Morality In C. S. Lewis Mere Christianity

“Beware of the Easter Bunny” by Charles Colson, “Letter from Birmingham Alabama” by Dr. Martin Luther King, and “Salvation” by Langston Hughes depict the ways human have the wrong definition of Christianity. People often expect from God and what He can do, but do not understand the true concept of Christianity. People often expect acts of God, but they themselves do not act or stand up. In “Salvation”, Langston recalls his aunt telling him how “when you are saved you [see] a light… and Jesus [comes] into your soul” (Hughes 345). Langston’s incorrect definition of Christianity ruined his experience and beliefs.

One of the seven deadly sins is the act of having too much pride. Pride in general is not an evil feeling to have. It is human to have pride in oneself, but having too much pride is unhealthy and will cause problems somewhere along the way. Two characters who show a harmful amount of pride are Sylvia from Toni Bambara’s “The Lesson” and Sammy John Updike’s “A&P”. A famous quotation states “Pride (arrogance) comes before Destruction... and a haughty spirit, before a fall.”

In the essays “Pride” by Dagoberto Gilb and “Pride and Humility” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III, D.Min., The authors discuss the same topic but they have a different conclusion. In “Pride,” Gilb conclude that we are all shaped by a strong sense of pride, so we should still be proud of ourself. However, in “Pride and Humility,” Tarrants conclude that pride is basically a sin and it’s the devil’s most effective and destructive tool. Although both authors addressed the same topic in their essay writing and both use their methods to explore the forms of pride, they do so by using viewpoints and different attitudes toward pride.

C.S. Lewis, a christian apologist writer wrote Mere Christianity in the nineteen-forties during world war two. Lewis wrote Mere Christianity in attempt to bring together a “common ground” of truths for the core of the Catholic Church’s beliefs. Mere Christianity shows readers logical ways of understanding the Catholic faith and he is presenting this central idea to help comprehend such ideas. The preface of Lewis’s Mere Christianity sets forth his ideas and arguments. Lewis is trying to convince readers his argument is credible and trustworthy, he is trying to get readers to understand his positioning and he is trying to give a sense of clarity. The preface shows Lewis’ goals when writing this argument; it shows how Lewis wanted so badly to express Christian unity no

Romans 14:1 says “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him.” Charles Colson was weak in faith for the majority of his life. He didn’t accept Christ into his life until he was facing arrest, an a close friend gave him a copy of C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. Colson was a special counsel to President Richard Nixon. He did much of the dirty work for the President and gained the name “Hatchet Man.”

As John C. Maxwell once stated, “There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. ‘Good pride’ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‘Bad pride’ is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.” Pride is not always a harmful attribute. People just have to understand the difference between ‘bad pride’ and ‘good pride’.

If someone has too much pride, then it can cause them make the wrong decisions. Nobody should ever judge a book by the book’s

C.S.Lewis: Religious Fantasy Fiction Author Have you ever wondered how people can make such creative books as if it is nothing? C.S. Lewis was the phenomenal author of the seven, creative The Chronicles of Narnia books which he has sold more than 100 million copies. Lewis was born on November 29, 1898 in Belfast, Ireland. He was known for his Christian Faith literary works as well as his Fantasy works. Growing up struggling with his faith, C.S. Lewis, the author of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was strongly criticized for his fantasy conflicting with Christianity, yet has been acclaimed a masterpiece in fantasy fiction.

In the book “ Johnny Tremain” written by Esther Forbes, the theme pride really stands out in the beginning of the book. In this book, it repeatedly shows pride as a bad thing. Pride is one of the few things in the world that isn’t just good or evil. Pride is only evil if you let it become more important than everything else. This is a quote by C.Lewis “ pride is a spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, contentment, or even common sense,’”

Pride...is something to fear. This quote is directly connected with the story “The Scarlet Ibis”. Brother’s past now haunts him. Pride is a powerful thing and it's not always good.

Bear Grylls once said “ A man’s pride can be his downfall, and he needs to learn to turn to others for support and guidance.” Gryll’s wise advice can be applied to nearly everyone in society. For example, a man might refuse to use government welfare to buy groceries for his family and let his children starve instead. His pride would destroy the family physically. Pride is a dangerous virtue and can be used to fulfill dreams or destroy them.

Lewis does an excellent job showing in his book, the battle that is sin against a believer in Christ Jesus. The ups and downs are always going to be surrounded by spiritual warfare for Christians. This has already been seen when analyzing The Law of Undulation. Lewis made a great masterpiece, in show casing spiritual warfare but without making it sound like there is any sac-religious material. When writing, taking a spin on a theological topic can be risky at times.

“Pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death” (Hurst 2). This is how James Hurst describes pride in his heart-wrenching short story, “The Scarlet Ibis.” What speaks to me most about this quote is its profound truth. For the majority of people, pride is either a positive or negative thing, but what Hurst and I seem to agree about is the fact that pride can be both. It is an undeniable symptom of the human condition, a tool that can either create or destroy, and is responsible for the best and worst parts of history.

“Wisdom is knowing what to do next, skill is knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it (author anonymous).” Virtue is defined by Webster Online Dictionary as a conformity to a standard of right, a particular moral excellence. As Christians, we are instructed to stand apart from this dark and ominous world, to be a light in the darkness. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.” The question then becomes, is averting evil enough to generate a virtuous person or must it be an active choice? Everyone is created with a sin nature. Our natural instinct is to choose immorality over morality. But, Christ

C.S. Lewis did not mince words in regards to the state of Man. Throughout history following the Enlightenment, man became fixated on science and reason to explain natural phenomena instead allowing imagination and self-exploration to define it from an individual’s perspective (Lewis, 1944). Man has been conditioned to be who he is now; he has conditioned the weakest links to survive. Nature no longer serves the same purpose as it did before (1944). We have lost the things that have made us human. That is why I write this letter to you, in hopes that you are not conditioned to think, be, or see the world from the perspective of other, but as you see it for yourself. Writing on courage, temperance, and choice, these are all things that