Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

B1: Lewis simply sees that humans seem to have a unified understanding of fair play or decent behavior, which is ultimately morality. He refers to it as “the Laws of Nature.” He notes that it seems humans share this understanding, yet they break these rules. He speaks of this as what we “ought” to do, like helping humans when helping may be dangerous. For example, a man is drowning, and you are afraid to help as you may drown as well, yet you feel the drive to do what you “ought” to do and help the man. He then says that by comparing different morals to determine which is better is admitting that there is some form of “real morality.” As this section progresses he begins to say this law of morality must be “real.” He continues to the conclusion that, “…with the idea that in the Moral Law somebody or something from beyond the material universe was actually getting at us.” Later he states: “It is after you have realized that there is a real Moral Law, and a Power behind the law, and that you have broken that law and put yourself wrong with that Power – it is after all this, and not a moment sooner, that Christianity begins to talk.” Lewis is making enormous assumptions in his conclusion which he must demonstrate to be true. Can he demonstrate that the Christian god exists, and has the power to create and control the universe, and has the power to place these moral laws upon we humans? Yes, we humans have shared moral values, but it has nothing to do with anything supernatural. First, we have empathy. We understand what it is to be human. We understand pleasure and pain. We understand that other humans feel the same as we do. We understand the potential benefits of giving pleasure and potential consequences of causing pain. This drives cooperation which benefits the individual and the group. In addition, we have enlightened self-interest. We understand that if we give pleasure to others they may reciprocate in the future. If we cause pain to others they may cause us pain in return. Morality is not a dictate, it is an opinion and therefore it is subjective. If a god provided morality it would be that god’s opinion of what is right or wrong. Morality is based on a goal. For we humans that goal is human wellbeing. We strive to maximize human wellbeing and reduce human suffering. Our shared morals have evolved over time. In the past slavery was considered morally acceptable (read Exodus 21 & Leviticus 25 – God was ok with slavery). As time went on more people came to the realization that slavery is bad for the slaves, bad for the slave owners, and bad for society. When most people came to this realization it became morally unacceptable for society and laws were passed to make slavery illegal. None of this requires any supernatural intervention. Lewis has the burden of proof to demonstrate his hypothesis that a god exists, created morality, and forced that morality on humans is, in fact, true. B2: Lewis begins with you do not have to believe that all other religions completely wrong. However, not surprisingly, he goes on to state that the basic premises of other religions which he calls pantheism are wrong and Christianity is right. He also states, “If you are an atheist you do have to believe that the main point in all the religions of the whole world is simply a huge mistake. He also states that he was an atheist based on his observation that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust; not due to lack of evidence which is why I went from being a Christian to be an agnostic atheist. Assuming something is cruel and unjust implies an intelligent agent, I don’t see the universe this way. I see it as a dangerous place for humans, but it has no intent to harm humans; it is just not the right environment for us. We evolved to survive in very specific conditions. Lewis also states that he was “trying to prove that god did not exist...” Again, I cannot be certain that a god does not exist; but I am not convinced a god does exist because I do not have enough evidence to believe. So far Lewis has not provided any evidence of the existence of the god in which he believes. In the next section he mentions that atheism is too simple. In a way it is simple. I can’t believe the claims Christians make that a god exists because none of them have provided enough evidence to convince me their claim is true. Then he states he does not like simple religion. He feels people who believe it is simple must be wrong because the universe is not simple. He speaks in detail of Dualism, which is 2 forces in the universe; one good and one bad. Then goes on to say that it is about an all good god and a fallen angel (Satan). This section is pointless. How does Lewis know any of this information, which he just assumes is true, is actually true? Again, he MUST demonstrate the truth of these claims. In the 3rd section Lewis makes an interesting point regarding how Satan could be a power of evil in the world contrary to God’s will. He then provides the “Free Will” excuse. God provided free will to all the beings he created, which makes evil possible because god wants beings to love him on their own. The issue with this argument is, if you believe that god is all-knowing then he was aware of absolutely everything that ever has and ever will happen prior to creating the universe. If he is all powerful he had the power to create a world where all beings would come to him by choice. Or better yet, why doesn’t this god just have a direct loving relationship with every intelligent being he created, instead of hiding and expecting those beings to come to him. At the very end of this section and into the 4th section Lewis presents his well-known trilemma argument which has been used ad nauseam by Christians. To summarize it states that Jesus could only be one of 3, a liar, a lunatic or the lord. Lewis has yet to demonstrate that the born of a virgin, miracle performing, parable spewing, rising from the dead character described in the bible existed in real life. Therefore, there is a 4th option: this character could simply be legend. Lewis goes on to state, “The central Christian belief is that Christ’s death has somehow put us right with God and given us a fresh start.” So, what Lewis is saying is that god sent himself to earth, to be sacrificed to himself, to act as a loophole to rules he created. This makes no sense. Lewis tried to work around the argument of why god wouldn’t just forgive everyone but fails. Substitutionary atonement is nor moral. No one should take the punishment of another. The purpose of punishment