We're at Chapter 4, Book 3
It is titled 'Morality and Psychoanalysis'
Book 3 is exploring
the specifics of the Moral Law
There are four Cardinal
and three Theological virtues
Here, Lewis differentiates morality
with psychoanalysis, while he accepts its value
Psychoanalysis, especially with its focus
on the subconscious, is noted for its effectiveness
in alleviating abnormal emotional states
He is acknowledging that elements addressed in psychoanalysis
are necessary for us to live
based on a sound moral code
Our subconscious and abnormal emotional states
undermine our ability
to follow a sound moral code
Thus, Lewis suggests the need for help
through psychoanalysis or mental therapy
Thus, if subconscious and abnormal emotions
are healed and removed,
we will finally be able to follow right choices (moral law)
According to the Law of Human Nature
and moral laws that God has instilled within us,
we are enabled to make righteous choices
Of course, we reject evil
and choose the good
This chapter has
an important sentence
'When a man is getting better he understands
more and more clearly the evil that is still let in him.'
'When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less'
'A moderately bad man
knows he is not very good'
'A thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right'
'Good people know about both good and evil'
'Bad people do not know about either'
The crucial evidence of a truly active moral function
is recognizing the presence of evil within oneself
Without realizing the evil within one,
they mistakenly consider themselves
as being righteous
As one gets better,
they realize more of their own evil
As one gets worse, they fail to realize it
and even consider themselves a right
Therefore, a life following the Moral Law
that God has given us
realizes the evil within ourselves more,
approaches God to repent,
and comes to the cross of Jesus Christ
That is the way presented by Lewis
Mere Christianity Book 3 Christian Behavior
Chapter 5 Sexual Morality
Now, in Chapter 5,
Lewis is considering sexual morality
Among moral failings, nothing disrupts our lives
more profoundly than sexual immorality
Lewis is differentiating between
chastity and modesty
Chastity is absolute,
applicable to all ages and people
Modesty is relative,
to the given time and culture
Thus, maintaining strict and meticulous etiquette alone
does not serve as evidence of true purity
On the other hand, a form of chastity
may not be accepted, due to its
difference from the accepted modesty
Just as Eastern and Western cultures differ,
so too does between Korea’s historical periods,
like the Joseon era, and modern times
African and Asian continents have cultural differences,
with interpretations of modesty
The crucial point is that the issue of sexual morality
isn’t about how strictly one adheres to etiquette
Lewis is speaking of a deeper sense
of sexual purity or chastity
We must pursue sexual purity or chastity
because there is an issue with our instincts
The most corrupted of human instincts is the sexual instinct
With the excessive flooding of sexual desire,
humans are getting more morally corrupted
This is an example Lewis takes
When we feel a craving for food
or a sexual desire,
while sexual desires are
commercialized through
things like strip shows
and provocative displays,
there is no comparable business
for stimulating our appetite
by showcasing food
This points out just how much
the commercialization of human desire
undermines sexual purity
That is Lewis' point
(Distorted views on sexuality) Thus, those who claim
‘Sex is nothing to be ashamed of’
and advocate for unrestricted sexuality
fail to grasp how destructive
humanity’s fallen sexual instincts can be
God’s Word and the truth of Jesus Christ
do not deny the sexual desire within humans
Rather, they affirm
that the problem lies in its distortion,
when it falls outside the boundaries of family
and marriage, it becomes a corrupted state
As we live in a challenging era to uphold sexual purity,
C.S. Lewis’s time faced
a similar breakdown
of sexual purity
He criticizes distorted views of many psychologists
that repressed sexual desires are dangerous,
that they should be appropriately expressed and relieved
Lewis considers this dangerous
It makes chastity seem impossible to attain
He argues for a strict sexual ethic,
refuting the idea that purity leads to other issues
by suppressing human desires
However, Lewis adds,
that while sins of the flesh are indeed evil,
an even worse sin is spiritual sin
Here is a quote
'There are two things competing with the human self
