We are in Book 2 of Mere Chrisitanity
Book 1 was title ‘Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe'
Lewis explained
the ‘Moral Law,’ or the ‘Law of Right and Wrong,’
that exists within humans, which can also be referred to
as the ‘Law of Human Nature'
He presented various evidence to argue
that this law could not exist within us
without something behind it
Ultimately, Lewis revealed that the being
behind the Law of Human Nature
is God the Good Lord
Book 1 served as a preliminary explanation to prepare for Book 2
where Lewis explained foundational truths of Christianity,
or the question of what we believe
Mere Christianity Book 2 What Christians Believe
Chapter 1 The Rival Conceptions of God
Now, in Book 2, Lewis presents the core truths of Christianity,
the pure message of the gospel,
of what we believe
Ultimately, Lewis begins by explaining various concepts
that compete with the idea of God,
the being behind the ‘Law of Right and Wrong'
Chapter 1, titled ‘Rival Conceptions of God,’
explores these competing ideas
As he outlines various human ideas about God,
Lewis first discusses atheism, the most common view
It argues that God does not exist
and is merely a human illusion or a misconception
However, believing that God does not exist
is a much harder claim and belief
than believing that He does
Atheism is also a form of belief,
where they believe God does not exist
C.S. Lewis has already argued
why one can't assert God’s non-existence
It is because ‘Law of Right and Wrong’,
the Moral Law inherent within human nature,
serves as evidence that points to God’s existence
He briefly dismisses atheism as
not worth discussing
Next, he explains another competing concept of God
that is hidden within religious forms
It is called pantheism
Pantheism equates the universe with God,
merging the idea that God transcends good and evil
and is immanent in all things
within the material universe
This is a different form of naturalism, known as deism,
which worships the laws of nature as God
It acknowledges no existence of God
and venerates the universe as a god
So it is a form of atheism
Pantheism is atheism in religious disguise
In contrast to this is deism,
which was popular in the Middle Ages
It believes in a God the Creator
but no longer intervenes,
leaving the laws of the universe
to operate as if they were divine in themselves
This is the logic of deism
C.S. Lewis does not mention naturalism in the book,
but he discusses atheism and pantheism
He explains pantheism,
which suggests God appears to exist
but actually does not,
distorting God’s true nature
To understand what God is like,
many people wonder about the reasons
behind various occurrences in the world,
especially the presence of evil
During C.S. Lewis’s time, World War II was taking place
He questioned why wars occur,
why people kill each other,
and what drives individuals
to take others’ lives
in pursuit of their own power
These questions led him to
deeply ponder the origins of evil,
which arose from the era’s circumstances
C.S. Lewis addresses these questions
by explaining the good and evil in coexistence
and the nature of God
So the question in Chapter 1 goes,
If, as the Bible claims, a good God created the world,
why is the world still so flawed?
This is a common argument
made by atheists based on such claims
'Seeing the injustices in this world,
I cannot believe that God exists'
'If God exists and is good,
why does He allow injustice in the world?'
Seeing injustice leads one to believe
that God does not exist,
Even if He does, He cannot be good
These are some examples
C.S. Lewis addresses these questions
by challenging their underlying assumptions
If the world is unjust,
doesn’t that judgment require a standard
of goodness to make such a determination?
How can one judge the world as unjust without presupposing
a standard of goodness and a good being?
When people judge the world as unjust,
it reflects their belief
in the Law of Right and Wrong in Book 1
This judgment presupposes a good God behind that law
Therefore, claiming
that God does not exist in light of
the world’s injustice is logically flawed
This means that whenever we make a judgment,
there must be an underlying standard
The philosopher Immanuel Kant, an Enlightenment thinker,
said ‘Dare to Know'
This philosophical phrase inspired many
"Test all against reason” It argues
“Doubt sacred traditions" that we should engage in skepticism,
uestioning everything
and verifying it through reason
But when evaluating a thought or event,
there must be a standard, or a reference point
Whether we call it a worldview, value system,
or belief, the problem lies in the fact
that humans lack the ability
to interpret
and assess these premises simultaneously
The claim by philosophers
that we should doubt, evaluate,
and accept everything
through reason is self-contradictory
So, when we view the world as unjust,
that judgment requires a standard
Declaring something unjust assumes the existence
of a righteous being
or standard as a reference
Thus, that God does not exist
because the world is unjust is inherently contradictory
This is how C.S. Lewis makes his argument
Mere Christianity Book 2 What Christians Believe
Chapter 2 The Invasion
The title of Chapter 2 is 'The Invasion'
The word 'Invasion' is interesting
Here, the term ‘Invasion’ is a combative expression
Lewis often enjoyed using the phrase,
‘Christianity is a fighting religion'
“It is a worldview term that reflects
the state of this world
Here lies a perspective on history and worldview,
the idea that the world is at war
God and Satan are at war, good and evil are at war,
and God’s people are at war with the forces of Satan
We are living in the midst of this war
But why use the term ‘invasion’?
