Mere Christianity Description:

Mere Christianity review:
1 stars (didn't recieve that product/ credit card was billed) - i never received that book even though my cc was charged. it might have been sent in august but i wonder if they are still printing the book for me?? and walking it to maryland.



i do not recommedn this source and had i known this would happen i never would have used amazon.com
1 stars (Flimsy arguments tell Christians what they want to hear.) - I'd read on a website about an atheist who'd converted to Christianity after reading this book, and C.S. Lewis tells readers that he was once an atheist himself. Since I'd love to believe that some Big Grand-Daddy in the Sky is going to make atrocities like George W.'s presidency all right in the end, I gave it a shot. I really did go into it with an open mind, but I was sorely disappointed.



In essence, C.S. Lewis's argument is that since humans know right from wrong, we must be getting that notion from somewhere; hence, there must be a god who gives it to us. He dismisses the idea that right and wrong could be hardwired into the human brain by millions of years of evolution by saying the following: You cannot claim that the sense of right and wrong is instinctive because (a) we can have competing instincts, and (b) we often choose to morally follow the weaker of the competing instincts. He gives the example of the instinct to save a drowning man and claims that most people would experience two instincts in that situation--to wit, one to save the man and one to not put oneself in danger--and that the moral man would choose to act on the weaker of the instincts in order to save the man. According to C.S. Lewis, the decision-making that allows us to govern between instincts to choose the moral or immoral course of action comes from god.



In a matter of a few minutes, C.S. Lewis dismisses--erroneously, I believe--the idea that morality is a complex biological process whereby the mind sorts through various drives, with the executive decision-making process itself a biological function (which can be impaired or highly functional across individuals). This materialistic view is increasingly supported by scientific research on the brain that was simply unavailable in C.S. Lewis' day. Hence, "Mere Christianity" is not a very timely or sophisticated piece of writing, since its entire argument rests on the premise that knowledge of right and wrong demands acknowledgement of a god.



Atheists and agnostics who want a true challenge to their inclinations must look elsewhere. Likewise, people who are of another religion and considering Christianity ought to look elsewhere. The other major world religions are dismissed even more quickly than C.S. Lewis dismisses moral materialism. People who are already Christians will enjoy not being challenged to think critically, as well as some of C.S. Lewis' less mainstream views on repentance, becoming born again, etc.
4 stars (Great, but...) - I find this book exceptional for the intellectual believer, but I can't help but wonder if it's possible to reason your way into faith (the very words sound oxymoronic). Often, I hear this book referenced as a prosyletory tool, but I wonder if conversion ought to start with something else--something more along the lines of Lewis's own mind-changing experience. I recommend this book without reservation for believers, but I'm not sure all the reasoning here is completely cogent for nonbelievers, or the best place for a nonbeliever to begin looking for God.