Mere Christianity

In the preface to Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis talks about the task that he is trying to undertake with this book.  It is made up of a series of war time radio talks in which he painted the picture of Christianity to a nation at war.  The picture of Christianity that he is painting is not one of any specific denomination, but rather 'mere' Christianity, the classic doctrines that have been believed by almost all Christians at all times.  The motivation for doing this was that Lewis was convinced that the British people had never actually had someone lay out and explain the doctrines of 'mere' Christianity to them before.  He describes Christianity as a house with many rooms.  'Mere' Christianity is simply the rules that govern the entire house.  The rooms represent various churches.  Lewis says that no one should stay in the hall of the house but rather enter into one of the rooms because in the rooms there are fires and chairs and meals.  He says you must choose your door for the right reasons and then be kind to people who have chosen the other rooms, because after all, we are all living in the same house with the same house rules.

Lewis starts the first chapter by diving into what he calls the "Law of Nature" right away.  He insists that there is a standard of right and wrong that all people know.  It is a law like the law of gravity, however it is a special law because it can be chosen to not be followed.  He says that this can be concluded because cultures all around the world, though they have different codes of morality, have a central theme running through their morality that appeal to a higher standard of right and wrong that seems to be known by every human.  In chapter two, Lewis takes time to address some objections to the things that he has said in chapter one.  He addresses the claim that the Law of Nature is simply heard instinct by saying that it is actually that thing that tells your mind which instincts to suppress and which to encourage and thus it cannot be an instinct.  He says it cannot be merely a convention because if this were that case there would be nothing that make Christian morality better than Nazi morality.  The British could no more punish the Nazis for their behavior than they could punish them for the color of their hair because there is no absolute standard by which one morality is better than another.  He also says it cannot simply be that we think something is right or wrong based on its convenience to us either because a man who accidentally trips a man is less convenient but less wrong than a man who tries to trip a man and does not succeed.

In chapter three Lewis talks about the reality of the law.  He says that humans constantly break this law that they expect others to keep and know that they ought to keep themselves.  Lewis says that upon observation from an outsider it would seem that human beings have no law governing their behavior.  IT seems to Lewis that we have to admit that the Law of Nature is a real thing and that it is not from ourselves.  There must be something behind it in a different kind of reality.  In chapter four Lewis tries to unpack what lies behind the moral law.  He lays out the materialist view of reality and the religious view of reality and explains their implications.  He says in order to have insight into what lays beyond the universe and what the reasons are for this we must not look at science but rather at man for it is men who find themselves under the moral law.  He concludes by saying that he thinks that he has laid out a solid argument for the existence of the Law of Nature and something behind it that guides it, but is no where near the God of Christian doctrines yet.

The analogy of the house is one of my favorite parts of this book.  It holds up so well because it shows how we are to treat other Christians who might not share our specific beliefs and it also shows the importance of finding a church to become a part of.  I think that is very common for Christians to forget the "house rules" when dealing with one another.  If we were to all observe the "house rules" laid out in the Bible we would have more peace when dealing with one another and also be a better witness to unbelievers.  I also liked how Lewis said that one cannot stay in the hall but must enter a door and do it for the right reasons.  There are many people who claim to be Christians, and they may very well be, but unless they are part of a fellowship of believers (church) they are missing out on the fellowship and community we are compelled to have all throughout the New Testament.

I really liked reading about all of the contradictions that Lewis points out in other schools of thought.  People so often hold the position that there is no absolute standard of right and wrong but then appeal to one.  If there is no absolute standard for right and wrong then all bets are off.  If this is indeed the case then there is no such thing as justice or injustice and there is no real reason why terrible acts such as rape or murder are in any way bad.  This position is easy to hold at first because it give a man license to do whatever he wants.  This all seems great to him until he is wronged and he has to appeal to a higher standard in order to proclaim that he has been wronged.