What Is Mere Christianity?
C.S. Lewis discusses so many subjects concerning Christianity that it is difficult to sum everything he said in one paragraph. Christianity is different for various people and changes over time. Asking a Christian "What is Christianity?" is like asking a Humanist what Humanism is. You will not get the same answer from anyone. There will be different answers from almost everyone, which include behaviours, the Bible, the devil, and God, but within those things, there is agreement too. This suggests that mere Christianity is actually nothing more than the religion of Christ's teachings and practices.
It is possible to assume that the Bible is one thing Christians have in common, but when one explores this, they soon find out that there are many different interpretations. Some view the Bible as the inerrant word of God, written by God, while others see that there are errors and that man wrote it. Because of this, many a church has had disagreements and sometimes broken apart because of the disputes, not to mention many wars started over theology. Therefore, even the Bible hardly qualifies anymore as mere Christianity.
It is no wonder that Christians cannot agree about the devil and God given that they cannot agree what the Bible says. Some believe the devil does not exist and some do. Others see God as the Ground of All Being, while others appear to worship an anthropomorphized god. Not to mention people seem to blame God for everything, when He had nothing to do with it, but rather humans had everything to do with it. Even Lewis briefly mentioned the various views concerning God and when it is all said and done, someone says, "Don't talk damned nonsense" (37).
Suddenly the "nasty Christians" appear and begin throwing stones at other Christians or anyone else who comes along that disagrees with them, which even Lewis mentions "nasty Christians" and tells us not to be surprised to find them (213). However, in this case, the group is nasty in attitude, which is a common scenario where one Christian insists the other is wrong and eventually things get so bad that the other might say, "If that is the meaning of Christianity, I want no part of it". Such Christians, who insist their way is right and the other is wrong, repulse and repel others with their behaviour, and even Lewis agrees that Christianity does not want us to reduce by one atom the hatred we feel for cruelty and treachery (117). The cruel and hateful behaviour of some Christians colours the teachings of love and truth as they live by the saying, "I come not to bring peace, but a sword" (RSV Mt 10:34). While it is agreed that Jesus said that, I disagree with Lewis about the "idea of Christianity as simply that Jesus Christ was a great moral teacher and if only we took His advice we might be able to establish a better social order and avoid another war as being true" (155). Many wars started based on the afore mentioned verse and many other violent verses in the Bible, not to mention false ideas about "the Rapture" all because people interpret them in their own ways. Christ had some good moral teachings, but over the years, people have twisted various verses to fit their needs and wants.
These same Christians, as they bash others, both Christian and non-Christian, for not believing in "the Rapture" or that the Bible is the literal word of God also seem anti-intellectual, and even Lewis mentions that St. Paul points out Christ never meant that we were to remain children in intelligence. The more intellectual Christians would agree that Christ wants a child's heart, but a grown-up head (77). The intellectual ones generally accept the more scientific views of the world, while the ones who are against science prefer Intelligent Design. Even then, there is no agreement concerning the creation of the world, as to whether it formed 6000 years ago as assumed by the Bible or several billion years ago based on science. This affects the public school system that is filled with religious diversity, including non-Christian beliefs and yet another source of battles.
Before all the various disputes concerning what a Christian should or should not believe, it is the cruel Christians who end up corrupting truth and love with their behaviour, which ends up turning people away. They seem to forget that Christ also preached to love thy neighbour as thyself. It is the Golden Rule of many religions and philosophies, yet some Christians get so mean and hateful to others, that one wonders if they can even love themselves. This becomes the source of causing others misery when one forgets that God is love and not hatred, which even Lewis points out, "God is love, and that love works through men- especially the whole community of Christians" (176). However, those that live by the sword die by the sword, but in the process, they also repel and repulse people with hateful behaviours.
Such behaviour also divides Christians when it comes to theology and corrupts justice. As Lewis states justice means much more than which happens in a court of law (79). It is truth, love, and honesty, but also how we treat each other. When battles concerning ideology occur, it seems Christians begin to shun each other and refuse to commune in various ways. Such things do harm to everyone involved with the various disputes.
This goes into issues of marriage, social morality, and sexual morality that Lewis did not have to tackle during his lifetime. It brings into question if two people truly love each other and want to be together for the rest of their lives, should we prevent the couple to unite on the basis that they are the same sex when science shows that homosexuality is genetic? Gone are the days when humans did not have such scientific knowledge. It does not make sense to cause same sex couples misery with continued persecution just because of what the Old Testament may say concerning a completely different time and culture. Our knowledge of humans has outgrown the tribal setting of the past and society greatly changed with modern technology and science.
It also begs the question should the Church, both Evangelical and Catholic, force a married couple to have more children than they can afford when there is contraception? Such a financial burden could cause great unhappiness and stress within a marriage. What real basis is there against a married couple enjoying lovemaking without fear of more children to feed? If a woman could die by having a baby, is it right for Christians to insist she must die to have that baby, even if the baby could die with her? It would be far better to save one life than have two people die. It is a hard decision to make when a doctor asks, "If push comes to shove, who should we save?" Yet many parents made that last minute decision, with happy and sad results. There are times when the doctor saves both mother and child in such traumatic situations, but the doctor must know the parents' wishes before hand in case the unthinkable happens during high-risk situations not known before the third trimester.
Sex is nothing to be ashamed of, as even Lewis notes, but Christians should not decide for other people what is best for them. Lewis is right that people may mean two different things when they say, "sex is nothing to be ashamed of", yet times have changed since he wrote Mere Christianity and new situations must be considered, especially in the light of vast medical and social advancements since his time (99).
So what is Mere Christianity? The answers vary for everyone, but it is not living in a way that one does not live this life or in ways that does not show love and compassion to others. No one should be hateful to anyone, regardless of his or her beliefs. It is not forcing one's beliefs concerning how people should live or believe on others. Nor is it causing other people misery, based on one’s own ideology. It is not judging and condemning others just because you do not agree with them, either, for even Jesus said, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw the first stone at her" (RSV John 8:7). This concerns everyone, not just the adulteress that it refers to in the Bible.
So what is the "Great Sin"? Granted there is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves (121). Pride does "goeth before the fall", but it also seems that along with pride comes the "better than thou" attitude of others. If pride includes "better than thou" behaviours along with hatred of others and greed, then it is the chief cause of misery and the great sin. This would mean far too many Christians have too much pride, but in what? There is no reason to throw names at people because they are different, do not think the same way, or have a different lifestance. Nor is there any reason to deny a person a job based on sex, sexual orientation, or colour and there is no reason to deny two people a civil union just because they are the same sex, at least not in today’s supposedly modern society at least.
Therefore, while Lewis's ideas fit his time, some ideas change and not all of his thoughts fit this day and age, yet some of his ideas are still fitting for today, such as the Golden Rule and pride being the great sin. However, the Golden Rule is not exclusive to Christianity and therefore is not mere Christianity. The rule, along with pride as the great sin, is merely human and does not answer what Christianity, or any other worldview for that matter, is. Therefore, there might not be any answers as to what mere Christianity is, except that it is the belief and practices of Christ’s teachings. What people do with those teachings is another matter.
Works Cited
Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version. New York: Collins Publishers, 1971.
Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. New York: Harper Collins, 1980.
© Mriana April 2007