I agree that there's a tremendous amount of wisdom to be found in tradition and religious texts. I'm Jewish, non Orthodox, so I can be agnostic, as in I don't know, and still derive a lot of value and comfort to being part of an ancient tradition.
Trust me. You’ve only scratched the surface with Lewis. Remember he was an incredibly gifted scholar as well. You should check out his Abolition of Man and An Experiment in Criticism for two of his approaches to education and literature.
I believe that C.S. Lewis is one of the wisest writers of the 20th century. He stands in stark contrast to the 20th century writers academia has fallen in love with (Foucault, Butler, etc.). Lewis simply has beautiful prose, beautiful ideas, and interesting stories.
My experience is that many who are not religious--those who, like you, were raised in an environment that disdains religion--can misunderstand religion--especially Biblical religious faith. The claim that science and reason makes religion obsolete has always fascinated me. Despite the attention groups like creationists get, the Bible has very precious little to say about how the world came to be (a little more than a chapter is devoted to the creation). It's not a treatise on physics, chemistry, nor biology.
Rather, it's a look at what is divine and what is not. What God's relationship to humanity is. A look at God's moral responsibility toward humanity, and humanity's moral responsibility to God. A look at our moral responsibility to ourselves and to others. It deals with love and death, and as well as their counterfeits: lust and violence. It deals with good men who fall away into corruption. Wicked men who change and find redemption.
In the end, I love the end of what you wrote here. We all have a lot to learn from each other. That is, to me, one of the main purposes to this life.
While I am not as antagonistic to traditional Christianity as many of my fellow atheists, I am reluctant to affirm it is a net positive for society. Many people I know and I were dissatisfied with Evangelicalism (the predominant form of Christianity in the U.S.) because of problematic views on homosexuality, male and female roles, biblical inerrancy, and politics. It encourages cohesion for those in the fold, but it is condescending, despite its disavowals, to those on the outside who must be saved. Most importantly, I could not affirm beliefs that were conspicuously untrue, and I fear that the elevation of faith over reason is detrimental to society.
Anglican C.S. Lewis is an interesting case. He expresses a humanistic sensibility in his fiction, and probably my favorite book by him is “A Grief Observed,” an excruciatingly honest exploration of suffering and anger at God for the death of his wife. But when he faces the philosophical issues, his theodicy is unpersuasive, as is his case for faith in his book “Mere Christianity”.
What would you make of a Christian humanism—morality rooted in a Christian ethos, politics in Augustinian secularity (ie, neither secularism nor theocracy), and education in medieval humanist pedagogy?
Your post struck a nerve. I spent 13 years in the Catholic education system, and drifted away from the church about 30 years ago. For about 20 years I’ve lived close to a large parish. Last August, I went to mass for the first time in years, and found myself in the back of a large, full (about 700), church. I was surprised, you hear so much re how church attendance has dropped, especially post Covid.
I have been going every week (sometimes twice) since then, more as an observer than as a participant. I wonder, from a distance, at the ritual, and how it affects people, I cringe at some of the things that are done, and said, as well as the reasoning behind doing and saying them. But I look at the priests and parishioners and I’m happy for them.
I appreciate Protestantism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, and most other religions, for the most-part. I think there are basic issues such as death and afterlife, right and wrong, meaning and purpose, that religion helps us to address - in ways that politics, ideologies, or even philosophy cannot. Any religion is a plus, if you use it to try and understand human nature, and life, and avoid the authoritarianism and cultishness inherent in any and all human endeavors.
Thanks, Liza, great job as usual! But if you like Lewis, you really owe it to yourself to take on his biggest influence, G.K. Chesterton-The Everlasting Man in particular. Mind-blowing stuff-starting with the prehistoric cave paintings, Chesterton writes nothing less than the history of mankind, taking it all the way up to the 20th Century, and convincingly shows how God, and the God of Christianity in particular, has been present throughout. But be forewarned, Chesterton is very biased in favor of the last two thousand years of Western civilization, and he isn't shy about making his argument by negative comparisons with other cultures. And you can disagree, but it is brilliantly argued-and thanks to Chesterton, I now see the present day Silicon Valley/Davos global technocratic elites through the lens of baby-sacrificing Moloch-worshiping ancient Carthage, and the Scot's Irish red-state redneck fundamentalist hillbillies in the ancient Roman legions who defeated them.
It is important to remember that the Bible was written by men and is not inerrant as some of my fellow Christians believe. You don't need to believe in a literal creation account (C.S. Lewis noted it was "mythopoetic") to believe in Christ. The New Testament was written by humans and thus is not inerrant but does give us a decent record of His words and actions.
But the best information about Christianity is found in the testimonies of people who have experienced knowing Jesus. There is tons of great Christian testimony on the web. I didn't think Pat Robertson was the most inspiring of Christians but his org, Christian Broadcasting, has tons of excellent videos of people's experiences as Christians.
It seems stupendously unlikely that God would create just one religious belief that was superior and nearer the truth than others (and I don't personally think that all who aren't Christians are going to hell or unaware of God), but at the same time there is unique power and truth in Jesus and the Christian faith.
Great essay! As I read your reflections, I was reminded of a G.K. Chesterton quote which seems appropriate to your point: "Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about."
You wrote: “ We secular humanists might have lots to teach creationists….”Creationism is a belief contrary to science. I have tremendous support for religious seekers but none for creationists.
I agree that there's a tremendous amount of wisdom to be found in tradition and religious texts. I'm Jewish, non Orthodox, so I can be agnostic, as in I don't know, and still derive a lot of value and comfort to being part of an ancient tradition.
Frank Schaeffer is Greek Orthodox. He sometimes calls himself an atheist who believes in God.
