What do you think about this C.S. Lewis quote?

Question

C. S. Lewis, a converted atheist, wrote in Mere Christianity...

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic-on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg-or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Dude, I was a hardcore religion-hating atheist before I got saved.

It's all about losing your self-will and pride.
And don't tell me I'm judging you. That's what happened to me.

Actually, it's called "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe"

Lol. C.S. Lewis is a born again Christian.

Answer 1

It makes no difference to me what C.S. Lewis said. I have my beliefs and you have yours. Let's just leave it at that. You've preached enough tonight. Aren't you tired yet?

Answer 2

He did respond to it and I'm sure he would repeat: "You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God." I'm sure you know that those who claimed to be Messiah were NOT respected during that time. The whole point of C.S. Lewis' argument in this text is that Jesus was a great moral teacher (NOT a trait of any other claimers). Historically, there's no denying that he was at least a well-known and influential teacher. So even if you don't believe he was God, you still cannot argue that he was comparatively respected. Lewis is saying that he was respected because he was different. At some point, as with most spiritual matters, it's ultimately based on faith. So if you don't believe it, then don't.

Answer 3

C.S. Lewis was not the final authority on the matter and his opinion is expressed as if he was the final authority.

I believe Jesus was (and is) the Son of the living God - and I believe Jesus was a prophet as foretold by Moses, and I believe as the Apostle Paul said, that Jesus is the sole mediator between God and man. AND I believe there is no way to the Father except through Jesus.

However - I would challenge anyone to show me where JESUS HIMSELF said "I am God!". He made a statement.., "I AM" but this references his prior existance as 'The Angel of the Lord' who acted as God's spokesman speaking from the burning bush (which explains why Stephen before being stoned said an angel appeared in the burning bush). ACTS 6:30

Indeed Jesus was with the Father in the beginning and was the first of all God's creations. He was the central head figure and known as 'the Angel of the Lord'. read your old testament.

People who believed they saw God were in awe that they didnt die. Why? They saw God through the Angel of the Lord - who looked like God and walked in his authority, speaking the words of God. Just as he did when he was born of a virgin and continued to be God's representative..., and explains why the demons knew him - they recognized him from the ancient days in the time before the foundations of the Earth were laid.

Answer 4

You cannot answer the above without doing the following;
1. Read more of CS Lewis and find the whole context in which he says that.
2. Break each sentence down into a very simple thought, then answer each thought.

When Lewis said this, it was in a larger context than just the above quote. He also contradicted himself a large number of times during his life as he went from agnostic to Christian. You therefore will have to find exactly when he wrote it, then see where he was in his hunt spiritually, then Analise the particular quote measured against his spiritual development.

Answer 5

First, C. S. Lewis wasn't so much a converted Atheist, as he was a Christian who lapsed for eighteen years.

Second, this Quote doesn't make sense- all he's saying is that people who disagree with him are stupid. You sort of forgot to quote the part where he demonstrated why he thought Jesus must be Son of God.

Third, style wise, it's a little pretentious and redundant.

So, I think it's a very, very ineffective piece of writing.

Answer 6

Why "must we" avoid saying that? That is his interpretation, not mine or anyone else's. And Lewis was a genius and a hell of a great writer, but we're all equally able to form an opinion.

Also, as a polytheist, I see that Lewis left out my option. I think Jesus is one God among many, albeit a very overworked God asked to do contradictory things.

Answer 7

Great quote. I think people these days are so intent on believing what they want to believe (which is merely an excuse for bad behavior), that they summarily dismiss Jesus as a moral leader or great prophet or a good teacher. I agree with Jack(C.S.Lewis).

Answer 8

I totally agree with the quote. I know this quote fairly well (or a paraphrase of it) and use it often when someone tries to tell me that Jesus was a great moral teacher. I prefer to hear someone say that He did not exist. I can work with such persons.

Answer 9

That sounds frighteningly close to blasphemy. He said the words and actions of Jesus were comparable to those of a madman. How can such a sick minded person call himself Christian?

Answer 10

John 3:16, Psalm 13:1, Prov. 1:7, Prov. 14:9,

Answer 11

Interesting, but logically flawed. It is quite possible to beleive that Jesus was both wise -and- insane. They are not mutually exclusive concepts. You may also beleive that Jesus was a great moral teacher, and that subsequent religious types have inserted teh religion into his teachings for their own ends. To say that there are only two ways to think about anything is to deny the basic creativity of mankind.