CS Lewis

[eternity]

Just wondering what you all think of CS Lewis.

[ionus]

CS Lewis is a blessing.  Without him, I would not have the philosophical discourse I need to guide me sometimes.  Although, I'm sure he would refer me to the Spiritual Fathers of the Church, there is just something special about the way he describes certain things.  I think he is GREAT!!  

[Asteriktos]

I appreciate his attempts at taking a more sound approach when viewing human nature (ie. looking for the real causes of the actions of people, rather than just attributing them to wickedness, demons, etc.) I have often found his psychologically analysis insightful. For someone in the Orthodox/Catholic tradition, he is probably much easier to read than most Protestants, both because of the depth of his insight (which is hard to deny), and because he just sounds traditional sometimes (e.g., coming close to endorsing theosis). On the other hand, I disagree with many of his arguments, especially the ones he uses to defend Christianity. I suppose in that way I probably see him much differently than most, since a lot probably remember him as a defender and explainer of Christianity (which I consider to be his weakest point), while I remember him as an explainer of people in general (regardless of religion).

[Donna Rose]

On the other hand, I disagree with many of his arguments, especially the ones he uses to defend Christianity.

Asteriktos

Could you describe some examples of this? It's the first time I've heard this criticism of Lewis, and I am interested in which arguments you find are his weakest.

Granted, I haven't (yet) read the whole C.S. Lewis canon, so I may not have come across all of them yet...but I'm still curious as to your take on them, if you find him at his weakest when he defends Christianity.

I love him, what I've read of him. At the end of the day, I think my favorite thing about him is how great a storyteller he is. This comes out in both the Narnia books as well as the theology books I've read thus far.

D

[Asteriktos]

I remember as an Orthodox being sort of unsure of how to take his beliefs on joy... not that joy is a bad thing, but it just seemed like he (and other Brits like Chesterton) were overly optimistic about it's importance. I might have a different view now, I'm not sure. As to the specific Christian apologetics though, I was mainly thinking of some of his arguments in Mere Christianity; I'll read the first part of it again when I get home from work, and post some thoughts. I can post them elsewhere if people would like this thread to be about the positive views of Lewis, just let me know.

[Landon77]

Just wondering what you all think of CS Lewis.

If you like CS Lewis, you should really try to read some GK Chesterton (sp?).

[serb1389]

I'm not a huge fan.  i've only read a couple of his books, but from those i've gathered that he's way too analytical.  Go figure!  I think he leaves a lot to be asked for in terms of equating it with actual human emotion and experience.  

In the same breath, he really is great at expounding ideas in a clear manner, which is always nice.  But I just think he goes too far.  (please keep in mind i've only read a couple books...)

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