A related and very worthwhile Lewis book is his novel The Hideous Strength...here's my review:
https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/58059.html
Screwtape is a powerful book. It had a big influence on my “reversion“ to Catholicism.
I'm a secular humanist who is good friends with two Jesuits.
Trust me. You’ve only scratched the surface with Lewis. Remember he was an incredibly gifted scholar as well. You should check out his Abolition of Man and An Experiment in Criticism for two of his approaches to education and literature.
I believe that C.S. Lewis is one of the wisest writers of the 20th century. He stands in stark contrast to the 20th century writers academia has fallen in love with (Foucault, Butler, etc.). Lewis simply has beautiful prose, beautiful ideas, and interesting stories.
My experience is that many who are not religious--those who, like you, were raised in an environment that disdains religion--can misunderstand religion--especially Biblical religious faith. The claim that science and reason makes religion obsolete has always fascinated me. Despite the attention groups like creationists get, the Bible has very precious little to say about how the world came to be (a little more than a chapter is devoted to the creation). It's not a treatise on physics, chemistry, nor biology.
Rather, it's a look at what is divine and what is not. What God's relationship to humanity is. A look at God's moral responsibility toward humanity, and humanity's moral responsibility to God. A look at our moral responsibility to ourselves and to others. It deals with love and death, and as well as their counterfeits: lust and violence. It deals with good men who fall away into corruption. Wicked men who change and find redemption.
In the end, I love the end of what you wrote here. We all have a lot to learn from each other. That is, to me, one of the main purposes to this life.
While I am not as antagonistic to traditional Christianity as many of my fellow atheists, I am reluctant to affirm it is a net positive for society. Many people I know and I were dissatisfied with Evangelicalism (the predominant form of Christianity in the U.S.) because of problematic views on homosexuality, male and female roles, biblical inerrancy, and politics. It encourages cohesion for those in the fold, but it is condescending, despite its disavowals, to those on the outside who must be saved. Most importantly, I could not affirm beliefs that were conspicuously untrue, and I fear that the elevation of faith over reason is detrimental to society.
Anglican C.S. Lewis is an interesting case. He expresses a humanistic sensibility in his fiction, and probably my favorite book by him is “A Grief Observed,” an excruciatingly honest exploration of suffering and anger at God for the death of his wife. But when he faces the philosophical issues, his theodicy is unpersuasive, as is his case for faith in his book “Mere Christianity”.
What would you make of a Christian humanism—morality rooted in a Christian ethos, politics in Augustinian secularity (ie, neither secularism nor theocracy), and education in medieval humanist pedagogy?
It didn’t change my life, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and wouldn’t have, if not for you.
Your post struck a nerve. I spent 13 years in the Catholic education system, and drifted away from the church about 30 years ago. For about 20 years I’ve lived close to a large parish. Last August, I went to mass for the first time in years, and found myself in the back of a large, full (about 700), church. I was surprised, you hear so much re how church attendance has dropped, especially post Covid.
I have been going every week (sometimes twice) since then, more as an observer than as a participant. I wonder, from a distance, at the ritual, and how it affects people, I cringe at some of the things that are done, and said, as well as the reasoning behind doing and saying them. But I look at the priests and parishioners and I’m happy for them.
I appreciate Protestantism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, and most other religions, for the most-part. I think there are basic issues such as death and afterlife, right and wrong, meaning and purpose, that religion helps us to address - in ways that politics, ideologies, or even philosophy cannot. Any religion is a plus, if you use it to try and understand human nature, and life, and avoid the authoritarianism and cultishness inherent in any and all human endeavors.
Thanks, Liza, great job as usual! But if you like Lewis, you really owe it to yourself to take on his biggest influence, G.K. Chesterton-The Everlasting Man in particular. Mind-blowing stuff-starting with the prehistoric cave paintings, Chesterton writes nothing less than the history of mankind, taking it all the way up to the 20th Century, and convincingly shows how God, and the God of Christianity in particular, has been present throughout. But be forewarned, Chesterton is very biased in favor of the last two thousand years of Western civilization, and he isn't shy about making his argument by negative comparisons with other cultures. And you can disagree, but it is brilliantly argued-and thanks to Chesterton, I now see the present day Silicon Valley/Davos global technocratic elites through the lens of baby-sacrificing Moloch-worshiping ancient Carthage, and the Scot's Irish red-state redneck fundamentalist hillbillies in the ancient Roman legions who defeated them.
Lewis was good friends with Tolkien. I hope you find an Agent and publish. Most of all I hope you are happy. You’d make a great Professor, adjunct
It is important to remember that the Bible was written by men and is not inerrant as some of my fellow Christians believe. You don't need to believe in a literal creation account (C.S. Lewis noted it was "mythopoetic") to believe in Christ. The New Testament was written by humans and thus is not inerrant but does give us a decent record of His words and actions.
But the best information about Christianity is found in the testimonies of people who have experienced knowing Jesus. There is tons of great Christian testimony on the web. I didn't think Pat Robertson was the most inspiring of Christians but his org, Christian Broadcasting, has tons of excellent videos of people's experiences as Christians.
It seems stupendously unlikely that God would create just one religious belief that was superior and nearer the truth than others (and I don't personally think that all who aren't Christians are going to hell or unaware of God), but at the same time there is unique power and truth in Jesus and the Christian faith.
Great essay! As I read your reflections, I was reminded of a G.K. Chesterton quote which seems appropriate to your point: "Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about."
Good piece! You took a thoughtful approach.
You wrote: “ We secular humanists might have lots to teach creationists….”Creationism is a belief contrary to science. I have tremendous support for religious seekers but none for creationists.