C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity is the written format of his radio talks from WWII. These talks were given to the British public on what Christianity is and what Christians believed. These talks would of happened during a time when as tons of the citizens of not only Britain but countries across Europe were questioning morality and faith in the wake of the horrors they were experiencing through the war. This book was published long after the war and contains what Lewis said in his talks as well as his commentary on what else he wish he could of added to his talks and relevant criticisms he got on his talks from the public. In order to change the dialogue of radio talks into a book format he divides this book into four books each with at least five, …show more content…
According to Lewis his viewpoint of reasons place in religion is in determining whether or not to accept the religion in question. He doesn’t agree with the leap of faith concept to sell someone and convince them to follow a religion. Instead he argues that faith only comes into play after one has already accepted and become a part of the religion. Faith helps someone carry out the religion’s practices whereas reason leads one to believing in the religion in the first place. His views on reason seem to be similar to that of W.K. Clifford since Lewis writes that he is “not asking anyone to accept Christianity if his best reasoning... is against it” (pg 140). This shows that Lewis highly values reason and doesn’t want people to just believe something without having proved it to themselves first. W.K. Clifford is a bit more extreme in his belief that it is not okay to just believe without proof or reason as Clifford sees doing this as not just incorrect but ethically wrong. This relates to our class discussion on the connections between faith and reason and what roles each play in people’s
One night at eight o’clock, Charles Colson visited a friend named Tom Phillipse. Before his acceptance of Christ, Tom lived much as Colson did; he was a ruthless businessman who ventured any measure upon which to win his way. Amidst witnessing Tom’s change briefly himself, Colson decided to make this additional visit. During this visit, Tom explained further to Colson his transformation and offered him a book called “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis.
In this paper, I hope to effectively summarize W.K Clifford’s (1879) argument on the ethics of belief, followed by a summary of William James’ (1897) argument on the right to believe, and finally, provide an argument for why W.K Clifford’s (1879) argument is stronger by highlighting its strengths while simultaneously arguing against William James’ (1897) argument.
In the Christian faith, God is a source of power and authority. God is the father of all creation. God does not pursue followers; his followers are in a constant pursuit of God. However, according to C.S Lewis, "when [it comes] to knowing God, the initiative lies on his side" (164). God does not show himself to all of his believers.
C.S. Lewis covers many topics in his fourth book contained in Mere Christianity titled BEYOND PERSONALITY: OR FIRST STEPS IN THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. He addresses such topics as theology, what it means to be the Son of God, the three personal God, the relationship of God and time, the cost of being a Christian, how God works to turn us into image of Christ, why Christian growth is both hard and easy, and also what he thinks about our old personalities before becoming Christians. These are all relative topics that apply to us and our daily lives. Learning and understanding this book can help a Christian tremendously in forming a deeper relationship with God.
At this moment, the human civilization is falling apart. The shield that guards the safety of men is broken by wars and conflicts. The hearts of people are injured severely by hatred, inequality, and discrimination. Countries lump into anarchy as laws and orders fall apart. And day by day, promises have been broken so frequently that it becomes a norm, and the meanings of words fall into ashes as people progress on deception. The world is gradually transforming itself into a pure arena, where people disguise as hounds and serpents simultaneously. However, amidst this chaos, there stands supreme thing keeping the pieces of mankind’s civilization together—the Law of Nature.
Religion, this is a word that has created many debates and arguments due to the world having multiple viewpoints and beliefs. C.S. Lewis decided that he would write about multiple views of Christianity, in his book “Mere Christianity.” Lewis writes about some of the main issues in Christianity, such as, ethics and humanities evident conscience. The deeper into his work one goes, the writing opens up the eyes of the reader to new views and new rationales of Christianity.
