Football, European style

What did Adam and Eve do when they lived in the Garden of Eden? They probably picked fruits off trees and bushes, pulled vegetables from the ground, and walked and talked with God. That doesn't sound anything like work to me. What do we do all the time? We work, eat, and sleep. Paradise is all about balance. Doing what needs to be done (generally with a spoonful of sugar), and leisure. We don't have nearly enough leisure time. That's why we need to play soccer. It is good for the body, it is good for the mind, and it is good for the spirit.
Ole Ole!

The Abolition of Man

"It is not that they are bad men. They are not men at all. Stepping outside the Tao, they have stepped into the void. Nor are their subjects necessarily unhappy men. They are not men at all: they are artefacts. Man's final conquest has proved to be the abolition of Man." -C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man

This entire book is just a little bit over my head. i think it's because he goes back and forth between explaining what so-and-so thinks the world should be like, what's wrong with what so-and-so thinks, what he thinks, and what the world is actually like. That's a lot to keep track. I'm pretty sure i agree with what he's saying. As men move towards a more atheistic society, they become less and less human.

I don't like that Lewis doesn't use the Bible. I understand that perhaps he's crafting a non-religious argument, but the piece doesn't seem right without God. It seems just not right.

Mere Christianity

Something about Mere Christianity made me think I could have written it. I probably couldn't have, but nothing in it was really so new to me.

I really like the context of Mere Christianity. Literature is always a bit different when it isn't just read in a book. The fact that it was broadcast to pilots seems really cool. I wonder how many people were touched by the broadcast. I wonder if any were saved. I wonder if they were able to concentrate on dog-fighting instead of on Natural Law and God.

Lewis brings a pretty solid argument to the table. The discussion we had in class regarding God and morality is very interesting as well. Do the two ideas conflict?

Festival of Faith and Writing: Philia in Narnia

Rather than going to class on Friday, since it was cancelled, i went to a Festival of Faith and Writing session about C.S. Lewis. the speaker talked about "The Four Loves" and Narnia. He made it seem, and quite accurately, that Narnia was to some extent Lewis' way of demonstrating the ideas he writes about in his books, such as "The Four Loves," specifically Philia. The speaker gave examples of Philia in Narnia to prove his point. he mentioned Lucy and Tumnus, Aravis and Shasta, Caspian and Cornelius, and Polly and Digory. All four pairs had very different relationships (Lucy and Tumnus met and were very good friends, Aravis and Shasta fought about everything but ended up marrying, Caspian and Cornelius were Tutor and Pupil, and Polly and Digory were very good friends that never married), and all four are described somewhat in Lewis' chapter. If I recall correctly, Lewis says that men and women (boys and girls) can't be friends without some kind of romantic attachment, yes? He therefore proves himself very wrong with Polly and Digory.

Chivalry

If we are discussing Lewis' idea of chivalry, which we are, we must first establish that we are not speaking of opening doors and pushing in chairs. Chivalry is Strength and Humility.

Strength and Humility.

Chivalry (as strength and humility), is not something that ought to be debated-- whether it exists, who uses it, does it fit present day-- chivalry exists, and if it doesn't, it ought to. There is not a man alive who has any reason to be anything other than strong and humble. To be contrary is to be self-centered, which is perhaps the greatest crime to commit.

Also, humility should be one of a Christian's strongest traits.

That is all.

Priestesses in the Church

Women have always been prophets. Every woman mentioned in the Old Testament teaches us something about God and His People. The women in the New Testament do the same thing, and some acknowledge it. Who in the Bible stood as a representation of God himself? Moses spoke with God and delivered the Ten Commandments. David was "A man after God's own heart." Jesus is the only person who has ever existed that we can look to as a representation of our Father in Heaven, because he is our Father in Heaven. There has never been a man alive who was righteous enough to represent God to his people.
The priests in the Old Testament-- Aaron and his descendants-- brought the prayers of the people before God. They were mediators, but they were not representatives of God. Who ever said that priests need to be male so that they can represent God to his people? Doesn't the second commandment say, "Do not make for yourself any idols"?
Lewis says God is masculine, and the Church (his bridegroom) is feminine. For this reason, a priest needs to be male. If a priest represents God, is he then a part of the Church at all? In my opinion, a Priest ought to represent the Church to God, as they did in the Old Testament, rather than God to the Church.

Show and Tell

C.S. Lewis:
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

"It costs God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost him crucifixion."
-Surprised by Joy

"Whenever you find a man who says he doesn't believe in a real Right and Wrong, you will find the same man going back on this a moment later."
-The case for Christianity