Mere Christianity

¶ … Christianity

The first chapter of C.S. Lewis' book, Mere Christianity, entitled "Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe," begins by examining the nature of man the reality of the law. Things are not always perfect and for some reason, we do not always get along with others. In the same vein, we do not always do what is "good." When we find ourselves in disagreements with others, whether we are right or wrong, we want to convince them we are right or at least justify our behavior. Somehow, we will try to bend situations and circumstances in our favor. Man is unique and strange that he carries with him a concept of morality but at times, does not always conform to it. Lewis states, "Men out ought to be unselfish, ought to be fair. Not that man is unselfish, not that they like being unselfish, but that they ought to be. The Moral Law, or Law of Human Nature, is not simply a fact about human behaviour in the same way as the Law of Gravitation is, or may be, simply a fact about how heavy objects behave" (Lewis). While the behavior of man might be odd at times, and even unexplainable, we cannot deny it is. We have a sense of what is right, good, bad, and wrong. Lewis states that this is simply the Law of Human Nature and there is little we can do to change it. It is a "real thing" (Lewis) and it is something man did not make up on his own. Additionally, Lewis realizes that many different sects of groups of people, religions, and so forth have differing opinions of what is moral and right. He writes, "Every single note is right at one time and wrong at another. The Moral Law is not any one instinct or any set of instincts: it is something which makes a kind of tune (the tune we call goodness or right conduct) by directing the instincts" (Lewis). This point he claims, is of "great consequence" (Lewis) because if we follow our own impulses, we will all become devils. Many things contribute to how we behave and while we can come up with a thousand reasons why we choose to certain things, we cannot deny that we are compelled to do some and repulsed by others by some unseen force.

If this is the case then we must assume that something outside humanity made these laws. Lewis writes, "It begins to look as if we shall have to admit that there is more than one kind of reality; that, in this particular case, there is something above and beyond the ordinary facts of men's behaviour, and yet quite definitely real -- a real law, which none of us made, but which we find pressing on us" (Lewis). Here Lewis begins to introduce the idea of something bigger than man. This idea leads Lewis to ponder the existence of a greater power behind the universe. This power appears to be directing the universe and also "appears in me as a law urging me to do right and making me feel responsible and uncomfortable when I do wrong" (Lewis). The fifth section of this chapter delves into the notion of this greater power "When you know you are sick, you will listen to the doctor. When you have realized that our position is nearly desperate, you will begin to understand what the Christians are talking about. They offer an explanation of how we got into our present state of both hating goodness and loving it. They offer an explanation of how God can be this impersonal mind at the back of the Moral Law and yet also a Person" (Lewis).

The second chapter of this book, "Rival Conceptions of God," Lewis attempts to explain the differences found with how people perceive God. He discusses the differences with pantheism and Christianity. Simple put, Lewis writes, Christians must "believe that God is separate from the world and that some of the things we see in it are contrary to His will" (Lewis). On the other hand, what atheists believe "turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning" (Lewis). Atheism is simply too simple, according to Lewis. All religions are problematic because they are real, Lewis states, and because we have problems with death, dying, and a sense of injustice in our universe, it is because these things are real. In addition, there is no reason to go about looking for a simple religion that takes care of all the problems in the universe because there is not one to be found. Many people are bent on destroying Christianity and they go about doing that by focusing on the complications of the religion. If this were not enough, Lewis goes on to explain how he thinks Christianity is "odd" (Lewis) in that it turns out to be something one does not expect. He writes, "Reality, in fact, is usually something you could not have guessed. That is one of the reasons I believe Christianity . . . If it offered us just the kind of universe we had always expected, I should feel we were making it up" (Lewis). However, he points out that it is unlikely that anyone would make up this religion and the "queer twist about it that real things have" (Lewis). It is just weird enough to be original and not man-made, Lewis thinks. He also adds, the "problem is not simple and the answer is not going to be simpler either" (Lewis). The problem is a "universe that contains much that is obviously bad and apparently meaningless, but containing creatures like ourselves who know that it is bad and meaningless" (Lewis). We are also creatures that realize we are living a universe of dual powers, good and evil. Lewis spend a bit of time on this topic, pointing out closely the two beliefs systems are in recognizing this universe is at war. Christians believe this evil force is nothing short of a fallen angel and the "powers which enable evil to carry on are powers given it by goodness. All the things that enable a bad man to be effectively bad are in themselves good things -- resolution, cleverness, good looks, existence itself. That is why Dualism, in a strict sense, will not work" (Lewis). We are living in a universe that is experiencing a "civil war" (Lewis), according to Lewis and "we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel" (Lewis). This rebel has its own free will just as we do and this is the answer to the question about how God can allow bad things to happen in this universe.