C.S. Lewis disputed for reason-based Christianity as opposed to faith-based Christianity. This is a questionable decision on Lewis’ part because conventional Christianity is indisputably faith-based. Lewis’ principal readers were supposed to be skeptics and atheists rather than current believers. Skeptics doubt for lack of reason and evidence; therefore, only reason and evidence is more likely to draw their reconsideration. In his book, Mere Christianity, Lewis writes: “I am not asking anyone to accept Christianity if his best reasoning tells him that the weight of the evidence is against it.” (about.com).
Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis, is written as set of guidelines of Christian belief. Lewis does not say there is any particular way to believe but he does make a point that the topic of religion itself is serious. As you consider whether you want to believe or not, you have to recognize how much thought it requires, and how thought provoking a process this decision is. Lewis covers Christianity in four different books within his book. In book one, Lewis discusses the Law of Nature and makes note of a tendency in humans of appealing to a standard of absolute truth in quarrels and arguments. He calls this standard the Law of Nature or the Moral Law. The Law isn't the same as the law of gravity
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis stands as a work in Christian apologetics, serving as a defense to the faith. The book was originally presented by C.S. Lewis during World War II, and aimed to be a simple, precise explanation of the Christian faith (Lewis 1). Lewis uses easy-to-understand language and vivid analogies to present a coherent case for Christianity, and addresses fundamental questions about morality, human nature, and God’s existence. A former atheist turned devout Christian, C.S. Lewis invites readers to inquire intellectually about faith and challenges them to consider the implications of their current beliefs and search for profound truth. While Christianity has many denominations, Mere Christianity aims to create a common ground
Discovering the right relationship between faith and reason matters as much as finding the right religion matters, yet the conflict seems irresolvable. Rationalists and fideists can both claim legitimate descent in the history of religion, but the essence of one view seems categorically unacceptable to the other.
Since the 19th century, William Clifford and William James have been the foremost religious theorist and have attempted to answer significant creation and theological mysteries. However, Clifford and James have varying views on the belief debate, each formulating a rational argument of what the basis for belief should be. Clifford’s, Ethics of Belief and James’ The Will to Believe outline their respective arguments which are vastly similar and but have marked differences. Both articles will be examined for these similarities and difference and stated within this paper.
In Kelly James Clark’s Article “Without Evidence or Argument”, Clark argues that belief in God, does not require the support of evidence or argument in order for it to be rational. Clark’s argument is against W.K. Clifford’s article “The Ethics of Belief”, in which Clifford claims that everything must be believed only on the basis of sufficient evidence (139). Throughout Kelly Clark’s article he states many things that support his conclusion of belief without evidence or argument, however, my paper will only discuss what Clark says on p.139 starting with the paragraph “The first problem with Clifford’s…” and the following paragraph, ending with the words “...to see why.”
In life, there is a constant battle ensuing over faith and reason. Those two things are constantly feeding off of each other in someone’s mind when making a decision. Over time in which some say is a great conversation about history this battle is changing. The Great Conversation of history spans over many eras where the questions of faith and reason are always things battling for a spot in our minds, but they shouldn’t be in battle because they are very much dependent on the other. Among the time periods from Ancient Greece, the Enlightenment, and the 19th century, writers such as Socrates, Kant, and Martin Luther King Jr have looked at the issue of faith and reason.
Pope John Paul II once said, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.” (Fallible Blogma) Based on this significant and powerful quote, one can infer that faith and reason are directly associated and related. It can also be implied that the combination of faith and reason allows one to seek information and knowledge about truth and God; based on various class discussions and past academic teachings, it is understood that both faith and reason are the instruments that diverse parties
Faith and reason were two modes of belief that dominated the history of Western Civilization. Both faith and reason were popularized as tools to understand the universe in Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian eras. By conflicting with each other, these two modes of belief sparked a lot of controversy. Reason or rationality is belief based on concrete evidence and logic. The development of one’s reason relies heavily on observation and questioning. Greco-Roman philosophers believed in the power of the human mind to understand the world. So in order to find ultimate truth, Greco-Roman philosophers dedicated their lives to perfecting their reasoning skills and encouraged those around them to do the same. Contradictory to reason, faith is the