Mere Chistianity Book I Chapters 1-5 Summary

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

Book I Chapters 1-5 Summary of Main Ideas

Book I Chapters 1-5 Summary of Main Ideas

“Right and Wrong As A Clue to the Meaning of the

Universe”

“Right and Wrong As A Clue to the Meaning of the

Universe”Moral law

Where does it come from?Why does it exist?

Is it REAL?

Moral law Where does it come from?

Why does it exist? Is it REAL?

What major worldview questions does Lewis attempt to address?

What major worldview questions does Lewis attempt to address?

Prime realityKnowing

Right and wrongMeaning and purpose of history-life

Prime realityKnowing

Right and wrongMeaning and purpose of history-life

Chapter 1The Law of Human Nature

Chapter 1The Law of Human Nature

The law of human nature is the sense/value of right and wrong that we all seem to share

Some universal standard of behavior that we all appeal toExample: Fairness / unselfishness

We expect others to know about this standard

The law of human nature is the sense/value of right and wrong that we all seem to share

Some universal standard of behavior that we all appeal toExample: Fairness / unselfishness

We expect others to know about this standard

Lewis’ conclusion in chapter 1

Lewis’ conclusion in chapter 1

We know what we “ought to do”

but we do not do what we know we “ought” to do

We know what we “ought to do”

but we do not do what we know we “ought” to do

“That’s not fair”“That’s not fair”

Human quarreling indicates Human quarreling indicates that all people appeal to this that all people appeal to this “law”“law”

We criticize others for acting We criticize others for acting “wrongly” or “unfairly” or “wrongly” or “unfairly” or selfishlyselfishly

We defend our own wrong We defend our own wrong actions by making excuses or actions by making excuses or justifying them justifying them

But we do not deny that some But we do not deny that some rules actually existrules actually exist

Human quarreling indicates Human quarreling indicates that all people appeal to this that all people appeal to this “law”“law”

We criticize others for acting We criticize others for acting “wrongly” or “unfairly” or “wrongly” or “unfairly” or selfishlyselfishly

We defend our own wrong We defend our own wrong actions by making excuses or actions by making excuses or justifying them justifying them

But we do not deny that some But we do not deny that some rules actually existrules actually exist

Chapter 2Some Objections

Nature and Nurture

Chapter 2Some Objections

Nature and Nurture Moral behavior is just our “herd

instinct” Natural instincts that developed over time

as we evolved as human beings Part of our biology Our strongest instinct seems to be the

instinct of self-preservation

It is just “social convention” What we learn and what our society, family,

school, culture teaches and expects of us

Moral behavior is just our “herd instinct” Natural instincts that developed over time

as we evolved as human beings Part of our biology Our strongest instinct seems to be the

instinct of self-preservation

It is just “social convention” What we learn and what our society, family,

school, culture teaches and expects of us

Lewis Challenges Both Objections

Lewis Challenges Both Objections

Instincts are neither good nor badEvery “good” instinct can be

turned into something “bad” The instinct to eat can become

distorted – gluttony/anorexia The instinct for sex can become

distorted- abuse / pornography

Instincts are neither good nor badEvery “good” instinct can be

turned into something “bad” The instinct to eat can become

distorted – gluttony/anorexia The instinct for sex can become

distorted- abuse / pornography

Instincts are neither good nor bad

Instincts are neither good nor bad

Example: piano notes (keys) are neither good nor bad- they are just notes

It is how the notes are played that determines whether they are good or bad

Example: piano notes (keys) are neither good nor bad- they are just notes

It is how the notes are played that determines whether they are good or bad

The law of human nature directs our instincts telling us that something is preferable to something else

We often obey our “weaker” instinct risk our life to save another person’s

life- (self-sacrifice)

Lewis thus concludes that the law of human nature cannot be the instinct itself

The law of human nature directs our instincts telling us that something is preferable to something else

We often obey our “weaker” instinct risk our life to save another person’s

life- (self-sacrifice)

Lewis thus concludes that the law of human nature cannot be the instinct itself

Social Convention Lewis challenges the idea that this

law of human nature is social convention We often judge between societies and

cultures seeing some as being more civilized or just

We have some idea of progress- progressing toward some ideal of justice, fairness, and goodness

We can compare laws over time (example: slavery, race laws) as “better” or “worse.”

Social Convention Lewis challenges the idea that this

law of human nature is social convention We often judge between societies and

cultures seeing some as being more civilized or just

We have some idea of progress- progressing toward some ideal of justice, fairness, and goodness

We can compare laws over time (example: slavery, race laws) as “better” or “worse.”

We prefer something over something else

“How can we say that Christian morality is any better than Nazi morality” if there is no standard to measure by?

We cannot call a line crooked if there is no straight line to compare it to

We prefer something over something else

“How can we say that Christian morality is any better than Nazi morality” if there is no standard to measure by?

