C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity, Essay Example

Question 4.1: How does Lewis argue for the idea of God from the human experience of right and wrong? (I, 3 & 5)

Lewis differentiates between “The Laws of Nature” and “The Laws of Human Nature.” In the matter of the laws of nature, he offers examples of things we find in the natural world, such as rocks and trees. These elements of the natural world behave according to such laws as physics and gravity. A rock, when dropped, will inevitably land on the ground. Trees will grow towards the sky. If a tree does not suit our purpose (for example, if it does not offer enough shade) we would not call it a “bad” tree. It is simply doing what trees do.

On the other hand, there is a divide between what we as humans ought to do, and what we in fact do. We have an innate sense of what we ought to do, and yet we very often do not do what we know we should do. Lewis asks us to consider where our knowledge of moral certainty comes from (leaving aside considerations of whether we adhere to that certainty), and makes the case that God is what is behind the knowledge of what we ought to do. He makes clear at this point that he has not yet carried his conclusions all the way to the God of Christianity; he simply has made the case for the existence of a God behind our sense of right and wrong.

Question 4.2: With what terms or analogies does Lewis describe the incarnation (God becoming a man? (II, 1 & 4)

Lewis begins this section by drawing away the concept of pantheism. In pantheism, the entirety of the world is seen as being an aspect of God, or even of multiple gods animating various parts of the world. In this view, the Universe is God, and these aspects of God animate the universe as we animate our bodies. In the pantheist view, everything is divine, and if we don’t see everything as being a part of God we’re simply not looking at it correctly.

The Christian view sees God differently. Lewis uses the analogy of the world as a painting, and God as the painter. A painter creates a painting, but he is not part of that painting. If the painting were to be destroyed, the painter would still exist. Lewis then refers back to his conceptualization of good and evil, and how pantheism does not draw as great a distinction between good and evil, because everything in the pantheistic world is a part of God. In Lewis’ view, once we have decided to draw a greater distinction between good and evil, we can more easily recognize that the world is a creation of God, but it isn’t God himself.

Question 4.3: What are the three essential issues of morality? (III, 1)

Lewis uses several analogies to make his point about the three issues of morality. Likening man to a machine, such as a ship at sea, he notes that the first way in which the man-machine can go wrong is between men, where problems in the machine of man can cause men to drift away from each other, or crash into each other.

The next way that man can go wrong is internally, if there are “breakdowns” inside the man-machine that cause problems for us in reaching our destination.  So we must have rules in place that ensure that we do not crash into each other, and also that we do not break down inside; that way, we can move in harmony with the other machines.

With this analogy of man as a fleet of ships in mind, Lewis notes that we have yet to consider the third part of moral rules: the fleet’s destination. Without any guidance, our fleet could end up in the wrong place. Thus Lewis views morality as a) between man and man, b) within each man, and c) between all of mankind and God. He notes that we often are preoccupied with the first part (the relationships among men, or among nations, for example), while often forgetting the other two. It is just as important that we keep ourselves in good repair, so that we are able to live up to the first and last of these three issues of morality. Without God, we cannot live up to all three parts of morality.

Question 4.4: How does Lewis show that social morality leads us into theological morality? (III, 3)

Lewis makes clear that the moral principle at the core of Christianity is the Golden Rule: do unto others as we would have done to ourselves. As simple as it seems, that is all there is to it. The sense of what is right and wrong stems from that rule. If everyone lived by that rule, we would have a world of social morality.  Christianity tells us to feed the poor, but it does not offer us a cookbook. It is up to us to bring the thought into action within the context of our society. He reminds us that the Church is not in the business of supplying a “political programme,” but is instead there to help us live according to Christian rules. If we all then, as Christians, set out to tackle the problems of society, we would quickly develop a truly Christian society.

In this Christian society, we would all work, and produce good things. We would not produce silly things, or unnecessary luxuries. We would be courteous to each other, as courtesy is a Christian value. Lewis notes that on the large scale, such a society would look rather socialist. On the other hand, on the individual level of families, we would adhere firmly to what may seem like “old fashioned” ideas of virtue and honor. In addition, we would live up to the Christian ideal of charitable giving –we would give as much as we could, and then give even a little more.

This society will not arrive, Lewis asserts, until we really want it. And we will not really want it until we are truly Christian. The important thing is that we must not wait around for it to happen; it is up to each of us to move towards it through our own efforts, and not through waiting around for the efforts of others.

Question 4.5: What are the essential strengths of the three theological virtues? (III, 7, 9-11)

Charity is the core of Christian love. It is the love we offer to ourselves, in the sense that we want the best for ourselves. But it is not about emotion; it is an act of will. We must apply the same standard to others, and be concerned for their well-being as if it were our own. More importantly, we cannot pick and choose to only apply that will to the people we like; we must apply it to everyone.

In addressing Hope, Lewis discusses our baser desires, such as hunger and sex, and notes that there are ways of satisfying those desires in this world. With Christian Hope, we have a desire to seek Heaven, and that desire too can be fulfilled through God, if we follow the path of Christ.

Faith is holding on to things your mind once accepted, even though your moods may change. We all believe certain things to be true and then sometimes lose our conviction in those beliefs (Lewis offers several examples, but readers could also imagine their own circumstances as well). Faith is the act of holding on to those beliefs even when we sometimes are tempted to forget our convictions.

Question 4.6: How does Lewis describe or define “faith?” (III, 11-12)

Simply put, Faith is the ability to maintain our Christian beliefs in the face of temptation. It is easy to have faith when we are not tempted, but it is much more difficult to maintain it in the face of temptation.

Question 4.7: In discussing time, Lewis also deals with God and prayer. What is the relationship between each of them? (IV, 3)

Lewis argues that those who question God’s ability to answer all prayers see him as being part of our time, and as such he would be overwhelmed by an onslaught of prayers. God is not of our time, though; he is timeless. Therefore God’s ability to answer our prayers is not contingent on Him having enough “time” to answer them; God does not need “time” to answer prayers.

Question 4.8: What is Lewis’ point in the chapter section, “Let’s Pretend”? (IV,7)

Lewis uses the story of Beauty and the Beast as an analogy for Faith, and the story of the man in the mask as an analogy for using that Faith to practice living as Christians (“putting on Christ”). It is only when we have Faith and put our beliefs into practice that we will truly become Christians.

Question 4.9: How does Lewis answer his own question, “Is Christianity Hard or Easy?” (IV, 8)

The answer to this question is a paradox. As Lewis sees it, Christianity is both hard and easy at the same time. It is hard at first, because it goes against man’s selfish desires, and our willingness to leave our Faith behind when confronted with temptation. At the same time, Lewis maintains, it is the easiest thing in the world, as all we have to do to be Christians is to truly have Faith, to simply give all of ourselves to God. And in exchange, Lewis assures the reader, God gives us His love in return.

Question 4.10: What is the major transformation which Lewis speaks about in the concluding chapters? Do you agree with his analogy to evolution? (IV, 10-11)

Lewis uses the theory of evolution to make an interesting argument. He points out that evolution does not just move in a straight line, creating only “improved” creatures based on earlier versions of those creatures. If that were the case, then the world right now might well be populated by “improved dinosaurs.” Evolution did not work that way, he notes. Instead of bringing about improved dinosaurs, evolution did in fact bring about entirely new creatures (such as human beings).

Just as studying the past would not necessarily indicate what was to come through evolution, Lewis argues, so too can we not tell what is in store for humanity in the future by looking at the past. Lewis makes a compelling argument that Christ was the first new man, and that through Christianity, we too can become “new men.”