A Few Quotes From C.S. Lewis

joaniemarie · Dec 3, 2017

Some people here on CC have never heard of the Christian Author C.S. Lewis so tonight I came across a few of his quotes on one of my favorite go to Christian websites;

1. “100 per cent of us die, and the percentage cannot be increased.”

~ The Weight of Glory (1949)

2. “Badness is only spoiled goodness.”

~ The Case for Christianity (1943)

3. “Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it.”

~ The World’s Last Night (1960)

4. “Now is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It won’t last forever. We must take it or leave it.”

~ The Case for Christianity (1943)

5. “Everyone feels benevolent if nothing happens to be annoying him at the moment.”

~ The Problem of Pain (1940)

6. “No good work is done anywhere without aid from the Father of Lights.”

~ Reflections on the Psalms (1958)

7. “The universe rings true wherever you fairly test it.”

~ Surprised by Joy (1955)

8. “All that we call human history – money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery – [is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”

~ Mere Christianity (1952)

9. “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

~ Mere Christianity (1952)

10. “Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst.”

~ Reflections on the Psalms (1958)

11. “Looking for God – or Heaven – by exploring space is like reading or seeing all Shakespeare’s plays in the hope that you will find Shakespeare as one of the characters…”

~ ‘The Seeing Eye’, Christian Reflections (1967: 150)

12. “Some people probably think of the Resurrection as a desperate last moment expedient to save the Hero from a situation which had got out of the Author’s control.”

~ Miracles (1947)

Given the occasion, here is a bonus quote from The Screwtape Letters …

“The safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

~ The Screwtape Letters (1942)

LoveGodForever · Dec 3, 2017

Hello JM,

I believe you mean well but I think you would be safer reading God's Word for yourself and pointing all to the Word of God rather then the teachings and traditions of men that can lead people away from God's Word. Only God's Word is true (Romans 3:4) and it is only in God's Word that anyone can find Jesus, the one who loves all.......

trofimus · Dec 3, 2017

LoveGodForever said:

This is not true, if by the God's Word you mean Bible.

Not everything man can say is a lie and Jesus can find you without any Bible.

---

On the other hand, if you think that something in the Bible contradicts what was posted, you can show it.

Willie-T · Dec 3, 2017

LoveGodForever said:

Without having read The Prophet as a teen, I might never have WANTED to return to reading the Bible... a desire that my grandmother tried to instill in a younger me. Don't ever downplay the words written by the very men and women God created and inspired to become authors.

Snoozy · Dec 3, 2017

LoveGodForever said:

meanwhile u got a sda false gospel website in ur signature teaching definately traditions of men.

trofimus · Dec 3, 2017

Snoozy said:

Yeah, what an irony that he still repeats that the main church teaching is from men and he himself get his ideas from sects.

Nehemiah6 · Dec 3, 2017

LoveGodForever said:

C. S. Lewis has become an icon for some, but he was off-base on many things also. So take Lewis with a grain of salt.

1. Lewis Taught Theistic Evolution -- Lewis believed that God created the universe; but then men evolved from animals...

2. C.S. Lewis held that the Biblical Genesis account came from pagan and mythical sources

3. Lewis Taught that Mankind is Inherently Good

4. Lewis Taught Baptismal Regeneration and Sacramental Salvation

5. Lewis Taught Works Salvation

6. Lewis believed that some people, devout members of false religions, were saved and didn't even know it...

7. Lewis Became a Catholic Before his Death

http://www.ministers-best-friend.com/C-S-Lewis-His-False-Beliefs.html

There are other sources for discovering more about this icon.

breno785au · Dec 3, 2017

Nehemiah6 said:

C. S. Lewis has become an icon for some, but he was off-base on many things also. So take Lewis with a grain of salt.

1. Lewis Taught Theistic Evolution -- Lewis believed that God created the universe; but then men evolved from animals...

2. C.S. Lewis held that the Biblical Genesis account came from pagan and mythical sources

3. Lewis Taught that Mankind is Inherently Good

4. Lewis Taught Baptismal Regeneration and Sacramental Salvation

5. Lewis Taught Works Salvation

6. Lewis believed that some people, devout members of false religions, were saved and didn't even know it...

7. Lewis Became a Catholic Before his Death

http://www.ministers-best-friend.com/C-S-Lewis-His-False-Beliefs.html

There are other sources for discovering more about this icon.

Far out, so they guy wasn't perfect. He also had some pretty good writings. Do some people only focus on the negative and totally disregard anything good?

trofimus · Dec 3, 2017

Nehemiah6 said:

This is a really terrible page. It can be seen immediatelly. I wonder why do you still use such strange sources.

joaniemarie · Dec 3, 2017

LoveGodForever said:

Hi LGF., Well., of course the Word of God is the most important book I agree. Reading Christian books and other materials is also beneficial for us in telling the truths about Jesus and the way He has worked in our lives. Christian fellowship and other "people" related subjects and influences in our lives attest to this fact.

joaniemarie · Dec 3, 2017

Willie-T said:

Without having read The Prophet as a teen, I might never have WANTED to return to reading the Bible... a desire that my grandmother tried to instill in a younger me. Don't ever downplay the words written by the very men and women God created and inspired to become authors.