It implies that this world is a rebellious realm,
occupied by forces of rebels
or rebelling forces, a world claimed and held by rebels
God desires to reclaim this world,
which has been occupied by rebels,
and to restore His Kingdom and His sovereignty
Thus, God is the invading God
Therefore, Christianity is not about
comforting someone through ideas
It is a faith that reveals
(Between Good and Evil) a monumental, hidden war in history
He explains that
Jesus entered the territory of His enemies in disguise,
into the world as the Commander to restore it to God’s kingdom
He explains that if one wishes
to receive ally news or understand the mission,
they should go to church
The church, therefore, is composed of the people of God
who, together with Jesus Christ, the Commander of the church,
infiltrate this world occupied by enemy forces
to reclaim God’s kingdom
This view directly rejects dualism
that has persisted throughout history
Dualism claims that good and evil coexist,
that these forces coexist in the world
as equal and opposing powers
Augustine, in his youth, (Great thinker of the early church)
was once influenced by the Manichaean dualist heresy
In his Confessions, Augustine addresses
the problem of dualism,
explaining evil’s origin as 'a distortion of the human will’
Reading C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity,
I was certain he read Augustine’s Confessions,
'Turning away from God (pride)' where Augustine repents
of his involvement with Manichaeism
and critiques the problem of dualism
This is because Lewis
reflects Augustine’s insight into
the origin of evil in Mere Christianity
What is the problem with dualism?
It claims that good and evil exist as equal forces
But, good can exist for its own sake,
while evil can't be evil for its own sake
This is Lewis’s explanation
Good exists in itself,
but evil is not its own entity, but a corruption of good
Good can be good for the sake of goodness itself,
but evil cannot increase for the sake of being evil
Let me take an example
Evil must draw strength from good to succeed,
even when striving for an evil purpose
Without relying on good, evil cannot succeed
Let's take theft as an example
When someone steals or robs a home,
even for wrongdoing, they still need
a good plan, diligence, and teamwork
Thieves should work together
and coordinate,
and sometimes stay awake while others are asleep
These are all good qualities
Do those committing fraud
reveal their lies from the start?
Since evil cannot exist as evil alone,
it must rely on trust, a be good,
to accomplish its deceptive goals
So trust, the good, must be established first
In this way, a successful evil
must draw its strength from good
Thus, evil is the corruption or departure from good
Or as Augustine would say, the absence of good
Or it is parasitic on good
As the movie Parasite
St. Augustine described evil as a ‘parasite on good,’
a concept that C.S. Lewis also adopted in his explanation
This is why the Bible describes the devil (Satan)
as a fallen angel
C.S. Lewis also says,
'This Dark Power was created by God,
and was good when he was created, and went wrong'
'This is not a war
between independent powers'
'it is an evil civil war, or a rebellion'
And finally he says,
'This world is occupied by enemies'
'Christianity is the story of how
the rightful king has landed, and is calling us all
to take part in a great campaign of sabotage'
'Church allows for secret wireless from our friends'
That's how he concludes Chapter 2
The Christian worldview is one of warfare,
where the world is ruled by forces
rebelling against a good God
Jesus Christ, as part of the Trinity,
came to invade, reclaim,
and conquer this territory held by evil
That is how Lewis concludes Chapter 2
In Chapter 3, ‘The Shocking Alternative,’
Lewis will continue on how we must respond in faith
and make a choice in this situation
Chapter 1 Rival Conceptions of God
1. Worldly Views of ‘God’
1) Atheism Belief that denies the existence of God
2) Pantheism Atheism in religious disguise
3) Deism Ignores God’s involvement in creation
2. Standard of Goodness = Moral Law (Law of Human Nature)
Chapter 2: The Invasion of God
1. Why 'Invasion'?
1) Forces Rebelling Against God Occupy the World
2) Jesus (Good) Opposes the World’s Forces (Evil)
2. Perspectives on Good and Evil 1) Dualism
Good can be good for its own sake, but evil can't
2) Evil as the Corruption of Good