"The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack. "

- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest
Just the facts...insights from Lewis

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is a little dose of Clive Staples:
From his essay Man or Rabbit


'Can't you lead a good life without believing in Christianity?' This is the question on which I have been asked to write, and straight away, before I begin trying to answer it, I have a comment to make. The question sounds as if it were asked by a person who said to himself, 'I don't care whether Christianity is in fact true or not. I'm not interested in finding out whether the real universe is more what like the Christians say than what the Materialists say. All I'm interested in is leading a good life. I'm going to choose beliefs not because I think them true but because I find them helpful.' Now frankly, I find it hard to sympathise with this state of mind. One of the things that distinguishes man from the other animals is that he wants to know things, wants to find out what reality is like, simply for the sake of knowing. When that desire is completely quenched in anyone, I think he has become something less than human. As a matter of fact, I don't believe any of you have really lost that desire. More probably, foolish preachers, by always telling you how much Christianity will help you and how good it is for society, have actually led you to forget that Christianity is not a patent medicine. Christianity claims to give an account of facts'to tell you what the real universe is like. Its account of the universe may be true, or it may not, and once the question is really before you, then your natural inquisitiveness must make you want to know the answer. If Christianity is untrue, then no honest man will want to believe it, however helpful it might be: if it is true, every honest man will want to believe it, even if it gives him no help at all.




Read the whole essay here: http://www.merelewis.com/CSL.gitd.1-12.ManOrRabbit.htm



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1. Blogotional - 11/26/2005 2:59 am CST

Is This True? In my rapidly advancing middle age, I am constantly amazed at people's capacity for self-delusion.

Comments on "Just the facts...insights from Lewis":
1. blo - 11/24/2005 7:05 am CST

This essay is also partially quoted for November 24 in The Business of Heaven - Daily Readings From C.S. Lewis edited by Walter Hooper

2. Fred (Thunder Geek) - 11/24/2005 11:52 am CST

I love Lewis. The guy has a knack for really cutting to the heart of the matter and then presenting his arguments in a way that even a guy like me can understand them.

But, he does have some messed up theology at times.
For instance: Honest rejection of Christ, however mistaken, will be forgiven and healed'"Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him." Bob Uecker would probably say that this little interpretation was "ju-u-ust a bit outside!"

Nevertheless, this essay is awesome. It made me remember a simple quote from one of my professors, "Truth is the mind of God." I like that. Of course, it implies that whoever is not living in God is living a lie.

Happy Thanksgiving

3. Fred (Thunder Geek) - 11/25/2005 3:41 pm CST

Wow, the chirping crickets are deafening.

4. blo - 11/25/2005 4:35 pm CST

I once had an audiobook Mere Christianity read by the Shakespearean actor Michael York. Best known (by me) for his role in the Sci-Fi classic Logan's Run.

Now every time I read Lewis I hear Michael York in my head.

www.michaelyork.net

5. Fred (Thunder Geek) - 11/26/2005 1:24 am CST

I know what you mean. My Mere Christianity on CD is read by a guy named Geoffrey Howard. He has this wierd monotonic voice, but I like it. His is the voice that I hear.

6. Troubadour - 01/12/2008 7:43 pm CST

Dear Fred, it isn't Lewis you are accusing of "messed up theology": a footnoted version indicates that that statement is Luke xii, 10.

7. Jared - 01/12/2008 10:14 pm CST

Troubadour, I believe Fred is referring to Lewis's interpretation of that verse, not the verse itself.

Comments are closed