Hell In C. S. Lewis The Great Divorce

Lewis writes about his version of Heaven and Hell trying to create a completely just version of it. To begin, Lewis writes about a hell that is not eternal. A significant difference of his idea of justice is that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. Ones who are in Hell may leave at any time if they simply choose to. This also means that people may choose to go to Hell, it is a place of self-exile. “The demand of the loveless and the self-imprisoned that they should be allowed to blackmail the universe: that till they consent to be happy (on their own terms) no one else shall taste joy: that theirs should be the final power; that Hell should be able to veto Heaven” (p.124). A key point about this afterlife is that Heaven is a reality and Hell is a state of mind, rather than a physical place. In “The Great Divorce”, Hell takes place in a grey town, if someone leaves this grey town, they enter Purgatory. The idea that Hell is a state of mind would also mean that salvation is too; a damned soul can achieve salvation by desiring to be close to God, traveling to Heaven and leaving Hell behind. This is what would make Heaven and Hell seem just, being able to leave Hell by getting closer to God and achieving

He then goes to the hospital to see Deborah Ann Kay and is deeply affected by it. He feels this is his chance to do something right and wants to provide fair justice for her instead of just taking the money. He doesn’t take the settlement or tell the Donaheys about it which he is supposed to tell them. He also stole mail from Maureen Rooney to get ahold of Kaitlin Costello Pryce. Frank did all of this because the end would justify the means. Even though some of the things he did weren’t right he wanted to do the right thing by providing justice for Deborah Ann Kay.

    Hell is said to be the worst place to ever exist, and it is greatly feared about on earth and in the minds of people. “Hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold on them and swallow them up,” this illustrates personification in giving the flames of hell the live ability to hold and swallow us. It portrays how we will be consumed by our own sins if we do not act on them to better ourselves. If we let our sins pile up they will weigh us down and we will eventually be brought down to hell to pay for our wrong doings.

During this scene, Anne confessed that she had a nice side, but she was scared to show it. She would be nice, but she did not know what people would think about her. I think this is a big act of kindness because when you dig deeper and read on, you can find that she told Mr.Frank that the mean Anne comes out and the nice Anne stays on the inside. This shows how hard she has tried and nothing would work, she was kind hearted and felt differently

Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis, is written as set of guidelines of Christian belief. Lewis does not say there is any particular way to believe but he does make a point that the topic of religion itself is serious. As you consider whether you want to believe or not, you have to recognize how much thought it requires, and how thought provoking a process this decision is. Lewis covers Christianity in four different books within his book. In book one, Lewis discusses the Law of Nature and makes note of a tendency in humans of appealing to a standard of absolute truth in quarrels and arguments. He calls this standard the Law of Nature or the Moral Law. The Law isn't the same as the law of gravity

The element of fog has been long recognized as a major symbol in That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis. Most scholars view the fog as a symbol of Mark feeling trapped (Cheaney) but in addition to that, it is believed that the fog is symbolizing a dark period of time where the town of Edgestow is being overtaken. The fog that begins to cover Edgestow symbolizes much more than just a thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere. The fog, made of water, is a kind of darkness which can be felt.

Fear was instilled in Puritans as a result of the constant uncertainty of their wellbeing shown through Edwards’ sermons. One concept plaguing them was that sinners will receive an inescapable dreadful fate, and can feel its effects at any time. Puritans were terrified and reflective of their actions when Jonathan Edwards said sinners “are already under a sentence of condemnation to hell” (Edwards 427). Because of this constant worry, Puritans tried to discover whether they were predestined to be in hell and whether they had sinned (Edwards 427). As life after death is still an unknown realm, this possibility still has an effect on today’s

“There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God." -- By the mere pleasure of God, I mean hissovereign pleasure, his arbitrary will, restrained by no obligation, hindered by no manner of difficulty, any more than if nothing else but God's mere will had in the least degree, or in any respect whatsoever, any hand in the preservation of wicked men one moment.”

But Frank eventually learns from a certain father that if he does not repent his sins to God that they will not be forgiven. Then Frank repents in the church and feels a lot better about himself knowing that he is no longer “doomed.”

C.S. Lewis covers many topics in his fourth book contained in Mere Christianity titled BEYOND PERSONALITY: OR FIRST STEPS IN THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. He addresses such topics as theology, what it means to be the Son of God, the three personal God, the relationship of God and time, the cost of being a Christian, how God works to turn us into image of Christ, why Christian growth is both hard and easy, and also what he thinks about our old personalities before becoming Christians. These are all relative topics that apply to us and our daily lives. Learning and understanding this book can help a Christian tremendously in forming a deeper relationship with God.

At this moment, the human civilization is falling apart. The shield that guards the safety of men is broken by wars and conflicts. The hearts of people are injured severely by hatred, inequality, and discrimination. Countries lump into anarchy as laws and orders fall apart. And day by day, promises have been broken so frequently that it becomes a norm, and the meanings of words fall into ashes as people progress on deception. The world is gradually transforming itself into a pure arena, where people disguise as hounds and serpents simultaneously. However, amidst this chaos, there stands supreme thing keeping the pieces of mankind’s civilization together—the Law of Nature.

With a calm demeanor Edwards painted a horrendous and frightening picture of hell for his audience. “(The Devil)... stands waiting for them, like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it...” (725). His words made hell seem like a real, terrifying place. “The use may be of awakening to unconverted persons in this congregation. This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ. That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of: there is nothing between you and hell but the air; 'tis only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up” (728). Edwards felt that his presentation was a success, although he was not even able to finish his sermon because of the ruckus caused by fear in the audience. The residents of Enfield were filled with the spirit of Edwards’ sermon and felt as if they were dangling over the pits of Hell. “The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked”

One of the main themes in C.S. Lewis’s “The Great Divorce” there is a major theme throughout the book that at anytime people can change and come back from a sinful life. However, in order to do this the person needs to completely let go of the sin and make the decision for themselves. People have to fully accept their sin so that they can fully come back from their sinful life. In the book, there are 2 characters in the book that really stand out. One ghost who is clinging to the sin of lust, and one who is loving others before they love God.

“We’ve all done things we are ashamed of...Stop it now! Let's all be happy.” Pg. 506. This quote shows that they are trying to be positive. They are trying to be positive and look on the bright side of things.This shows the people are truly good at heart because they are trying to get each other to be positive and try to be optimistic. Mr Frank: “It seems strange to say this, as if anyone could be happy in a concentration camp. But Anne was happy in the camp in Holland where they first took us. After two years of being locked up . . . she could be out . . . in the fresh air she loved.” pg. 77. Anne was seeing the good in the really bad situation that she was in at the time. This shows how people are really good at heart because she is trying to reassure herself and others that everything will work out and be ok in the end. Anne: I think the world is going through a phase, the way I was with Mother. It’ll pass, maybe not for hundreds of years, but someday . . . “ Despite everything that is happening Anne still believes that it will be over soon and that everything will be ok. This shows how people are good at heart because she is being positive and having

For people that choose to go to heaven and leave the grey town, the goodness of Heaven will work backwards into their lives, turning even their worst sadness into joy, and this change in their experience on Earth to an extension of Heaven. The evil of Hell works the opposite way so that if a soul remains in, or returns to, the grey town, even its happiest times on Earth will lose its meaning, and its experience on Earth would have been Hell. Few of the ghosts realise that the grey town is, in fact, Hell; it is not that much different from the life they led on Earth: joyless, friendless and uncomfortable.