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Hello

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'Mere Christianity'
I am Pastor Jae-hoon Lee of Onnuri Church

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From today on,

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we will be studying together

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'Mere Christianity' by C. S. Lewis

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Many people know about
the name C.S. Lewis,

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but not many know who he was or

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the deeper meaning

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behind his books

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So I'd like to study 'Mere Christianity'
a book that's not only one of

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Lewis' most loved works
but also one of the most impactful

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in Christian history

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'Mere Christianity' is one of

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the most influential books

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in Christian history

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Interestingly, after Lewis passed away

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this book

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gained even more popularity

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especially among 
English-speaking Christians

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It started selling 
millions of copies each year

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Along with his 'Chronicles of Narnia'

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and J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of Rings'

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These works influenced 
the Christian worldview

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and literature of the 20th century
for many in the English-speaking world

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The fact that C.S. Lewis' influence grew

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even more after he passed

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shows that

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his books hold timeless truths

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I believe that truth is often

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more influential after its time

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Let's now dive into

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'Mere Christianity' together

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'Mere Christianity'

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The preface states, 'Mere Christianity'

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was originally presented as

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a series of broadcast talks on BBC Radio

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It was also during the World War II

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The talk on the radio during the war

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has now been split into several books,

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impacting many people today

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Rather than refining Mere Christianity

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with literary techniques
or polished language,

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Lewis explains that

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he aimed to
keep the spontaneity

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and conversational
tone of his talks,

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making readers feel
as if they were listening

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to a broadcast,
not just reading a book

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which is covered in the preface

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Lewis also
clarifies that 'Mere'

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and the phrase 'Mere Christianity'

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are not original to him

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He borrowed the phrase

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from Richard Baxter,

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who was a Puritan pastor

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He clearly states this in the preface

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So why 'Mere'?

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Why this word?

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Lewis explains
several reasons for this

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First,

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(Why 'Mere'?)
He felt it was best

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to avoid highly theological

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or historically controversial points

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To clarify the historically accepted

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and uncontentious

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(e.g. Trinity, original sin, salvation)
core doctrines of Christianity,

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the central and foundational beliefs,

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or the greatest common denominator

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That's the first reason behind 'Mere'

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Second of all,

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he makes sure to
remove any potential

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stumbling blocks for non-believers

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when approaching the Christian faith

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His goal was to focus solely

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on aspects that would
allow non-believers

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to see Christianity in its essence,

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presented in rationally and reasonably

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That was his second intent behind 'Mere'

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He describes his broadcast talks

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as being like a hall,

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with doors that lead into various rooms

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This hall isn’t the ultimate destination

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(Starting point for deeper truths)
but an entryway

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to the many rooms, such as

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the storehouses of Christian truths

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This is his humble expression

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He never claims that this single book

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encompasses all Christian truths

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or fully explains
every aspect of the Bible

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He’s a literary scholar, not a theologian

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After his conversion from agnosticism,

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as a literary scholar, 
he wanted to share

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the core Christian truths
that he now accepted,

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the truths upheld by
believers across history

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The approach he took was

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to reject the 'watered-down faith',

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or what Lewis terms as

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'Christianity and water'

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to describe a diluted, 
pseudo-Christianity

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straying from orthodox beliefs

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In addition,

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Lewis recognized the early signs

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of what we now call 'Post christianity'

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or 'Postmodernism', 
trends that were

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already emerging in his time 
and are evident today

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Amid the devastation of war

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and people’s deep questions,

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like, “Is God truly alive?”

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and, “Does truth exist?”

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At a time of such profound questions,

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Lewis reached many through his talks,

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illuminating people's
hearts with the truth

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So, as a believer and a writer
not a theologian or pastor

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Lewis was able to explain the biblical 
worldview in a way that connects

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It's become a must read,

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loved by so many, even today

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Right and Wrong as a Clue
to the Meaning of the Universe

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Chapter 1 The Law of Human Nature

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The title of Book 1 is as follows

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Right and Wrong as a Clue
to the Meaning of the Universe

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Pay attention to 'Clue'

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that denotes a lead or a hint

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Meaning, 'Right and Wrong' is

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'Clue' to the meaning of the universe

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Why did Lewis say 'Right and Wrong'?

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Keep this question in mind as we read on

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The title of Chapter 1 is
'The Law of Human Nature'

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Lewis explains various laws in this book

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One is 'The Law of Morality',

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or moral law

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Another is 'The Law of Nature'

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Also, 'The Law of Human Nature'

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These are used interchangeably

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'The Law of Nature', 'The Law of Human Nature',

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and 'The Law of Morality' all mean

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(The Three Laws)
the law that defines right and wrong

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which he adopted

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He starts the book with
an example of people quarreling

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Everyone quarrels

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'Quarreling', what does it mean?

