Anyone who is physically and mentally capable of acting upon and making moral judgments in reference to right and wrong can be considered to be a moral agent. The booklet serves as an answer guide to mere christianity bible study. Lewis, in mere christianity, 3 tells us that we all, every day and in numerous circumstances, appeal to a standard beyond ourselves that determines right behavior, what we ought to do. Mere christianity book i chapter 5 we have cause to. Abortion and the moral law christian research institute. Its also a starting point you and i can use when attempting to engage secular people in discussions about ultimate reality. Mere christianity is a revised and expanded version of three radio talks lewis gave, and was written, as lewis explains in the preface, to present the mere essence of christianity. Lewis attempts to use reason and logic to prove the existence of godin the sense of an allpowerful, nonmaterial beingand later to argue for the divinity of jesus christ. Indeed, as lewis reiterates throughout this book, christianity is not just about actions but motivations. Amongst other things, lewis covers the reality of moral law, human sinfulness, the nature and work of christ, christian ethics, and the doctrine of the.
Mere christianity book 1 chapter 1 summary course hero. In this chapter, lewis will draw conclusions about the universe itself, based on the reality of the law of human nature. Lewis, the moral argument for god, and the gospel paul. These two argumentsthe socalled argument from morality and the christian trilemmaare two of the most famous aspects of the book, and reflect lewiss overall. Morality will compel people to what is not for their best interest. Some thinkers have taken issue with lewiss argument for objective moral law two people disagreeing about morality doesnt prove that morality is real, any more. When lewis began giving these live broadcasts in august 1941, the british. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. The theme of morality, religion, and reason in mere. Mere christianity is one of the worlds most widely read books on the subject of christianity.
The case for christianity broadcast talks in the uk 1942, christian. Lewis argues that the moral law is like scientific laws e. At the end of the first chapter in mere christianity, lewis lays out the scope of his argument. As lewis brings up, there is a huge distinction between the two uses of the expression. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. In book 1 he works to build the foundations of his apology, or defense, of christianity as the answer to these profound, universal questions. How is it that, according to the moral law, we can both desire god and discover that we have made ourselves his enemies, 3. This book mere christianity published in 1953 was based on the transcript of the bbc radio broadcast that lewis gave at oxford during world war ii 19411944. Mere christianity book 1 chapter 2 summary course hero.
Right and wrong as a clue to the meaning of the universe chapter 1. Org study questions and mere christianity study guide. The case for christianity 1942, christian behaviour 1943, and. Mere christianity discussion questions preface where does the title come from. Lewiss mere christianity, book 1 chapter 3 summary.
Thomas 5th way, the moral argument only leads to some moral law giver and thats about it. My copy of mere christianity is covered in red ink and riddled with dog ears. Aug 16, 2017 but its a potential starting point for belief in god, and thats why lewis leads off mere christianity with this argument. Some readers might complain that lewis tricked them. Christianity makes no sense apart from a sense of the moral law and ones personal inability to keep it, 4. The moral order of the world points to god christianity.
How does moral law represent a different form of reality. Sep 14, 2019 unless one takes an approach to the moral argument through st. When we encounter the phrase law of nature, we tend to assume that it refers to the workings of the natural world the law of gravity being a key example. Lewis study program mere christianity study guide 1 mere. The moral law, or law of human nature, is not simply a fact about human behaviour in the same way as the law of gravitation is, or may be, simply a fact about how heavy objects behave. In this chapter, lewis will complete his argument from moralitythe idea that the. From mere christianity 1952 book 1, chapter 2 if no set of moral ideas were truer or better than any other there would be no sense in preferring civilized morality to savage morality or. Lewis sees moral law as breakable and yet unalterablepeople might disobey the rules of the law, but they cant do so without feeling instinctively that theyve done something wrong. What, in your opinion, is lewis offering us in mere christianity. Instant downloads of all 1291 litchart pdfs including mere christianity.
The moral law points to something beyond the material universe in the moral law somebody or something from beyond the material universeis getting at us 2. In fact breaking the moral law is a defining characteristic of humankind. These are my notes from reading through mere christianity with a local san diego book club. Across more than six decades, lewis is talking to me and anyone else who will listen about his christian faith. C s lewis mere christianity book 1 chapter 1 the law of human. In brief, mere christianity is somewhat short on philosophical justification for christianity. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. Lewis states this universal, inborn moral law governs humankind in the same way that laws like gravity govern the material universe. So, lets look at the argument, found in the first five chapters of mere christianity, and summarized as follows.
Reflection of mere christianity reflection 781 words. Reflection on mere christianity book 1 the moral law is the theme of the first book in c. Mar 17, 2020 that lewis chose to begin his book about mere christianity with the topic of morality says a great deal about his own convictions and abilities and also the power of the moral argument itself. But its a potential starting point for belief in god, and thats why lewis leads off mere christianity with this argument. On the other hand, it is not a mere fancy, for we cannot get rid of the idea, and most of the things we say and think about men would be reduced to nonsense if. Lewis could turn a phrase so well, i swear, i underlined every fifth line. This talk became chapter 3 of lewis book mere christianity and was called the reality of the universal moral law. Morality book 3 christian behavior c s lewis mere christianity. Lewis doodle bbc talk 6, mere christianity, bk 2, chapter 1. I will touch on the arguments, chapter by chapter, in the synopsis, but for the moment, i will outline the argument as a whole. What lesson might we take from this in our own apologetics. Mere christianity study guide 3 book i2 david grice 852011 2.
