C.S. Lewis' Book, Mere Christianity
analytical Essay
5811 words
C.S. Lewis' Book, “Mere Christianity”
C.S. Lewis begins his book, “Mere Christianity”, by introducing the Law of Right and Wrong or the Laws of Nature. This, however, arises a question. What is the Law of Nature? The Law of Nature is the known difference between right and wrong. That is, mans distinction between what is right and what is wrong. “This law was called the Law of Nature because people thought that everyone knew it and did not need to be taught it”(18). Lewis relates the law to how we treat others. We treat others the way we want to be treated and if they treat us poorly in return we become agitated and annoyed with them. He states that we become a society of excuses when something goes wrong. He goes on to say that we want to behave in a certain way when in reality we do the opposite of what is right or what is wrong. We are humans and humans have primal instincts. We are all capable of using our instincts to do right or wrong. Lewis uses an example of a drowning man to prove this point. When one sees a man in trouble two desires or instincts kick into play, to save the man or ignore him because the situation at hand could endanger you. However, there in another impulse that says help the man. With this comes a conflict of instincts. Do you run and forget about it or do you jump in and help. Most people will help even if the situation is going to endanger their life. This is just one way of seeing moral law. The right in a situation will mostly always prevail over the wrong. “Men ought to be unselfish, ought to be fair. Not that men are selfish, nor that they like being unselfish, but they ought to be”(30). We are creatures of habit and logic. Lewis believes that the moral law is not taught to us rather known by us instinctively. He also believes that the law is real. The law is our behaviors in life via good or bad. Lewis states, “there is something above and beyond the ordinary facts of men’s behavior”(30). This opens Lewis to believe that the natural law is both alive and active in mans life today. Lewis goes on to say that the law must be something above mans behavior. He begins to relate this to the creation of the world.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how lewis introduces the law of right and wrong, which is the difference between right and wrong.
- Explains that lewis believes that the moral law is not taught to us rather known by us instinctively. he believes the law must be something above man's behavior.
- Explains that lewis believes that god is good and like all good god can be hard and dangerous. he believes christianity will not make sense until they realize that the moral law is real and the power that governs it.
- Explains that lewis rejects the idea of dualism due to the fact that our god is a supreme being and intelligent and this makes him good.
- Analyzes how lewis believes that repentance is the unlearning of all that has been taught to us, a sort of death in order to repair ourselves in god's eyes.
- Explains that lewis begins book iii by discussing the three parts of morality that comes with christian behavior.
- Analyzes how lewis introduces the phrase "the church ought to give us a lead" to bring us back to old principles we don't care for.
- Analyzes how marriage plays a role in man's behavior. the passion of love compels two people to unite and create life of their own.
- Analyzes how lewis discusses the four misunderstandings about pride, including pleasure in being praised, pride in wrong doings, and humility.
- Explains that lewis believes that good people know what temptation is and resist temptation. theology is the science of god.
- Analyzes how lewis views the trinity as god's creation of us and all that we do. he uses a toy soldier analogy to describe how christians are transformed into the likeness of jesus.
- Analyzes how lewis relates the law of right and wrong to how we treat others.
- Analyzes how lewis believes that the moral law is not taught to us rather known by us instinctively.
- Explains that lewis believes that god is good and like all good god can be hard and dangerous. he believes christianity will not make sense until they realize that the moral law is real and the power that governs it.
- Analyzes how lewis disagrees with the christian view that god created the universe. he blames his view on the fact that he was an atheist and that his whole reality was senseless.
- Analyzes how lewis believes that free will leads to evil, but it also lead to love and joy, which is worth having. he argues that jesus' death and resurrection is a fresh start for christians.
- Explains that lewis feels the whole situation to be silly due to the fact that he feels that jesus was god. lewis states that being a christian is more than just mental belief.
- Explains that lewis believes that christ did not preach anything in new regards to morality. the real job of a moral teacher is to bring us back to old principles.
- Explains that christian chastity is different from social modesty because christianity approves of the body. forgiveness in lewis' eye is the love of a mans enemy.
- Explains that the virtue opposite to pride is humility. lewis discusses the "theological" virtues of faith, hope, and charity.
- Explains that the fool's way and the disillusioned "sensible man" way lead to faith, which is the art of holding onto things reason has accepted.
- Analyzes how lewis describes god's personality as being on a divine level.
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- The Law Of Human Nature Essayanalytical essayLewis says some folks object to the fact that there is a moral law. Some believe that this is no more than our herd instinct that has been developed. Other say what we call moral law is just a social convention, something that is put into us by education. The author points out that the way each opponent defends his side really shows that there is a right and wrong independent of what people think. Even though the idea of decent behavior makes us suspect whether there is a real natural law of behavior at all, the author concludes that the things we are bound to think about when we explain the differences, really prove just the
In this essay, the author
- Explains that humans are like other creatures on earth that are governed by laws of gravity, or certain biological laws that govern things on this earth. they can choose to obey or not the law of human decent behavior.
- Analyzes how dr. lewis believes that all humans share the belief of a decent moral behavior, but some folks object to the fact that there is moral law.
- Analyzes how concludes that the law of human nature is a real thing, not just something we made up.
- Explains that the law of human nature must be something above and beyond the actual facts of humans' behavior. it is something that cannot be discovered by science.
- Opines that people don't want to face the truth about the kind of power that governs the universe, and dr. lewis suggests three things they must do: (1) go back to the place where he made the mistake and start on the right road; (2) explore alternatives; (3), not wait until they are desperate to understand christianity.
721 wordsRead More - In his thought-provoking book, “The Pursuit of Holiness,” Jerry Bridges offers a personal look on what it means to be holy like Christ. The book is scripture backed and covers all areas of holiness as a Christian. In the book, Bridges starts off with assessing just what holiness is. To be holy is to be morally blameless and to have no sin (p. 15). Holiness is being separated from the ways of the world and becoming more like Christ. To be holy does not mean that you obey a set of rules, but is instead string to do always do what is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. In Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2, Paul challenges the people to give up their bodies as a holy sacrifice for kingdom work. He continues on saying that this is truly
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes jerry bridges' book, "the pursuit of holiness," which is scripture-backed and covers all aspects of holiness as a christian.
- Opines that god is holy and incapable of overlooking any of our sins. he sees all the misdemeanors that we have ever committed. sin is a part of living on this earth.
- Explains that god has not asked us to be holy, but, has demanded holiness from us.
- Analyzes how bridges elaborates on the holiness of christ, stating that it is not just the absence of sin, but jesus following the will of his father.
- Explains that even though christ's death has left us sinless in the eyes of god, we still are tormented daily with the temptation of sin.
- Analyzes how bridges describes holiness as an attitude towards life. the book urges readers to read and memorize scripture to be a self-disciplined christian.
- Concludes that bridges challenges christians to identify with christ more openly so that we may have reinforcement for our convictions. god wants a christian's life to be one of joy and happiness.
1135 wordsRead More - Analysis Of The Boyd's The Myth Of A Christian Nationanalytical essayThe message of political alignment is a vast and varying concept, one that will be debated for as a long as party divisions exist. This divide however exists in not just the Christian community. We begin with the metaphor of a shepherds flock, blindly following what an individual says over ones own thinking. Boyd furthers this concept of alignment and how “many who left sincerely believe there is little ambiguity in how true Christian faith translates into politics. Since God is against abortion, Christians should vote for the pro-life candidate, they believe- and the preacher should say so” (Boyd 2). This blind adherence to one topic, one issue is unfortunately a failure on an intellectual level of all people, whether Christian or not. The
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes boyd's the myth of a christian nation, which argues that american evangelicalism is guilty of nationalistic and political idolatry.
- Analyzes boyd's conclusion that christians should denounce coercive and violent ideologies of the natural world and follow the kingdom of god in transforming the world.
- Analyzes boyd's view that political alignment is a vast and varying concept, one that will be debated for as long as party divisions exist.
- Opines that boyd is right in his assumptions about christians being followers in everything they do. the problem lies not in the world, but in those who abuse their power.
1045 wordsRead More - Mere Christianity In Mere Christianity By C. S. Lewisopinionated essayAnswering the big questions of life isn 't easy. It requires much time and effort to properly explain the concepts of how we came to be and for what purpose we exist. In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis expertly does just that, detailing the intricate Christian beliefs, as well as many other faiths. He talks about the ideas free will, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the Christian faith compared to other religions, to name a few. And, these concepts are always ready to be further expounded on.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how c. s. lewis' "mere christianity" explains the intricate christian beliefs, as well as many other faiths.
- Explains that god didn't want us to sin, so why did he give us free will? god existed before the universe began, and will continue to exist even after the last star explodes.
- Opines that the point of making something if it can't interact with you uniquely and in its own way is to know what it's going to do.
- Analyzes how god makes humans that decide whether or not they want to follow his commands. he thought that giving us the choice was worth disobeying him.
- Explains that if one doesn't believe that god exists, one can immediately stop reading and go about their brief and merry existence.
- Explains that both theism and atheists require the same amount of faith. all theories about how the universe came into existence contain some sort of chance or guesswork.
- Opines that it would be wiser to choose the option that offers better benefits, like eternal life in heaven. c. s. lewis would agree with this.
- Explains how they came to accept god's existence by accepting his true nature and glorifying him in their life.
- Explains that pride is the only sin that gets pleasure from seeing others below yourself. all other sins seek to achieve some practical purpose, such as lying to avoid getting in trouble or eating too much.
- Explains that the bible is the absolute source of truth, and so, christ's godliness must be accepted as truth.
- Explains that jesus' death was the moment when we were forgiven of our sins and the gap between god and us was closed. god is all powerful and can do anything he wants.
- Explains that when we say we are "in christ", we don't mean that are physically in him, but that our spirit resides in his protection and control.
- Opines that it is important to practice what the bible teaches you every day, pray without ceasing, and do unto others as you would have them do.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that they were convinced that the christian god was not good, and could not exist on account of it. recent comments by atheists and agnostics are echoes of their past thoughts.
- Analyzes how hume's character, philo, raises a resonating argument: if god is willing to prevent evil, but not able, then he is impotent.
- Opines that moments when we are most conscious of the moral law, it usually seems to be.
- Analyzes how c.s. lewis' moral law argument for the existence of god argues that every person has a sense of right and wrong moral behavior, and this sense presses upon us.
- Argues that moral law is beyond instincts, because it acts as a third party, helping people to decide between two conflicting instinct.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that the screwtape letters by c.s. lewis is a book of thirty-one letters in which an elderly, senior demon named screwtape coaches his newly educated nephew, wormwood.
- Analyzes how screwtape teaches wormwood how to subtly make the patient's life miserable so that god or "the enemy" has no effect on his/her life.
- Analyzes how the story's focal point is demonic, literally. screwtape tells that the enemy provides a way of escape, and the patient is tested on self-control.
- Analyzes how c.s. lewis highlights the controlling aspect of temptation in screwtape's book. the woven blanket of good and evil depicted in a beastly and harrowing way.
- Concludes that c.s. lewis' portrayal of a conniving character, who preaches the gospel despite being an unloving demon, is sad and mournful.
- Cites harper collins publishing's introduction to the screwtape letters. the holy bible, the hcsblewis, c.s.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how mccloskey searches for multiple defects in the cosmological argument. he believes that each contingent being exists with an infinite number of causes that eventually lead back to a case of chance.
- Analyzes how mccloskey uses the word "proof" to portray an argument for a fact for the teleological argument.
- Explains that mccloskey's claim that there is imperfection and evil in the world argues against "the perfection of the divine design or divine purpose" has many flaws.
- Analyzes how mccloskey intends to convey theism as a cold and comfortless position. atheists believe that humans were made by chance, not by cause, and the universe is not constantly working towards an end.
- Analyzes how h.j. mccloskey uses disdainful rhetoric towards atheists and their faith in his article "on being an atheist." he uses the word "proof" to undermine the christian argument and thought process.
- Analyzes how mccloskey's "on being an atheist" makes readers feel safe with their ignorance by using an antagonistic tone to his article and logic.
1244 wordsRead More - Morality Essayopinionated essayI believe Wirzba’s claim to be very accurate. If we cannot learn from our actions and how they affect ourselves, others, and the places we inhabit, then we cannot entitle ourselves to be moral beings. We must strive to learn to appreciate everything around us and treat it respectfully. When we experience fruitful outcomes, we then gain knowledge of how to act as moral beings and perform actions that are ethical.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that norman wirzba's "the essential agrarian reader" is correct because without recognizing the effects of our actions, a connection to morality cannot be made.
- Explains that morality is making the distinction between doing what is beneficial or detrimental. everything in this world is connected and depends on a sense of ethics.
- Opines that it is imperative to recognize our impact on our surroundings and their impacts on us.
- Explains that wirzba states that we are called to positively develop the world we reside in, particularly through gardening.
- Explains that moral beings must understand that they are bodies that perform actions with consequences. disembodying the soul from our physical being turns morality into something mechanical, instead of genuine.
- Opines that moral acts are not derived from a specific set of guidelines or rules. goodness and prosperity grow out of the sense of graciousness that dawns on us in the midst of trials and turns of action.
- Opines that we must cultivate and care for the land in a way that is natural and pure. we must take into consideration the “particularities and demands” of the places we reside.
- Opines that in order to generate concern for the land around us, we must gather knowledge of what is right.
- Opines that wirzba's claim is very accurate. if we cannot learn from our actions and how they affect ourselves, others, and the places we inhabit, we can't entitle ourselves to be moral beings.
- Concludes that without accountability a connection to morality cannot be made. wirzba's claim holds true, and we must take into account our actions and be respectful of the requirements of places.
643 wordsRead More - Immanuel Kant's Analysisanalytical essayWith reason being an aspect of human nature that makes humans particularly unique and valuable, it is not surprising why Immanuel Kant chose to also consider the value of humans as rational beings when developing his ethical system. In fact, he describes that with this very rational nature, human beings may be able to discover unconditional and universal moral laws. One’s will must simply be influenced by their moral duties, rather than motivations from one’s emotions or inclinations to comply. Nonetheless, to uncover the strength of this ethical position, Kant’s perspective on human nature as the basis for these moral theories requires analysis. With this being done, in light of observations intended to analyze human moral behavior, there
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes kant's perspective on human nature as the basis for his moral theories within foundations for the metaphysic of morals.
- Argues that kant's theories regarding morality are based on the notion that human beings have equivalent rational capacities that may allow them to uncover the principles provided by moral laws.
- Analyzes how real moral choices were analyzed to determine the legitimacy of kant's ethical claims. self-interest and emotion appear to be the biggest perpetrators operating against people’s moral behavior.
- Explains kant's account of human nature, which underlies his ethical position, is valid. reason determines the will, while inclinations may lead one to falter.
- Argues that kant's notion of human nature, which underlies his moral theories, is credible as it is supported by behavioral observation.
- Analyzes hume's view regarding what a self is and how it is known is depicted in treatise on human nature.
- Analyzes how hume's account of the self has its own strengths and weaknesses.
- Analyzes how hume doubts metaphysical proposals including the idea of a self, cause and effect with respect to human thought.
- Analyzes how hume's view of the status of metaphysics on human thought can be critiqued. he utilizes empiricism to provide a skeptical insight on causality.
- Explains that hume's discussion of god in an enquiry concerning human understanding does not explicitly state whether or not god exists. his idea is based on him being infinite, good, and intelligent.
- Explains hume's view of the relationship between the outside and inside relationship in an enquiry concerning human understanding is based on empiricism.
- Argues that hume's view of this inside-outside relationship may be critiqued as well. his use of empiricism may also be his downfall.
1486 wordsRead More - My Moral Code vs. Moral Theoryexplanatory essayEvery human being carries with them a moral code of some kind. For some people it is a way of life, and they consult with their code before making any moral decision. However, for many their personal moral code is either undefined or unclear. Perhaps these people have a code of their own that they abide to, yet fail to recognize that it exists. What I hope to uncover with this paper is my moral theory, and how I apply it in my everyday life. What one does and what one wants to do are often not compatible. Doing what one wants to do would usually bring immediate happiness, but it may not benefit one in the long run. On the other hand, doing what one should do may cause immediate unhappiness, even if it is good for oneself. The whole purpose of morality is to do the right thing just for the sake of it. On my first paper, I did not know what moral theories where; now that I know I can say that these moral theories go in accordance with my moral code. These theories are utilitarianism, natural law theory, and kantianism.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the purpose of morality is to do the right thing just for the sake of it.
- Explains the doctrine of natural law theory, which states that all human action needs to be in accordance with the law.
- Explains that utilitarianism is the moral theory that states that an action is only moral if it produces good consequences.
- Explains kantian principles of treating humans as ends in themselves and not because they expect favors from them.
- Explains that their moral code is always towards the happiness of people around them and the wellness of all human beings in general. utilitarians don't care about a person's personal life or whether actions happen to hurt some people.
795 wordsRead More