Introduction: Mere Christianity

I'm starting a new section of my blog, 'Mere Christianity', based off the C.S. Lewis book. 

Recently I've been struggling with my faith... And it's bothering me.  I don't like doubting.  I don't like not knowing what I believe and don't believe. But the rationality of a godless mindset makes sense.  It really does.  At the same time, they're the things rationality does not explain; soul, emotion, how it all began, why things like words hurt us.

Which leads me to the idea of divine power. 

Right now I don't know what I believe in. I really, really hate that. However, I'm not an ignorant person; I believe it important to study what you believe, and other things as well.  Brain washing yourself into a religion does not show that you "know" what you believe.

I'm not asking for proof, I'm just asking questions. 

I talked to mom about this... She said asking questions, doubting, being unsure, wanting answers you cannot find is normal. Healthy, even. And she advised to me this book by C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

The book is not emotional, it just makes profound statements worth puzzling over and reflecting on.

And so, here we are.  Every night I will read one chapter, maybe just a half chapter.  I marked all throughout the first one in pen last night; in such cases I don't believe in pencil.  You cannot erase your past, so don't erase your past thoughts. 

Here, I will do the reflecting. What I read about last night, which I'll be writing about as soon as the intro is done, struck me hard.  I had never thought about the point C.S. Lewis had made. I cannot wait to write my opinion of it down.

I will not go back and change anything I write. I may add, but I will not change what is already there. This is my vow; the same with my pen in the book. I refuse to change what I write. A silly vow to some; but it's important to me.

This all being said; I hope you join me on my walk with C.S. Lewis, and truly examine Mere Christianity.

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Chapter One

The Right and The Wrong

C.S. Lewis's first point, which dealt nothing with religion at all, was about the underlying agreement between humans about morality.  

He called it by many names; Morality, The law of Nature, Right and Wrong, etc.

Lewis states that no matter the culture or even time period, Right and Wrong remain the same. Thievery is wrong, as is murder.  Taking something that is not yours or was someone else's  first is not "fair". 

In the book I argued it did in fact change depending on the culture, but I cannot find a good example to back up my argument.  I first thought of the bath houses in Roman culture. Where nudity was openly accepted.  That would certainly be considered wrong in this time and culture, wouldn't it? 

But then, think to any 21 and up party here in the USA. The clothing is pretty skimpy. Women can walk around beach areas here wearing a string bikini and no one would think anything of it. It's slightly different, yes, and Lewis agrees, but there is not a polar opposite of Right and Wrong in any culture.

The example Lewis argued back to prove his point was war.  In what culture was a man who fled from war considered brave?

Not one.

From America today back to the bloody city-state of Sparta, a hero is someone who is brave in the face of death.

Another example he offered was "double crossing those who've been kindest to you".  Again, I cannot name a culture this is viewed as Right in.

Therefore, according to Lewis, all people have the same basic idea of 'Right' and 'Wrong'.

This made me think, heavily, about why it is so. Why do all people come down to the same Laws of Nature?  Because we are all from the same root, and brought up the same? No; cultures are much too diverse for not to have changed our principles from one another over time. 

So then what? A divine force which instills what is Right and Wrong within us?

I cannot say.  But, with this question in mind, and a yearn to read more, we come to the end of Chapter One.