Lewis, adapted from a series of bbc radio talks made between 1942 and 1944, while lewis was at oxford during world war ii. Cs lewis first broadcast this book in a series of radio broadcasts. If there is a moral lawgiver, it must be something beyond the universe. Aug 15, 2015 in this post were going to look at the next two chapters in mere christianity, and understand exactly what lewis is talking about in regards to the moral law. At the end of mere christianitys chapter titled right and wrong as a clue to the meaning of the universe, lewis claims that until people repent and want forgiveness, christianity will not make sense. Mere christianity themes moral law when we encounter the phrase law of nature, we tend to assume that it refers to the workings of the natural world the law of gravity being a key example. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. It consists of four books which originated as broadcast talks for the bbc during world war ii. Lewis, adapted from a series of bbc radio talks made between 1941 and 1944, while lewis was at oxford during the second world war. Likewise they sometimes fail to do what they know they ought to do. In this post were going to look at the next two chapters in mere christianity, and understand exactly what lewis is talking about in regards to the moral law. The law of human nature what are the two basic concepts of chapter one. Lewis and the argument from morality to god catholic.
How is the law of human naturemoral law distinguished from other laws. The material was published in three separate parts as the case for christianity 1943, christian behaviour 1943, and beyond personality 1945. As lewis brings up, there is a huge distinction between the two uses of the. It declares that, since we cannot meet the demands of the law, god actually. Mere christianity outline cs lewis society of california. There are some further arguments that could get us to a necessary being, possibly, based on the necessity of the moral law, but its unclear whether that necessary being would be necessary. Book 1 1 there has been a great deal of soft soap talked about god for the last hundred years. As such, i wanted to share with you my reading of mere christianity by c. It was a hit because at that point, lewis had already published a number of fiction and nonfiction books including out of the silent planet 1938, the problem of pain 1940 and the. Human nature, or moral law, or rule of decent behaviour is. Mere christianity book 1 truthaccordingtoscripture. There is a moral law, which is not contrived by humans, and exists apart from any individual, or even a society.
Our moral nature needs guidelines and, again, christianity provides the. There is an underlying theme to mere christianity that even the. First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. It is important to keep in mind that mere christianity did not originate as a book but as a series of 15minute broadcasts on the bbc. The moral law, as lewis states, is the law of human nature, which is a spoken or unspoken law that most humans in the world abide by. The third view is life force philosophy or creative evolution or. Anyone who is physically and mentally capable of acting upon and making moral judgments in reference to right and wrong can be. In book i, lewis explores the notion of right and wrong, which he argues is, at its core, an inherently human characteristic that is not, as some would argue, merely a social construct. The revolutionary thing about christ wasnt that he introduced a new morality, but just a new way of achieving the. All people do things at times that they know they shouldnt do. Christianity explains how god can be the impersonal mind behind the natural law and also be a person. Rationality is the tack lewis takes in mere christianity.
The law of human nature lewis believes that we can learn something valuable by the kinds of phrases people use when they quarrel. If there is a universal moral law, there is a moral lawgiver. Natural law, the law in our hearts religion online. Lewis expresses that it used to allude to a code of tolerability that was perceived generally. Lewis again makes the point that all humans fundamentally understand the basic tenets of the moral law. That lewis chose to begin his book about mere christianity with the topic of morality says a great deal about his own convictions and abilities and also the power of. Often, one person accuses another of not meeting a certain standard of behavior, and the.
How is the law of human nature moral law distinguished from other laws. Find a summary of this and each chapter of mere christianity. Lewis classic work, mere christianity, is what introduced someone into apologetics or pulled them back to the faith and im among those who would invoke that cliche ive read mere christianity dozens of times since i first came across it when i was 16 years old and it goes without saying that c. Morality in mere christianity ntaraby morality in cs.
It thinks god made the worldthat space and time, heat and cold, and all the colours and tastes, and all the animals and vegetables, are things that god made up out of his head as a man makes up a story. Budziszewski calls these moral principles the universal common sense of the human race, as. Moral law when we experience the expression law of nature, we will in general accept that it alludes to the functions of the normal world the law of gravity being a key model. Lewiss mere christianity, book 1 chapter 1 summary. If there is a universal moral law, there is a moral law giver. Audio book mere christianity book 1 chapter 1 the law of human nature. Mere christianity project gutenberg selfpublishing.
Mere christianity book 1 chapter 3 summary course hero. Considered a classic of christian apologetics, the transcripts of the broadcasts originally appeared in print as three separate pamphlets. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in mere christianity, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Lewis 1952 book mere christianity with great sadness, respect and hope. If there is a moral law giver, it must be something beyond the universe.
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