How C.S. Lewis helped me to see Christianity for the joke that it is (page 3)

ninja

I thought lewis was brill.....especially when he knocked tyson out in the 8th

When I started attending an Evangelical church after leaving the JWs everybody insisted that I read C.S. Lewis. So I did and found it very disappointing. Later on, I came across A Grief Observed and found it was much better.

Apologetics (whatever the "cause") draw the worst from great minds I'm afraid.

frankiespeakin

I read Lewis when I first left and found him not very comforting. His apologetics is praised by many,, mainly I suppose because of his position in acadamia. I agree with Nar about apologetic and bringing out the worst, because someone may have some great thoughts but when they mix it with a biased leaning of apologetics things start to get distorted and objectivity gets lost very early when one is defending a literal understanding of the bible.

heathen

I enjoyed the narnia chronicles . That was pretty good .I did read screwtape letters and mere christianity,a very long time ago tho. He was a pretty good writer. He did question allot of the established theology .

BizzyBee

I enjoyed the narnia chronicles . That was pretty good .I did read screwtape letters and mere christianity,a very long time ago tho. He was a pretty good writer. He did question allot of the established theology

Hoo-boy. I rest my case. Smarten up, people! There is a world out there that has evolved over thousands of years.....get with it!

Sad emo

One more thought - Lewis faltered in his faith when his beloved wife died and wrote about it in his classic book on grief. He railed against a god who would so capriciously give such great joy (late in Lewis' life) only to take away after much pain and suffering. I admire his honesty and the way he did not swallow Christian rhetoric whole, but examined it in the light of rationality and real life.

BizzyBee - I think that nails the whole point of his writings. He wasn't writing so much about what to believe, rather how we interact with and apply our beliefs to life. He showed (against the Christian convention of his time) that it is ok to question and dissect one's beliefs, to shout at God 'WHY?' even to become disenchanted with Him, and yes, disbelieve alltogether - and life will go on, you won't be struck by a lightning bolt! For me he's writing from a slightly existentialist perspective - possibly why he's so popular among Christians today who are searching for experience rather than dogma/ritual.

Hence, anyone who reads his works looking for serious apologetic and doctrine will be disappointed.

Rapunzel

In that Lewis is "slightly existentialist," he is closer in spirit to Soren Kierkegaard than he is to Augustine. However, I think that most people would find either Kierkegaard or Augustine's writings more substantial than those of Lewis. On the other hand, Lewis is more easily accessible.

XJW4EVR

The man was renowned for his apologetics, and his other literary works. The OP posts on the internet. Who should I esteem higher? C.S. Lewis wins hands down.

lisaBObeesa

Having been raised a Jehovah's Witness, I thought I knew what Christianity was all about, but of course I didn't at all. Someone gave me "The Problem of Pain" to read, and I thought it was interesting...but I still had a bunch of misconceptions about Christianity left over from my JW days (misconceptions that I still didn't know I had). ...But then my friend they gave me "Mere Christianity" and I agreed to read it only because my friend promised this would be the last book they would ask me to read about religion! So I read it and it really cleared things up for me. I can't thank that friend enough for helping to open my closed mind.

Zico

I think Mere Christianity is a great book for ex-JWs looking to understand more about Christianity, as more mainstream Christians read the bible from a very different perspective to JWs.

Nvrgnbk,

I agree it's a poor apologetic by modern standards, but when reading it, it should be noted that it was written for a 1930s/40s audience, and not a 21st Century audience. Science and philosophy has advanced quite a bit since Lewis' time.

How C.S. Lewis helped me to see Christianity for the joke that it is