Well said Willie!

joaniemarie · Dec 3, 2017

breno785au said:

I do believe you are right unfortunately. I'M SOOOOOO THANKFUL THIS IS NOT THE CASE WITH JESUS!! He loves us unconditionally and doesn't throw our faults in our faces because if anyone has the right and ability to do so He does.

Magenta · Dec 3, 2017

Willie-T said:

I was deeply moved to read Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet" as a sixteen year old, and still quote it occasionally, though not as often as I used to

Here is Gibran's teaching on love:

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you.
Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses
your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and
shake them in their clinging to the earth.

Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you
may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.

All these things shall love do unto you
that you may know the secrets of your heart,
and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart.

But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh,
but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart,"
but rather, "I am in the heart of God."

And think not you can direct the course of love,
for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:

To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.

To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.

To wake at dawn with a winged heart
and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved
in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

Laish · Dec 3, 2017

trofimus said:

Yes very bad site . It has some of the worst resources. One link takes you to a page telling folks that King James was Gay among other things it’s odd that he used it . It also promotes the Geneva bible as a superior first English Bible. I don’t think he searched it much .
Blessings
Bill

Bladerunner · Dec 3, 2017

Nehemiah6 said:

C. S. Lewis has become an icon for some, but he was off-base on many things also. So take Lewis with a grain of salt.

1. Lewis Taught Theistic Evolution -- Lewis believed that God created the universe; but then men evolved from animals...

2. C.S. Lewis held that the Biblical Genesis account came from pagan and mythical sources

3. Lewis Taught that Mankind is Inherently Good

4. Lewis Taught Baptismal Regeneration and Sacramental Salvation

5. Lewis Taught Works Salvation

6. Lewis believed that some people, devout members of false religions, were saved and didn't even know it...

7. Lewis Became a Catholic Before his Death

http://www.ministers-best-friend.com/C-S-Lewis-His-False-Beliefs.html

There are other sources for discovering more about this icon.

Nehemiah6, I do believe you hit the Nail on the Head......Thanks

Blade

LoveGodForever · Dec 3, 2017

Nehemiah6 said:

This is one of the reasons we should point people to the Word of God and not the teachings and traditions of men. There is only safety in God's Word. If you do not know the Word of God how can you know the truth? If you do not know the truth of God's Word you can be carried about by every wind of doctrine. Believing a lie over the Word of God can keep you out of God's Kingdom. There is only safety in the Word of God as you seek the truth giver. Who should we believe God or man?

May God bless you as you seek Him through His Word

Laish · Dec 3, 2017

Bladerunner said:

I am not a CS Lewis fan but he died a Anglican an is buried in a Anglican cemetery.
Also concerning Lewis believing folks were inherently good it’s a bit of a misunderstanding.
Lewis was arguing against total depravity . Not that I agree with him lol but it’s the truth
The site he is using has a odd mix of sites for resources
i do agree that Lewis is wrong about manny things like evolution Salvation and Genesis. Still some of The stuff is
wrong .
Blessings
Bill

Angela53510 · Dec 3, 2017

The Narnia Stories remain my all time favourite book series. I read them to my children out loud. Three times, all 7 books. (Cue Twilight Zone music - 3 X 7!)

I read the whole series at least once a year. Do you know when I started? My first year university, 7 years before God saved me. Now, I just knew at that time the books said something very important. As I read them each year as a Christian, I find more and more Scriptures and Biblical themes woven into the text.

I hope when my grandkids are a bit older, I will be able to read the series to them, too!

As for his books on grief and hopelessness, they helped me a lot at a time when I was suffering. It angers me so much, that people think the ONLY book in the world we are allowed to pick up is the Bible! Now, you all know how much I love and study the Bible. And how vital it is to my walk with God.

But, the fact is, God gave wisdom to people down through the ages. And CS Lewis, regardless of some faulty theology, is one of those people. I have read all his books, and yes, I do disagree with some of his theology. But, the wisdom is there, the witness for what God has done and is doing is there.

He basically started the whole field of popular apologetics, and his books have touched millions of hearts for Christ.

Like Trofimus said, if you take issue for Biblical reasons to the quotes in the OP, well, then say why. But this outright slander, based on terrible websites and information is unconscionable!

joaniemarie · Dec 4, 2017

When our children were young., our family began watching the Narnia series with the first movie "The Lion the Witch And The Wardrobe" on public TV coming from the BBC. It was in a series that I later purchased on VHS and now have on DVD. Another updated movie was made a few years ago but I have not seen it all and lost interested part way through. The BBC presentation is a favorite.

I'm sort of stunned how many people here like and don't like C.S. Lewis despite and in spite of his doctrinal leanings. I agree that there many Biblical truths interwoven into Lewis's stories. For those reasons alone I can't tell anyone to ignore C.S. Lewis writings. We don't have to agree with someone on all counts but that doesn't mean we dismiss them as true believers in Christ.