is to teach the offender an important lesson, and this is lost if an innocent person takes that punishment in place of the offender. In the 5th section Lewis states that he believes that Jesus is god because he believes on His (Jesus) authority. This is circular reason. Jesus is god because in the bible Jesus says he’s god. He then goes on say that authority is what we use to determine what is true. He states, “Ninety-nine per cent of the things you believe are believe on authority.” This is factually inaccurate. I believe things because I am convinced by the evidence. It does not matter who provides that evidence. The evidence must be demonstrable, verifiable, and objective. Then Lewis speaks of the importance of accepting Jesus, “God is holding back to give us a chance. It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it.” This is a threat to either join god’s side or suffer the consequence of hell. Again, how does Lewis know this information is true? B3: In section 1 Lewis discusses morality, I have covered most of this above. In this section Lewis and I come close to agreeing. Morality is a goal, and for humans the goal is human wellbeing. Lewis states, “Morality, then, seems to be concerned with three things. Firstly, with fair play and harmony between individuals. Secondly, with what might be called tidying up or harmonizing the things inside everyone. Thirdly, with the general purpose of human life as a whole: what man was made for.” The first 2 are about human wellbeing. The 3rd is about a god and eternal consequences. Lewis needs to demonstrate that human “souls” exist, are eternal and there is an afterlife. In section 2 Lewis speaks of 4 cardinal virtues: Prudence, Temperance, Justice and Fortitude. Prudence is being cautious which is a good thing. I am a cautious person. Temperance, per Lewis, means for all pleasures go to the right length and no further. I agree, any pleasure to excess can lead to problems. I follow this advice in my life. Justice, per Lewis, includes honesty, give and take, truthfulness, keeping promises, and all side of life. Again, I agree and live this way in my life. Fortitude, per Lewis, means facing danger well and sticking in even when there is pain. I live this way as well. In section 3 Lewis covers what a Christian society would look like. In section 4 Lewis speaks of antiquated psychology which he supported during his life. He does feel that homosexuality is wrong, and psychology may be able to “cure” this issue. I disagree with this assessment, but this opinion was common at that time. In section 5 Lewis speaks of sexual morality (chastity). To Lewis Chastity is the Christian rule, “Either marriage, with complete faithfulness to your partner, or else total abstinence.” I agree with being completely faithful to your partner. If you are not, it can cause great suffering for your partner, your family, your children, your friends, etc. However, consensual sexual interaction between consenting adults outside of marriage can be conducted without causing suffering to the parties involve. I don’t see this as immoral. In section 6 Lewis Christian marriage. He provides some good insight regarding the initial feeling of love and how it will fade with time. Couples should not separate because this feeling fades; but find happiness in each other and stay committed. I agree with this. Obviously, this is the preferred option for Christians and non-Christians alike. However, when there is suffering in the relationship there are times when divorce is necessary. Mental, emotional, and physical abuse can be one reason, infidelity is another. Protecting yourself and your children is imperative. Christians should NOT feel guilty, or feel they are sinning, if they divorce under these circumstances, regardless of what is taught by Christianity. Lewis feels the man should be the head of the household based on his religious belief. I find this ridiculous. Marriage is a partnership and all decisions should be made as a team. One person may be better equipped to make certain decision than the other based on knowledge and experience. That person should take the lead at that time. In section 7 Lewis speaks of forgiveness. I agree we should forgive others for actions which caused us to suffer. However, this is just a mean to let go of the anger we hold. Yet, that doesn’t mean we have to trust that person until that person demonstrates they are sorry, and they earn back trust. In section 8 Lewis speaks of pride. Lewis feels this is the “…the essential vice, the utmost evil…” The pride Lewis describes is feeling competitive, wanting to outdo others to prove to yourself that you are better. This kind of pride seems to stem from low self-esteem, which is not good for anyone. I agree that pride and low self-esteem are not good and people who suffer from them should seek help. In section 9 Lewis speaks of charity. Basically, Lewis defines charity as “Trying to treat everyone kindly…including people he could not even have imagined himself liking...” I agree. In section 10 Lewis speaks of hope which he calls “one of the theological virtues.” He states, “This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not…a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do.” I disagree. Christians cannot know that an afterlife exists, the best they can do is hope it does. Later in the chapter Lewis states, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in the world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” This is just a silly claim. I may find I have a desire to be able to fly like superman, that doesn’t mean I was made for a comic book world, and that place exists. In section 11 Lewis speaks of faith which he states Christians have 2 definitions. The first is belief, accepting or regarding as true the doctrines of Christianity. The second is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, despite your changing moods. Lewis admits to having doubts as his mood changes. He emphasizes deliberately holding Christianity’s main doctrines before your mind for some time every day is very important. That includes daily prayers and religious reading and churchgoing. This is a way to continually remind of what you believe. To me this seems backward. If what you believe is true, and you understand why it is true, there is no need to continually remind yourself of what you believe and why you believe it. In section 12 Lewis continues with faith. He starts by saying that there are a great many things that cannot be understood until after you have gone a certain distance along the Christian road. Lewis spends most