God created man to have free will and this mean he can do what is right or what is wrong. He did this because:

Free will though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having . . .The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most rapturous love between a man and a woman on this earth is mere milk and water. Moreover, for that they must be free.

God already knew what would unfold as the result of free will and he apparently thought it worth the risk, says Lewis. In addition to this, we must believe that if God thought it was worth the risk, we must believe it, too.

In Chapter Three, Christian Behavior, Lewis discusses the aspects of morality. Humanity is not perfect, Lewis sates and there are "two ways in which the human machine goes wrong. One is when human individuals drift apart from one another, or else collide with one another and do one another damage, by cheating or bullying. The other is when things go wrong inside the individual" (Lewis). This leads us to harmony and morality, both inside and out. When we consider morality, we must consider all aspects of it and Lewis defines these as "relations between man and man: things inside each man: and relations between man and the power that made him" (Lewis). It is when we begin to consider relations between man and the power that thought about "Christian and non-Christian morality come out" (Lewis), according to Lewis.

Chapter Three describes what Lewis means by creating a Christian society. A society intent on establishing this would be Christ-centered in all matters including the economy and the state. Members of this community would utilize their gifts and talents in a Christ-centered way that benefits society. This does not mean leaving all responsibilities to clergy or preachers. Clergymen are not politically aligned with political personalities but rather tending to the needs of those in their communities. Generosity is the main characteristic of a Christian society. Along with that, Christians should be obedient to God and respectful toward government. The family would become a matter of great importance. Christians would not live luxurious lives while their brothers suffered. These communities would not support parasites not r would they support extravagant lifestyles. The Christian community is happy, joyful, and worry would not run rampant. Christians are courteous and they enjoy working because they see a greater purpose in life. The also live by the golden rule for the most part. Lewis examines this idea but considering it to its fullest extent. He writes, " may repeat 'Do as you would he done by' till I am black in the face, but I cannot really carry it out till I love my neighbour as myself: and I cannot learn to love my neighbour as myself till I learn to love God: and I cannot learn to love God except by learning to obey Him" (Lewis). Through this example, he is emphasizing the importance of goodness in all areas of life and how they influence on another in subtle ways. When we live this way, he writes we are admitting we are "driven on to something more inward -- driven on from social matters to religious matters. For the longest way round is the shortest way home" (Lewis). It begins within.

What it does not do is create a type of bargaining that goes on between man and God. Lewis points out, God does not say, "If you keep a lot of rules I'll reward you, and if you don't I'll do the other thing'" (Lewis). We were not wired this way and it would never work because in this type of system there is no love. In addition, Lewis notes that choices would change because they would have stipulations attached to them and we would not be acting on our true nature. We would slowly turn into one of creatures: either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow-creatures, and with itself" (Lewis). For the experience to be real on both sides it needs to be genuine far above anything else.

In Book Four, "Beyond Personality: Or First Steps In The Doctrine Of The Trinity," Lewis does his best to discuss theology without losing the reader. He believes theology is important because Christians need maps at times to know where they are going and they also need to know if they are on the right road to get to where they want to be. "Theology is like the map" (Lewis), writes Lewis. Learning about Christian doctrines is not enough and is "less real and less exciting" (Lewis). The map is significant because it combines the experience of "hundreds of people who really were in touch with God" (Lewis) and to progress, Christians must use the map. Lewis notes how theology if practical in these days, writing. "Everyone reads, everyone hears things discussed. Consequently, if you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones -- bad, muddled, out-of-date ideas" (Lewis). We can learn to learn from these people and this is actually what we should do, suggests Lewis. God is a personal God and everything that lives within eventually emerges.