Below is a short post by Paul Ellis in reference to Good Friday and to C.S. Lewis Book The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe;

[h=1]Easter in Narnia: What Really Happened at the Stone Table[/h]Posted on April 2, 2010 by Paul Ellis // 2 Comments
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In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the schoolboy Peter finds himself in two bloodthirsty battles. In the first he fights and slays Maugrim the Wolf, captain of the Witch’s secret police. You’ve got to admire Peter’s courage. One day he’s playing hide and seek in the Professor’s house, the next he’s given a sword and told to fight “a huge grey beast.” Here’s what happens:

Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do. He rushed up to the monster and aimed a slash of his sword at its side. That stroke never reached the Wolf. Quick as lightning it turned round, its eyes flaming, and its mouth wide open in a howl of anger. If it had not been so angry that it simply had to howl it would have got him by the throat at once. As it was – though all this happened too quickly for Peter to think at all – he had just time to duck down and plunge his sword, as hard as he could, between the brute’s forelegs into its heart. (p.120)

The day after he kills the wolf, Peter finds himself in hand to hand combat with the White Witch herself. In this second battle it is not Peter who is victorious.

What is interesting about these two battles is Aslan’s reaction to them. In the first, he tells the Narnians to stand back saying, “Let the prince win his spurs.” The wolf is for Peter to deal with alone.

Now you have to imagine that Aslan could’ve killed the wolf with no trouble at all. But this was a test for Peter. He had to “win his spurs.” Although Peter was afraid, I don’t believe he was in any real danger at all. Aslan would not have set him up for failure. Instead, Aslan wanted to release the warrior-heart of the future High King of Narnia. Aslan already knew that Peter was the right man for the job, but Peter didn’t. Hence the wolf-test. A shepherd-king needs to be able to handle wolves. This battle reminds us of David the future king fighting the lion and the bear.

But Aslan’s reaction to Peter’s second battle – the one with the Witch – was very different. After Aslan liberated the captives from the Witch’s house he raced to the battle with Lucy and Susan riding on his back. Here’s what they saw when they arrived:

She (the Witch) was fighting with her stone knife. It was Peter she was fighting – both of them going at it so hard that Lucy could hardly make out what was happening; she only saw the stone knife and Peter’s sword flashing so quickly that they looked like three knives and three swords. The pair were in the centre. On each side the line stretched out. Horrible things were happening wherever she looked.
“Off my back children,” shouted Aslan. And they both tumbled off. Then with a roar that shook all Narnia from the western lamp-post to the shores of the eastern sea the great beast flung himself upon the White Witch. Lucy saw her face lifted towards him for one second with an expression of terror and amazement. The Lion and the Witch had rolled over together but with the Witch underneath. (pp.160-1)

And in Lewis’s economical writing, that was the end of the White Witch!

In the first battle Aslan held back and let Peter fight. But in this second battle, Aslan does it all. He doesn’t stop to ask if Peter needs his help. He just comes with a mighty roar and destroys the Witch himself.

The Witch was Aslan’s enemy. It was she who held his creation in bondage and had put all of Narnia under a curse. And it was she who had delivered the killer stroke the previous night on the Stone Table. You get the sense that with Aslan and the Witch, that “this was personal.”

If Peter in the first battle reminds us of David the shepherd-boy, then Aslan in the second reminds us of Jesus the Deliverer. 1 John 3:8 tells us that the reason the Son of God came was to destroy the devil’s work. Jesus came to save us and defeat him. Colossians 3:15 tells us that Jesus disarmed and triumphed over his enemies at the cross.

Today is Good Friday. At Easter we celebrate Jesus’ death which bought our forgiveness and His resurrection which secured our justification. But that’s not all he did. At the first Easter Jesus also triumphed over the devil. We need not fear the enemy any longer. He has been disarmed and defeated. This was not a victory we won. Jesus did it all. We were under attack but the Lion of Judah took it personally.

Imagine what a talented movie-maker could do with this story!

Picture the scene. There’s Jesus, not looking at all dead, standing in power and splendor ready to tear down the gates of hell. Inside the devil is in shock. His throne is cracking and the ground beneath him is breaking open. The camera goes for a close-up of Jesus’ face. Beneath a determined brow is a set smile that says two words, “I’m back.”

Three days after the battle with the Witch, Aslan crowned Peter as High King of Narnia. More battles were to follow but Peter never had to worry about the White Witch ever again. CS Lewis writes that Peter and his royal siblings “lived in great joy” (p.167).

Similarly, we have been called us to “reign in life” through Jesus Christ (Rms 5:17). It’s like we have been crowned kings in his name. And we can reign because the enemy has already been defeated. Although there will be battles to fight and victories to win, we can live in great joy because of what Jesus did at the first Easter.
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Nehemiah6 · Dec 4, 2017

Laish said:

I did say "there are other sources". Those quotes were not meant to promote any web site, so people, do your own independent research. And since the man was quoting directly from Lewis, the focus should be on what Lewis believed and taught. "Litttle children, keep yourselves from idols".

A Few Quotes From C.S. Lewis

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