Release Date: Feb 18, 2024

Last Updated: March 4, 2024

Book discussion - Mere Christianity.

Based on a series of talks by CS Lewis during the 1940’s. This book clears up many misconceptions on Christianity that both Christians and non-Christians may have.

DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.

Video

Audio

Notes

Lewis was an amateur, not a beginner.
Among Christians, this book is highly acclaimed and considered as an extra gospel to the bible
Who is a Christian -
- Gentleman - Coat of arms and owned land. Fact.
- Gentleman - Honorable and someone who meant well. Opinion
- Christian means someone who accepts Christ - To say he is not a Christian is therefore incorrect if you do not know what the person thinks and we should not JUDGE.
- One can more clearly say, they are a bad Christian, but not that they are NOT a Christian. Who are we to judge?

Book 2

Rival conceptions of God

Christian’s don’t have to believe all other religions are wrong
Other religions contain some hint of the truth
Pantheist - Universe and God are one
God created universe like Man creating a picture
We have a standard to measure human behavior. A straight line vs crooked line
Atheists is too simple - how would we find that life has no meaning? If there was no light we didn’t have eyes, dark would have no meaning. Dark would be a word without meaning.

The Invasion

Religion is not simple - Even things as simple as a table
People try to put up a simple version of Christianity (willingly ignoring that it is not simple)
Duelism - can’t just be good vs bad as preference. Good has to be the correct answer
Badness is spoiled goodness
The devil is story of fallen angel. He was once good.
Christianity is a spiritual civil war. We have landed in enemy territory to change the world back to good.

The Shocking Alternative

Free will - why be given the choice? Free will is what makes all the good things worth having
Unhappiness comes from trying to find other things to make us happy - Money, fame, etc. God designed humans engines to run on God
Jesus said he was God. Among pantheism we would all be one within God. This man said he was God
Ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher

The Perfect Penitent

Mental picture to simplify, but it is not that simple, it is just an example to help understand.
Man can accept Christ without knowing how it works, just as we eat without knowing how it nourishes us
Someone with lots of assets could pay off your debt
Realizing you have been doing wrong is repentance and starting over. Unlearning.
The worse you are, the more you need it, and the less you can do it. Only a good person could repent, and do it perfectly. Only a perfect person could do it perfectly
God could only do it if he becomes man. We can’t share in God’s dying unless he dies and can’t die unless he becomes man.
Dying must’ve been easy for him. Teachers and adults help children with things that are easy for them. If need help, would you not take help from someone who has an advantage?

The Practical Conclusion

Spreading Christ life - baptism, belief, communion
Believing authority - believing New York exists even if you haven’t seen it.
You are maintaining your natural life, not making it. Same with your Christ life.
We’re good because of the Christ life in us. 🤔 we are not seeking approval, but will make us good because he loves us…
Supernatural acts - need natural and physical acts because we are in a physical and natural world
You’re only in control of yourself as far as belief
Christian’s are Christs body. Everybody added enables him to do more
Humans are not purely spiritual creatures
Must choose before he comes, rather than when you have little choice left.

Book 3

Part 1

3 Parts of Morality

Moral perfection is not a matter of preference. Sometimes wehn we’re learning, we do things wrong because it appears that that is the way it should be done.
Fleet of ships - Your ship vs another ship. Your ship is working properly. And your ship is borrowed.
Relations between man and man - cooperate
Things inside each man - disagreements
Relations between and and the power that made him - more serious problems with this one

Cardinal Virtues

Prudence - Common sense - Good vs being a fool. Not remain children in intelligence. Child heart but a adult head. Christianity is an education within itself.
Temperance - Not about abstaining, but going the right length - Tea Total? Must not look down at others that do not follow your temperance.
Justice - Fairness - Honesty, Truthfulness
Fortitude - Courage - Under danger, and “guts.”

Right action done for wrong reason does not build virtues. God does not just want obedience. Practice.

