Mere Christianity

C S Lewis (Geoffrey Howard, C. S. Lewis)

Some people believe that a lot of the best cops were those who were once criminals themselves. I...more

Some people believe that a lot of the best cops were those who were once criminals themselves. I believe that to be true, just as I believe that a lot of the best Christian teachers were once non-believers themselves. The reason why is because as good cops have to understand how criminals think, good Christian teachers have to understand how non believers think and their reasons for not believing. Unlike a lot of people raised Christian, former atheists who become Christian spend a lot of time thinking about Christian beliefs and having to find reasons to accept them for themselves. C. S. Lewis did just that and in the process he built a strong foundation for his faith, which I’m so thankful he chose to share in “Mere Christianity”. I can’t tell you how many times his ideas in that book and reasons for becoming a Christian have helped me whenever defending my faith or even whenever I catch myself doubting it. C. S. Lewis was a real deep thinker and great teacher. This book has answered a lot of questions I had and has helped me to understand certain Christian beliefs a lot better such as the Trinity. Because of C. S. Lewis I am more confident and prouder then ever to be a believer in Christ. Yeah it’s hard to be a Christian and may even be impossible to be a perfect Christian in this world, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, as C. S. Lewis mentions in Mere Christianity, “Perfect behavior may be as unattainable as perfect gear changing when we drive, but it is a necessary ideal prescribed for all men...just as perfect gear-changing is an ideal prescribed for all drivers.”   hide

As a nonbeliever, I sometimes come across books put me in a confused position where I persistently...more

As a nonbeliever, I sometimes come across books put me in a confused position where I persistently have to analyze my preconceived notions on religion. Mere Christianity was able to do that on me, and I praise the book highly on that aspect. While it is true that many Christians praise Mere Christianity's conciseness in explanations, one cannot stop wondering why there are such a few objections to the book among Christians. Lewis attempts to solve the problem of evil, but leaves Euthyphro Dilemma, and the problem of free will unexplained (A Christian who is interested in this matter should God, Freedom, and Evil by Alvin Plantiga). He also presumptuously judge atheism in a biased manner. Not only that, he further describes a secular person who thinks of Jesus as a great moral teacher as a bigot by creating false dichotomy in belief in Jesus. Doubtlessly, Mere Christianity is a great book for Christians who seek to reinforce their faith with introductory philosophy, but nonbeliever who reads this book will be left with far more objections than explanation for Christianity.   hide

"Mere Christianity" is quite possibly the best non-fictions I have ever read. More insightful than...more

"Mere Christianity" is quite possibly the best non-fictions I have ever read. More insightful than other books on apologetics I've read, and filled with seemingly simple yet fantastic analogies. With those said analogies, Lewis makes the Divine so much easier to understand simply by comparing that which we know nothing of with that which we encounter daily, yet is able to avoid "over-simplifying the matter." I think anyone and everyone should read this book--Christians, because we should all understand our faith, and non-Christians who are curious about religion because it's a pretty good summary of what Jesus Christ has to offer. Anyway, read it. It's soooo darn good.   hide

It does what it tries to do - gives a very good introduction to Christian belief and philosophy - I...more

It does what it tries to do - gives a very good introduction to Christian belief and philosophy - I disagree with the book, but that does not mean it's meritless. The biggest problem is that Lewis relies on what I like to refer to as the Great False Trichotomy - namely he gives three options for Christ - Liar, Lunatic, or Lord, and eliminates the first two options leaving only Lord. There are other solutions, such as the whole thing being made up, which he dismisses without a reason beyond that what the Bible says is so unlikely we wouldn't come up with such a concept. If you are looking for a book to convince you the Bible is true, this isn't it. If you are looking to find out what Christians believe, it is very good and generally transcends denominations, and I definitely can say this as an ex-Christian that's been in many different churches.   hide

This book is a collection of thoughts on many of the prominent beliefs of the Christian life. ...more

This book is a collection of thoughts on many of the prominent beliefs of the Christian life. Lewis' writes in a diction that remains very relaxed and concise throughout the whole book. He touches on such topics as marriage, hope, sexuality, charity and sin to name a few. In response to a review below, the reason why Lewis leaves no room for people to view Jesus as only, and i stress only a moral teacher, is that Jesus himself seems to not have advocated this opinion. In the writings of the gospels, Jesus was a man who did incredible moral teaching... but always in relation to Yahweh, the God of the Jews. Furthermore, Jesus is presented as agreeing with his followers who claimed that he was "the messiah" which meant much more then simply a moral teacher. The messiah was prophesied as God himself who would save the jewish people, and by extension, the world, from its state of disconnection with Love itself.Lewis does have a very user friendly approach to some deep theologic   hide