We cannot call a line crooked if there is no straight line to compare it to

Chapter 3 The Reality of the Law

Chapter 3 The Reality of the Law

The law of human nature must be some REAL thing that we DID NOT create or make upIt is more like mathA universal constant (reality) or

standard that we all appeal to

The law of human nature must be some REAL thing that we DID NOT create or make upIt is more like mathA universal constant (reality) or

standard that we all appeal to

The law of human nature is NOT a specific behavior We often judge the same

behavior in different ways Example of the man on the train whose

seat is taken- we differentiate between it being taken by

accident and being taken intentionally

He reacts differently to the same behavior - depending on the intention of the person who took his seat

The law of human nature is NOT a specific behavior We often judge the same

behavior in different ways Example of the man on the train whose

seat is taken- we differentiate between it being taken by

accident and being taken intentionally

He reacts differently to the same behavior - depending on the intention of the person who took his seat

The law of human nature does NOT mean what “human beings in fact do.”

Only tells us what “human beings ought to do….”

It is not necessarily behavior that I find useful to me or that I happen like

Not necessarily behavior that “pays” Doing one’s work honestly when it would be

easier and more profitable to cheat

The law of human nature does NOT mean what “human beings in fact do.”

Only tells us what “human beings ought to do….”

It is not necessarily behavior that I find useful to me or that I happen like

Not necessarily behavior that “pays” Doing one’s work honestly when it would be

easier and more profitable to cheat

“if we ask: 'Why ought I to be unselfish?' and you reply 'Because it is good for society,' we may then ask, 'Why should I care what's good for society except when it happens to pay me personally?' and then you will have to say, 'Because you ought to be unselfish' – which simply brings you back to where we started.”

“if we ask: 'Why ought I to be unselfish?' and you reply 'Because it is good for society,' we may then ask, 'Why should I care what's good for society except when it happens to pay me personally?' and then you will have to say, 'Because you ought to be unselfish' – which simply brings you back to where we started.”

Chapter 4 What Lies Behind the Law

Chapter 4 What Lies Behind the Law

“….. a real law which we did not invent and which we ought to obey.”

“….. a real law which we did not invent and which we ought to obey.”

Two Ways People Look at the Universe

Two Ways People Look at the Universe

Materialistic View Materialistic View “ ..matter and space [and time] just

happen to exist, and always have existed, nobody knows why; and that the matter, behaving in certain fixed ways, has just happened, by some sort of fluke, to produce creatures like ourselves who are able to think.”

There is NOTHING but physical (material) reality (Naturalism)

“ ..matter and space [and time] just happen to exist, and always have existed, nobody knows why; and that the matter, behaving in certain fixed ways, has just happened, by some sort of fluke, to produce creatures like ourselves who are able to think.”

There is NOTHING but physical (material) reality (Naturalism)

“But WHY anything comes to be there at all, and whether there is anything behind the things science observers – something of a different kind – this is not a scientific question.”

“But WHY anything comes to be there at all, and whether there is anything behind the things science observers – something of a different kind – this is not a scientific question.”

Calvin and Hobbs Calvin and Hobbs “That's the whole problem with science.

You've got a bunch of empiricists trying to describe things of unimaginable wonder.”

“That's the whole problem with science. You've got a bunch of empiricists trying to describe things of unimaginable wonder.”

The Religious View The Religious View There is SOMETHING (Someone)

behind the physical universe.

It is more like a mind than it is like anything else we know (such as natural laws- gravity, motion, etc).

* it is conscious * it has purpose * it prefers one thing over another

The universe DOES have meaning and purpose

There is SOMETHING (Someone) behind the physical universe.

It is more like a mind than it is like anything else we know (such as natural laws- gravity, motion, etc).

* it is conscious * it has purpose * it prefers one thing over another

The universe DOES have meaning and purpose

“If there was a controlling power outside the universe, it could not show itself to us as one of the facts inside the universe – no more than the architect of a house could actually be a wall or a staircase or fireplace in that house.”

The facts of the universe can only give us limited information

“If there was a controlling power outside the universe, it could not show itself to us as one of the facts inside the universe – no more than the architect of a house could actually be a wall or a staircase or fireplace in that house.”

The facts of the universe can only give us limited information

• Example: • Mail carrier delivers packets with letters

assuming that other packets to other houses also contain letters

• The expectation is that there is “a sender of letters... “-

• the letters are from someone

• If the facts of the universe are like the “letters” the mailman delivers, it stands to reason that the universe must have a “Power behind the facts, a Director, a Guide.”

• Example: • Mail carrier delivers packets with letters

assuming that other packets to other houses also contain letters

• The expectation is that there is “a sender of letters... “-

• the letters are from someone

• If the facts of the universe are like the “letters” the mailman delivers, it stands to reason that the universe must have a “Power behind the facts, a Director, a Guide.”