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Lewis offers this question

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Human quarreling happens

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because we think

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we are right and they are wrong

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Then, by what standard

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do we judge that right and wrong?

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Quarreling occurs because we all think

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we are right and they are wrong

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Then regardless of the side,
there is a shared belief in something

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It is believing that

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one holds a standard for judgment

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If people didn’t believe in
a standard of right and wrong,

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there will be no quarreling

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He is using everyday quarrels

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to illustrate the existence

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of a law of right and wrong

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This demonstrates that
there are standards and rules

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that we assume that
the other person ought to know

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That is his explanation

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However,

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unlike natural, scientific,
or physical laws (e.g., gravity),

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we choose to follow
The Law of Human Nature

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There is no choice in following
scientific and physical laws

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It's a law we can't help but follow

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and breaking it only leads to trouble

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He explains that the moral law,
the Law of Human Nature,

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or the law of right and wrong,
differs in that

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humans can choose to follow it,
unlike scientific or physical laws

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This fundamental principle
shows similarities

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across all times, countries, and cultures

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The morality presented in the Bible

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and what cultural anthropology
believes to be right,

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or the general moral principles,
hold similarities

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This is the insight Lewis builds on

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(Key Point)
Therefore, all humans on earth

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(1. Awares right and wrong)
hold a sense of

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how they ought to
act in a certain way

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(2. Non-compliance)
The problem is,

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humans fail to act accordingly

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Human nature holds this contradiction

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Right and Wrong as a Clue
to the Meaning of the Universe

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Chapter 2 Some Objections

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In the second chapter,

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Lewis expects
objections to his claim

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"Then where did The Law

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of Human Nature, 
or of Morality, come from?"

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(Objection 1)
"Is it not herd instinct?"

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That is the first objection

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He explains that the moral law is
different from the herd instinct

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with an analogy of piano keys

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With the analogy of piano,

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each instinct is like a piano key

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The Law of Human Nature

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consists of each and every piano key

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(Sheet Music - Moral Law)
and creates a harmonious piece

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So these are two different things

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The fact that there are many keys
does not create an harmony

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Likewise, many human instincts

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do not create an harmony,
left on their own

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(Combining instincts  
cannot produce moral law)

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Therefore, Lewis explains that
for human nature (piano keys)

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to produce a beautiful harmony,

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there must be

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a governing law (the sheet music)
above these various instincts

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Therefore, the Law of Human Nature is

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not simply a collection
of human instincts

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He explains it as something that directs

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these instincts, creating
harmony and melody

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The second question posed is,

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(Objection 2)
"Is the moral law not merely

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a social convention
instilled through education?"

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As briefly mentioned,

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The moral standards of
one era or one country

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are not significantly different

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from those of another era or country

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(Moral law = math?)
There exists a consistent

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and similar law that
underlies all moral systems

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There is no fundamental difference

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The fact that there are 
degrees of morality

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suggests evidence of a true morality

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as a standard of judgment

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Therefore, it implies

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that humans hold a law
that they did not make

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This urges us to consider
that humans exist under a law

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of right and wrong,
as Chapter 1 and 2 explains

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Next, in Chapter 3,
we'll explore explanations

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for the existence of such a law

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Why did C.S. Lewis use 'Mere'?

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1. Excluding points tied to church history

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2. Removing what might
hinder nonbelievers

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3.	Defending Christianity through
rational and logical approaches

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4. 'Mere Christianity' = a hallway
leading to various rooms

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Hallway = an entry point to
deeper Christian truths

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Book 1 Right and Wrong as a Clue
to the Meaning of the Universe

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Chapter 1 The Law of Human Nature

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1. Law of Human Nature = moral law
(The Law of Right and Wrong)

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Basis for quarreling
(Basis for law of right and wrong)

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People argue because they believe in
differing standards of right and wrong

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3. Moral law is optional,
Laws of nature (e.g. gravity) are not

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4. Similarity between
biblical and universal morality

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[Key Point]
-All humans recognize
what is right (moral law)

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-Nevertheless, they fail to follow it

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Chapter 2
Some Objections to Moral Law

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Objections to Moral Law

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1. Objection
Q: Is it not herd instinct?

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A: No, morality is
distinct from herd instinct

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2. Objection
Q: Is it not taught through education?

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A: No, it transcends time
and cultural boundaries