Mere Christianity

Having read the first book of “Mere Christianity,” I was struck as to the ability that C. S. Lewis has in being able to show the way to Christ without quoting scripture or being forceful with his opinions. Instead he writes with humility and with many metaphors that help me understand his point so much better. 

In the first 4 chapters of book 1 of “Mere Christianity,” C. S. Lewis brings everyone together on equal ground. He starts off with acknowledging that fact that all humans know about the Law of Human Nature. Every human knows that there is something called right and wrong. One can see this, for example, when watching some kids that I babysit. I babysit for a three-year-old and a one-year-old. One night, the three year old girl was set on playing with me until I told her it was time to go to bed. She made a list of all that we were going to do and then set out accomplish what was first on that list: a game of candy land. I was simultaneously playing and watching her brother at the same time noticing that he was toddling around the basement, completely content. We were halfway through the game when her brother walked right through the game messing up all the cards and game pieces. Instantly she grew mad, fuming that it was not a nice thing to do and unfair. This girl, though only three, had a keen sense of right from wrong. Though her brother did not really know better, she knew. All of us grow up with knowing about these too. C. S. Lewis says, “just as all bodies are governed by the law of gravitation, and organisms by biological laws, so the creature called man also had his law - with this great difference, that a body could not choose whether it obeyed the law of gravitation or not, but man could choose either to obey the Law of Human Nature to disobey it.” It is like this law is completely built into us. I really liked when C. S. Lewis shows us a world with morals turned upside-down. For example, what would happen if when the 9/11 attack happened, firemen were honored for not helping find people and not going through the debris of the buildings? Instead of showing kindness to a fellow neighbor, a man double-crossed him and took pride in this? Or the president of the United States just sat at home in front of the TV eating goldfish while our country was in crisis? Though arguments have been made about selfishness, everyone believes that one should not be selfish. This rule “must somehow or other be a real thing - a thing that is really there, not made up by others.” 

In chapter 4, Lewis talks about what goes on behind this law. He says that we know that it is “a real law in which we did not invent and which we know we ought to obey.” But how do we know this? We watch and learn from each other. “We do not merely observe men, we are men.” Having grown up in the Chicago area all my life, about every 3 years my family and I go to The Shedd Aquarium - a wonderful place with a great assortment and variety of fish. I have always been a fan of watching the jellyfish, seahorses, clown fish (Nemo!), dolphins, and so much more. When I look at the fish though, I can only see what they are doing. Maybe they are eating so I watch them come up and nibble. Maybe they are scared of me, so then I watch them swim away. But I can never know what they are thinking because I am not one of them. How am I supposed to know if they have a moral law or not? We as humans, though, have the opportunity to know we have a Law of Human Nature because we can know what we are thinking. We can test and see for ourselves that this is true.    

After reading through chapter four, I felt like I had just drunk a drop of water from a glass when I was parched and needed more. So I decided to drink from chapter 5 as well. If I were to believe that this universe that I have lived on and been a part of for 19 years of my life is not ruled by an absolute goodness, than everything that I am doing today is hopeless. If I say that God is not real, one part of me is still on His side by saying that I agree with His  disapproval of human sin but as for me, I would want Him to let me go this once.  But if I do know that there is a goodness, then all my efforts are hopeless. I fail with this Law of Human Nature. Notice how I underlined efforts. I break it everyday. Lewis says “God is the only comfort, He is also the supreme terror: the thing we most need and the thing we most hide from. He is our only possible ally, and we have made ourselves His enemies.” I was struck by this quote and still am.