Social Morality

Do as you would be done by. Need to be reminded rather than introducing new rules.
Our jobs and skills used as Christians. Everyone should be progressing Christian values as your role.
If man does not work, he ought not to eat. Produce something good.
Leftist - Socialistic society. Leftist may believe book didn’t go far left enough, others think it goes too far left.
Old fashioned family life
Obedience - Accepting positions in power as such.
Joyful society. No busy bodies. Make our own plan interpreting as the actual plan.
Charity - Produce society that there are no poor. Either way, you should give to charity. Probably more that you are comfortable with.

Morality and Psychoanalysis

We can still build a Christian society without all of us being Christian. Do us you would be done by.
Christianity vs Psychology - Freud and Yeung regarded with respect in their fields and alternatively in their hobbies.
3 Soldiers - 1 brave, two not so brave. Both cured. One acts like first man, the other uses this new found quality to his advantage. Back to virtues. Listening to that little voice.
Nice people may not be making the most of it.
Do not judge - We only see the choice, God sees inside and what we did with the hand we were dealt.
Dichotomies - You can understand sleep while awake. Good and evil. Dark is a word without meaning.

Sexual Morality

Not fair to call people prudes or vice versa.
Inciting lust on purpose is being unchaste, by accident is disrespectful
Seems to have a lot to do with intention.
Abstinence or Faithfulness in Marriage - Hard topic with our actual situation and our instincts.
Similar acts as sex to food - Showing food and being aroused. If we were starved this would make sense. Starve vs Overindulged
Sex has always been a mess
Sex is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing to be ashamed of in enjoying your food, but should be ashamed if you made it the center of your life and looked up pictures of food.
Must want to be cured. Make me chaste…but not yet
Sexual acts are healthy vs Any sexual act you give into is healthy
Many do not ask for Christian help in chastity because you think it is impossible. But before you run any experiment, you must go in without expectation. Try and get the answer close, thatn avoid the question and get no points.
Repressed is not suppressed - Suppressed comes as disguised form, repression is more mindful and aware
Sexual are least bad of all sins vs power. Animal vs diabolical. Cold self- righteous prick vs prostitute. Better to be neither.

Christian Marriage

Spiritual Union - Divorce is more like having both your legs cut off rather than just dissolving a business partnership
Love is not the whole thing - Love is a feeling. Good but not the best thing.
Discrediting because he is not married - Make sure you judge also based on your experience rather than what you think love should be. Books and movies.
More like a leveling up - video game. You can’t get to the next level, without the lower levels.
Can’t get the feeling back of the first time you did something.
Different consequences for legal and spiritual marriage
Men as head - Casting vote
As a bachelor - Men more just. Women fighting for the family.

Part 2

The Great Sin

Pride - Competitive by nature. Being richer, better looking, better off than the other person.
Prideful people are worshipping an imaginary God - Will preach about Him but cast out devils
Being proud of an accomplishment is not the sin
Not caring about what others think - I do care what certain people think of me
Devil loves curing a small fault by giving you a great one

Charity

Before it meant - Love in the Christian sense - State of will not a feeling - Wishing people good
Act as if you love your neighbor - This is a psychological trick

Hope

Wanting something that cannot be had in this world. We get teasers in this world.

Faith

The mind is not ruled by reason - Surgery scenario - Anesthetic not working, etc.
Trust vs Reason vs Authority
Resistance - We never would know what the outcome would have been an hour later , unless you resisted.
Complicated - You may not understand it now, but will understand it later, possibly years.
Leaving it to God - Trust God
You can’t just do whatever you want and be “forgiven,” it is your responsibility to not ignore
Human language could not separate what a human does vs what God does through you.

Book 4

Part 1 & 2

Maps

Maps - A map is a cooperative piece created by many many experiences
Theology scriptures are like the map.
You can see a map of the Atlantic, but experiencing crossing the Atlantic to acquire the clues of the Atlantic is a completely different experience

Begotten not created

Begotten - to become the father of. God begets God. Man begets man
Created - made. Made of different things. Man created other things, art, structures, etc. not another man.