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Analysis Of C. S. Lewis Mere Christianity

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C.S. Lewis begins Mere Christianity by talking about the Law of Human Nature. He argues if there is a higher standard for something, a focal point for how humans should act, then that in itself points to the existence of a Creator. He talks about right and wrong and that it is not necessarily about what is right and wrong, but the fact that people believe in a right and wrong. He says people don’t believe they meet the standard for how they should act. Another point is that man did not make the Law of Human Nature because that law is a standard we cannot meet, but are always striving for. In fact, humans are anxious to make excuses for not behaving decently. Often times, people will justify their claims on what they are doing, which points …show more content…

If people were to follow any one instinct all the time, the results would be disastrous. Any instincts that come from flesh and blood cannot always be trusted. The Moral Law can suppress or increase certain instincts, because it dictates what is morally correct. There are some instincts that need to be suppressed given the situation, so it would be foolish to blindly follow one instinct all the time. So, the Moral Law will direct our impulses, depending on the situation. The Moral Law is not to be confused with the Rules of Decent Behavior, which is more social convention and can be learned through education. The Moral Law cannot be taught, and was not invented by humans. The Rules of Decent Behavior can differ depending on circumstance, or where you live; whereas, the Law of Human Nature is an innate understanding, or something we are born with. It isn’t governed by social convention; it’s a law of right and wrong that is as much a real truth as mathematics. The minute you compare one set of moral ideals to another, you are comparing it to a higher standard. Something I think a lot of people get hung up on about the Moral Law is what it entails. People get caught up on “what is right and wrong?” What is actually right and wrong does not matter in this context, it is not the point C.S. Lewis is trying to make. He is not talking about that, he is talking about the fact that such an idea exists--that a “Real Morality” exists--and is the standard that all other moral ideals are being compared to. That is what points to the existence of a Creator. In the next chapter, Lewis brings up that if such a law exists, where did it come from? If there is such a thing as a Moral Law or Law of Human Nature, and if it is something humans could not have created, then who did? Man does not exist on his own apart from the Law, man lives under the Law. This means that there is someone

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