which I must try to become. They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self'
'The Diabolical self is worse of the two'
'That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church'
'may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute'
This is a fearful
A person who considers themselves morally righteous
can belong to a far more serious demonic self
than someone who has committed
sexual immorality
Therefore, we should pursue
sexual purity and guard against
the diabolical self
Mere Christianity Book 3 Christian Behavior
Chapter 6 Christian Marriage
Christian Marriage of Chapter 6
follows the sexual morality
He emphasizes that sexual purity within marriage
should be viewed not just as a matter of chastity
but from the perspective of justice
The sexual morality within marriage is not only
about maintaining purity but also about
keeping the promise made before God in terms of justice
Without viewing marriage as keeping promises,
its blessings may be seen as just an emotional exchange
In a marriage,
one could feel 'good'
or not so much
And with possible
conflicts in discourses
one may not feel good
What sustains a marriage
is something more than emotions
Initially, love leads to marriage
But this emotional love
that makes the marriage vows
should be transformed to sustain the marriage
and make a healthy family,
which is something more than love
It is the will to keep the promise
The effort to stay just and righteous before God
This is more important than emotional love
Therefore, for a marriage,
Chapter 2 considers it necessary
to keep the promise and be righteous before God
That is why staying chaste in marriage
and enjoying the life
given by God is important
This chapter also explains more on the verse
saying the husband is the head of the wife
Marriage as a lifelong commitment requires a leadership
It is necessary for
a final decision-maker in cases of disagreement
But is the husband always the head?
According to God’s creation order,
the husband is the head of the wife,
but this does not imply
that men are superior to women
In a family, we know
how the motherly love,
survival skills, and dedication are unsurpassed
The husband is the head
not because of his male superiority
In the decision-making process given by God’s creation order
C.S. Lewis explains, as his personal opinion,
that the husband is
more likely to be more objective than the wife
Because a woman’s maternal instincts
can sometimes lead to bias,
God has granted the husband (the man)
the role of ensuring that the household
remains objective and does not become subjective
That is Lewis' personal stance
'Because he always ought to be,
and usually is, much more just to the outsiders'
This is what Lewis thought,
which isn't the absolute truth
There can be a woman
much more just than a man
And there are wives who are
much more just than their husbands
So it is important to read this part
as Lewis' personal stance
Thus, this is not a debatable matter
Anyhow,
the creation order that makes the husband the head
is, in my opinion,
about the responsibility of love
Who loves the wife first?
The ultimate responsibility
of the family lies on the husband
He is responsible to love first,
forgive first, reconcile first,
and make a harmonious family as the head
Because God has created us,
as His love
leads us,
as Jesus Christ is the head of the Church,
He loves first, enters first,
approaches us first
Likewise, the husband should be responsible
as the head of the family
to love first
In the end, what community needs
the most of the Godly order and the Moral Law?
This chapter answers it as the family
When a family has the truth, promise,
and righteousness of God in it,
that is when the truth and morality
of God resides in the family
And through the family,
the truth of God will be revealed to many others
Chapter 4 Morality and Psychoanalysis
1 Role of Psychoanalysis
Eliminating abnormal emotions that hinder following the correct moral law
2. Requirements for the Right Choice
Treatment of abnormal emotions, removing abnormal emotions.
3. The good realizes one's evil
The evil cannot do so
Chapter 5 Sexual Morality
1. Chastity(absolute) ≠ Modesty(relative)
2. Why Sexual Chastity?
Our instincts have flaws
3. Why Being Chaste is Hard
1) Claims refuting restraining instincts
2) Considering chastity as impossible
3) Misunderstanding about repressed sexual desire
Chapter 6 Christian Marriage
1. Chastity as Justice
1) Chaste Couple - Chastity 2) Promise with God - Justice
2. Husband as the Head Responsibility to love
3. Family as a community with the Moral Law