of this chapter attempting to explain having faith and doing good actions; you must have faith, to have god in you, which causes you to do good actions. I found this to be a bit convoluted. Ultimately humans do good works without faith in a god. Lewis has, and cannot, demonstrate that this god is somehow inside of us other than as a concept in our minds. B4: In section 1 Lewis begins with stating that Theology as the science of god. This is an inaccurate statement. Theology is speculating about things for which there is no means to determine if they are true. Science is a method of determining facts about phenomena in our shared reality by using the scientific method. Lewis compares theology to a map of physical locations; but this is NOT an equivalent comparison. A map of physical locations can be demonstrated to be verifiably and objectively accurate. Theology can NOT be demonstrated to be accurate in any way. He goes on to make many claims about Jesus being not created but begotten by god, and therefore he is god. Lewis must demonstrate any of this is factually accurate, but he just assumes it is. In section 2 Lewis speaks of his 3-person god. Lewis at one-point states that god shows more of himself to some people than others because some people’s mind and character is in the wrong condition. This is a “No True Scotsman” fallacy. How can we determine who is in the right condition to hear more from god? The “right condition” is just an opinion of men and can vary from man to man. This also tells us that if god isn’t communicating to you, it is your fault. In section 3 Lewis speaks of time and how his god is outside of it, and therefore is not restricted by it. Lewis attempt to use this to dodge the issue that if a god is all knowing and all powerful, humans cannot have freewill. He states, “…suppose God is outside and above the time-line. In that case, what we call ‘tomorrow’ is visible to him in just the same way as what we call ‘today’. All the days are ‘now’ for him. He does not remember you doing thing yesterday; he simply sees you doing the, because though you have lost yesterday, he has not. He does not ‘foresee’ you doing things tomorrow, he simply sees you doing them: because, though tomorrow is not yet there for you, it is for him… In a sense, he does not know your action till you have done it…” This argument does not follow. If god does not know your action until you have done it then he is NOT all knowing. If god does not know future events prior to them happening prophecy becomes impossible. In section 4 Lewis attempts to explain how god begot Jesus (and the holy spirit) yet all 3 have always existed. He provides a simple analogy: Of picturing something in your mind, let’s say a puppy. He states that the act of imagining something in your mind was the cause and the mental picture is the result. I disagree with this analogy. The act of imagining and the mental picture happen simultaneously; they are the same. Lewis goes on to speak of the holy spirit who acts through people, yet he makes no attempt to demonstrate that this being exists. In section 5 Lewis speaks of the “Natural Life”, which is just horrible, and compares it to a person who has become a genuine Christian (a spiritual life), which is wonderful. It is too bad this isn’t demonstrably true. How can we tell the difference between someone who is a genuine Christian and someone who believes he is but really isn’t? In section 6 Lewis speaks of the fall of man, where Adam and Eve didn’t do as god instructed and this was all due to god giving them free will. Yes, if he all knowing he would already have known this was going to happen prior to creating the universe. None of this makes any sense, unless this is just a story written by humans. The rest of this section is about why god just didn’t “beget” us all as his sons. The answer is just Lewis speculating. In Section 7 Lewis speaks of praying as “pretending to be Christ” while praying. He claims the real son of god will be next to you and helping to change you, apparently this is how you become “born again.” Reflecting on who you are and your good and bad actions on a regular basis is a good way to make changes in your life; no supernatural elements required. In section 8 Lewis claims that trying to make changes, in yourself, will not work (which is demonstrably wrong). He then claims the Christian way is the only way and involves killing your natural self. People change all the time regardless of religious belief. In section 9 Lewis continues the topic of changing. (*Note: he off handedly comments that masturbation is a sin – this is just wrong. Masturbation is completely natural and hurts noon and is perfectly healthy.) He states that if you go to god to help with one sin he may work on fixing all your sins. Lewis claims that god will not stop until you are perfect. What is this standard of “perfect”? How can it possibly take place while you are alive as perfection is not attainable for any human, unless your definition is weak. This is all subjective; it is your opinion that some supernatural force helping you to change. In section 10 Lewis mentions a very good question, “If Christianity is true why are not all Christians obviously nicer than all non-Christians?” From my perspective it is because people are people regardless of religious belief. Some people are nicer than others for many reasons. Religion does not magically make people nicer or better than others. Not to mention, different Christians interpret the bible differently which can lead to them being not nice. For instance, the bible states homosexuality is deserving of death and all atheist are fools. This taints Christian’s attitudes towards these people and can lead to them treating these people poorly. In section 11 Lewis (*Note: more than once in this book, including this chapter, Lewis seems to imply that he is accepting of an old universe and evolution by natural selection – I am pleasantly surprised) uses evolution to say men, in a spiritual perspective, will go from being creatures of god to sons of god. This chapter is a bit silly as evolution has nothing to do with people’s opinion of the existence of a god. But I guess Christians evolve into “new men” and can be recognized as such. They have “the mind of Christ.” This section gets a bit strange as Lewis goes on speaking of these people being imbued with some kind of god magic. Yet, at no point does he attempt to demonstrate this is the case. They may have grown as people, have made changes in their lives, and treat others differently but the magical parts must be demonstrated to be true.