about the ideas of where pain comes from and why God allows his creations to suffer. However, much of the book makes a lot of sense and he defends most of his arguments on the basis of sound Christian theology. However, for anyone who is not a Christian the book may not make sense and may still not answer the questions that an atheist or…
Works Cited
Lewis, C.S. The Problem of Pain. London: Geoffrey Bles, Centenary Press,1940
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