“All I have got to is a Something which is directing the universe, and which appears in me as a law urging me to do right and making me feel responsible and uncomfortable when I do wrong. “

“All I have got to is a Something which is directing the universe, and which appears in me as a law urging me to do right and making me feel responsible and uncomfortable when I do wrong. “

Chapter 5

We Have Cause to Be Uneasy Chapter 5

We Have Cause to Be Uneasy We look at the universe and the world

around us and make two observations: This “Somebody” (God) who created it

is… a great artist –

The beauty and order of the universe

merciless and “no friend to man.”- The universe often seems terrifying and

dangerous, chaotic, and unpredictable

We look at the universe and the world around us and make two observations: This “Somebody” (God) who created it

is… a great artist –

The beauty and order of the universe

merciless and “no friend to man.”- The universe often seems terrifying and

dangerous, chaotic, and unpredictable

Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Kills Hiker; National Park's First Fatal Mauling Since 1986-

Summer 2011

Polar bear kills British student camping in Norway

Summer 2011

Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Kills Hiker; National Park's First Fatal Mauling Since 1986-

Summer 2011

Polar bear kills British student camping in Norway

Summer 2011

The power of moral law in leading us to TRUTH The power of moral law in leading us to TRUTH “You find out more about God

from the Moral Law (Law of Human Nature) than from the universe in general just as you find out more about a man by listening to his conversation than by looking at a house he has built.”

“You find out more about God from the Moral Law (Law of Human Nature) than from the universe in general just as you find out more about a man by listening to his conversation than by looking at a house he has built.”

“The Moral Law does not give us any grounds for thinking that God is 'good' in the sense of being indulgent, or soft, or sympathetic. There is nothing indulgent about the Moral Law. It is hard as nails. It tells you to do the straight thing and it does not seem to care how painful, or dangerous, or difficult it is to do.”

“The Moral Law does not give us any grounds for thinking that God is 'good' in the sense of being indulgent, or soft, or sympathetic. There is nothing indulgent about the Moral Law. It is hard as nails. It tells you to do the straight thing and it does not seem to care how painful, or dangerous, or difficult it is to do.”

If this power (God) is perfectly good, it can ONLY hate the less than perfect things we do.

If it accepts any of our failures, it is not truly good.

But our reality is that we cannot be “good”

We know what we ought to do but we do not do it.

If this power (God) is perfectly good, it can ONLY hate the less than perfect things we do.

If it accepts any of our failures, it is not truly good.

But our reality is that we cannot be “good”

We know what we ought to do but we do not do it.

“If the universe is not governed by an absolute goodness, then all our efforts are hopeless. But if it is, then we are making ourselves enemies to that goodness every day, and are not in the least likely to do any better tomorrow, and so our case is hopeless again.”

“If the universe is not governed by an absolute goodness, then all our efforts are hopeless. But if it is, then we are making ourselves enemies to that goodness every day, and are not in the least likely to do any better tomorrow, and so our case is hopeless again.”

“Some people talk as if meeting the gaze of absolute goodness would be fun. They need to think again. They are still only playing with religion. Goodness is either the great safety or the great danger – according to the way you react to it. And we have reacted the wrong way.”

“ the supreme terror and only comfort”

“Some people talk as if meeting the gaze of absolute goodness would be fun. They need to think again. They are still only playing with religion. Goodness is either the great safety or the great danger – according to the way you react to it. And we have reacted the wrong way.”

“ the supreme terror and only comfort”

The Christian PerspectiveThe Christian Perspective

Christianity affirms the law of human nature and our failure to follow it.

“Christianity tells people to repent and promises forgiveness.”

Christianity affirms the law of human nature and our failure to follow it.

“Christianity tells people to repent and promises forgiveness.”

Christianity only begins to have meaning once we have admitted that there is a moral law and we have in fact broken that moral law and that we need forgiveness.

Christianity only begins to have meaning once we have admitted that there is a moral law and we have in fact broken that moral law and that we need forgiveness.

“All I am doing is asking people to face the facts – to understand the questions which Christianity claims to answer. And they are very terrifying facts.”

“All I am doing is asking people to face the facts – to understand the questions which Christianity claims to answer. And they are very terrifying facts.”

“... the Christian religion is, in the long run, a thing of unspeakable comfort. But it does not begin in comfort; it begins in the dismay I have been describing, and it is no use at all trying to go on to that comfort without first going through that dismay.”

“... the Christian religion is, in the long run, a thing of unspeakable comfort. But it does not begin in comfort; it begins in the dismay I have been describing, and it is no use at all trying to go on to that comfort without first going through that dismay.”

“In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth …”

“In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth …”

Christianity helps us to understand

Christianity helps us to understand

How we got into the state of both loving goodness and hating it.

Explaining how God can be the mind behind the universe AND a Person (Christ)

How the demands of the law, which we cannot meet, have been met on our behalf

How “God becomes a man to save man from the disapproval of God.”

How we got into the state of both loving goodness and hating it.

Explaining how God can be the mind behind the universe AND a Person (Christ)

How the demands of the law, which we cannot meet, have been met on our behalf

How “God becomes a man to save man from the disapproval of God.”

“He is not safe but he is good.”

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

“He is not safe but he is good.”

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe