In The Problem of Pain , Lewis elaborates on the meaning of divine goodness, human pain, animal pain, heaven, hell - not necessarily in this order, though - and tries to explain from his Christian point of view what divine love is, what pain is, why humans can feel pain, and that there is a divine purpose to suffering. When I first read this almost twenty years ago, I could accept the possibility that there may be a substance to the arguments he puts forward.
Having re-read this now, I still admire Lewis' use of language and the elegance of his argument but I find it very difficult to be persuaded by it. Now, the argument that there is a purpose to suffering that allows the individual to grow or improve spiritually seems little more than wishful thinking.
Of course, my take on this may sound rather pessimistic. However, where Lewis draws from Thomas Aquinas and other sources of formal religious Christian teaching, I feel much more aligned with other schools of thought that would choose kindness towards living beings over the particular form of patriarchal tyranny of divine love that Lewis describes. Sidenote: Btw Jack, how dare you say that the newt has no self! For all we know, he might. Seriously, I'm not impressed by an argument that starts with the notion that we cannot know what God's intentions are or indeed know anything that is outside of the human experience, and which then categorically denies that non-human living beings have a notion of the "self".
Sep 17, Emily Gayle rated it it was amazing. In this book C S Lewis does an excellent job of describing pain and human suffering in the midst of trying to understand how God, Heaven and Hell fit into the picture.
God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a dead world.
Definitely read this book for a deeper understanding of Divine Omnipotence and human pain. I rate it five stars, but I also recognize I h In this book C S Lewis does an excellent job of describing pain and human suffering in the midst of trying to understand how God, Heaven and Hell fit into the picture. Lewis addresses the problem of pain, which he describes in this way: "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty, He would be able to do what he wished.
It's a difficult question, and although I accept the explanation thr Lewis addresses the problem of pain, which he describes in this way: "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty, He would be able to do what he wished. It's a difficult question, and although I accept the explanation through faith, grasping it rationally is another matter. Lewis does a good job dealing with the matter from both perspectives.
However, I doubt many non-Judeo-Christians would be persuaded by this book. Lewis wouldn't be entirely at fault for that. The main place where I disagree with Lewis is on the Creation and Fall of man. He rejects a literal interpretation of Genesis, including a 6-day creation, Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, forbidden fruit, and temptation by Satan.
Instead, Lewis believes that humans evolved from apes or more primitive life forms, and that the Genesis account is a myth. I was surprised by this, because he references creation accounts and Adam and Eve in other works like The Chronicles of Narnia and Perelandra , from his Space Trilogy. Perhaps he considers them all equally fictional stories. The other reason I find Lewis' rejection of a literal interpretation of Genesis surprising is that it causes many inconsistencies in the Bible.
Both the Old and New Testaments contain references to the 6-day creation and the Fall, and how the Fall affected not only humanity, but the rest of the planet as well.
Jesus Himself talks about such issues. Lewis accepts the modern scientific view that pain and suffering existed on Earth for millennia before humans appeared. So much for "God saw that it was good". Despite such disagreements, I thought Lewis presented a thought-provoking case for why God allows pain to exist. My favorite reason presented is that pain distracts us from our comfortable lives where we're all too eager to forget about faith and God, and forces us to become closer to Him and other Christians.
Notes When we say God is omnipotent all-powerful , we mean He can do anything that's intrinsically possible. It's nonsense to claim He can do what's intrinsically impossible or self-contradictory. The possibility of suffering is required by nature and free wills.
To exclude it is to exclude life itself. We were not made primarily to love God, but for God to love us. Because God has and is all, He only loves us and is grieved by us because He chooses to. We sin not because of ignorance or inability, but because we aren't truly intending to avoid it.
Lewis rejects Total Depravity because, logically, we wouldn't know our depravity if we were totally depraved, and because he sees so much goodness in human nature. The question, "Was it better for God to create than to not create? If the question did have any meaning, the answer must be yes, simply because God did create.
Lewis believes that humans descended from animals, and that God granted them consciousness once they were sufficiently advanced. The Fall was an act of self-will or self-interest and thus, rebellion against God exhibited by these early humans. The Fall didn't surprise God. When man rejected God, the human spirit lost control of the human organism, and biochemical and environmental forces brought pain, senility, and death. Lewis rejects the notion that we inherit Original Sin or moral responsibility from Adam or some other remote ancestor.
He says we're members of a "spoiled species" by our own will and actions. If the omniscient all-knowing God knew that Abraham would obey him, why the needless torture of testing his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac? God uses tribulation to take our attention off our lives and toys, and forces us to focus on Him. Thus, tribulation must continue until we are remade or our remaking is hopeless, in the case the unsaved. Because tribulation is necessary for redemption, no economic or political reform can bring about heaven on earth.
However, we must still attempt to remove the evils of this world simply do to a strong sense of common miseries. People go to Hell because they chose to. They exercise their free will to reject God. You can't expect God to do more to help humans avoid Hell than he already has by dying on the cross at Calvary.
Lewis believes that non-human plant, animal, etc. Carnivorousness and animal "suffering" existed prior to humans. Animals and plants can't truly suffer because they aren't sentient. God created individuals so he could love each differently, and that each could love and worship Him differently.
Heaven isn't a bribe. It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to. Mar 20, Elevetha rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Everyone.
Shelves: christian , ponderings , bloody-brilliant , , steeped-in-reality , favorites , classic. Nearly perfect. One of my favorite quotes not from the chapter "Heaven", in case you were wondering. In the same way, it is natural for us to wish that God had designed for us a less glorious and less arduous destiny; but then we are wishing not for more love but for less.
I wasn't really expecting to be too engaged with the book or to actually desire to finish it once I had the opportunity to do other things. Silly me. I should have known better. It is C. Lewis, after all. Edit: Nov Unfortunately, I put this book down, lost it, and never got around to finding a new copy.
However, this book and its content has become quite relevant, so I'm starting it again. It's really just genius. I'll admit that there were sections, mostly smack dab in the middle, that I had to re-read over and over before I felt like I had gotten it. And then there were a few sections where I didn't feel that the ideas had sunk into my brain like I wished. So I wrestled past those few pages and came upon the chapter "Animal Pain", which was very easy to read and understand.
And then I came upon the chapter "Heaven" and, nearly immediately, I knew that it would be my favorite chapter. Oh, there were parts of the book that I will endeavor to carry the words in my head, and they shall be jumbled around in a great mess, and undoubtedly come out mangled when I try to recite them as the occasion demands.
But I think I shall carry the meaning and the beauty of that last chapter in my heart, even if I cannot help but fail to explain it to another. View all 7 comments.
A little book filled with wisdoms for theists and atheists alike although mostly for theists. Here's a passage that more people should take to heart: By the goodness of God we mean nowadays almost exclusively His lovingness; and in this we may be right. And by Love, in this context, most of us mean kindness—the desire to see others than the self happy; not happy in this way or in that, but just happy.
If you're twenty-five and still envying the lab rat that starves to death because it has access to a pleasure-button, you might wanna read this, then read it again, then reconsider your personal philosophy. As Lewis argues, existence is not about nonsensical bliss, and love is not about selling opiates to your loved ones.
It's just as much about kindness as it is about making them grow which of course isn't the same as the "tough love" of parents and teachers that simply don't understand what compassion is.
Lewis also shares his ideas on hell, the fall, animal suffering, omnipotence, free will and many other topics. At least to me as a layperson, his theology always seemed quite sensible and thoughtful. His excellent reputation as an accesible Christian writer seems well deserved. There's something incredibly comforting about C. Lewis's writing style. He explains things well and clearly, but on the points he's unsure about he's honest. Actually he's always honest, blazingly so, in a way that's doubly endearing and challenging, but perhaps that's beside the point.
Though it's technically a point-by-point defense of Christianity against the 'pain and suffering in the world proves the absence of a good god' argument, The Problem of Pain never seems like just a bit of apo There's something incredibly comforting about C.
Though it's technically a point-by-point defense of Christianity against the 'pain and suffering in the world proves the absence of a good god' argument, The Problem of Pain never seems like just a bit of apologetics.
It's logical, but not without emotional weight, and even while attempting to prove the necessity of pain Lewis retains a great deal of sensitivity and compassion. The book is a conversation more than an argument, and a pretty jovial conversation at that.
The clarity of each individual point, and the fluid way all the points came together into conclusion after conclusion, was staggering. Theology is a heady, mystifying subject at the best of times, and I'm eternally in love with how Lewis can somehow admit the mystery while making graspable what parts of it really are open to view. It was also balanced, incredibly so; justice was talked about and mercy never forgotten, free will was put forth as the necessity it is while the ultimate sovereignty of God constantly reinforced.
There's a kind of high-flying joy and grounded solemness sandwiching the narrative, and the points where the joy and wonder of it all were brought into focus took my breath away. This is a beautiful, excellent book and I'm definitely going to be reading it more than once Great discussion, but still so many unanswered questions.
Reread in April Reread again June You can tell this is one of Lewis's early books. Written in , I could feel that he hadn't worked out a few of the specifics within his beliefs on Christianity yet. And some of his other ideas I flat-out disagree with so sad to me whenever I see him trying to cram in Darwinian macro-evolution and discredit the creation story.
I can see why many feel inevitably dissatisfied with this read. B Great discussion, but still so many unanswered questions. But I think he does answer some important questions, even if not providing a completely exhaustive work on the issue of pain. I still enjoyed the casual Lewis tone. Some memorable quotes: "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.
Once, before creation, it would have been true to say that everything was God. But God created: He caused things to be other than Himself that, being distinct, they might learn to love Him, and achieve union instead of mere sameness. I've struggled for weeks to try to write an overview of this complex book.
Lewis does much more than try to explain human suffering. In fact, my most important takeaways had to do with what it means to be human and how human flourishing is impossible without a right relationship to our Creator. Just as the members of the Trinity live in perfect, mutual, self-giving love, so mankind can only find real joy when living in selfless unity with God.
Though written 50 years ago, The Problem of Pain remains a fresh and relevant Christian response to this most perplexing aspect of the human condition. Beautifully repackaged as part of the C. Lewis Signature Classic Range, Lewis addresses the question which tortures every generation -- why must we suffer? For centuries people have been tormented by one question above all -- 'If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain?
C S Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the 20th century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. This Irish-born Oxford and Cambridge academic wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year.
His most distinguished and popular writings include his seven-part fantasy series for children The Chronicles of Narnia ; the science fiction Space Trilogy ; the apologetical The Problem of Pain , The Screwtape Letters , Miracles , Mere Christianity , and The Four Loves ; and the autobiographical Surprised by Joy and A Grief Observed Countless Christian writers, pastors, thinkers and artists have credited C S Lewis as a key influence on their faith journey, and his Narnia books have become classics of children's literature.
Lewis became known as 'Jack' as a young child after he adopted the name of his pet dog who was killed by a car. His mother Flora was the daughter of an Anglican priest, and died when Lewis was just ten.
Lewis had one brother, Warren - known affectionately as Warnie - who was three years his senior. The two would remain close friends and creative collaborators throughout Lewis' life. When children, they shared a fascination with humanised animal characters like Beatrix Potter's, and wrote and illustrated stories of an imaginary world they called 'Boxen', run entirely by such fanciful beings.
Lewis' childhood home was full of books, and he became a keen and intrepid reader at an early age. Until his mother's death, Lewis was educated by private tutors, then moved on to a series of boarding schools in both Ireland and England.
It was during his time at the last of these, aged 15, that Lewis gave up his childhood Christian faith and became an atheist. It was also at this time that he developed an intense love for ancient Norse legends and the natural world - an aesthetic complex which he called 'Northernness' and associated with the mysterious inner longing of 'joy'.
He interprets the fall of humanity not only as an opportunity for evil to thrive, but also the choice to ignore the purpose of pain. Christianity creates the problem of pain because it provides hope for righteousness and love.
Without the revelation that God loves us, the painful world would make sense. Pain would have no cause.
When we run headlong into God, Lewis contends that pain is demanded. Jesus claimed to be that someone. In this, then, Christianity is the culmination of what human history was leading up to. This creates the problem of pain. Two parts to the chapter. Second, In a world where choice is possible, there must be a neutral field, we can use it for good or ill. Read this post here for a fuller summary with more quotes.
He loves us. This used to be taken more for granted, but no we must relearn it. First, pain is unmasked, unmistakable evil.
0コメント