A common way of arguing against the existence or goodness of God is to present the problem of pain: “If God were good, He would wish to make His creatures perfectly happy, and if God were almighty He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both” (The Problem of Pain 23). C.S. Lewis attempts to answer the intellectual question by first explaining the four components of religious development, then explaining the origin of the problem, and concluding with his answer.
To start his explanation, Lewis begins by describing religious development. Lewis specifies four components: the Numinous, morality, the bridging of the Numinous to morality, and the historical event. …show more content…
Lewis points out that while it seems natural to connect moral laws to a mighty spirit, it cannot be logically deduced because “the actual behaviour of [the] universe” contrasts against acceptable moral behavior (The Problem of Pain 20). If the universe were kind and just, then it would be logical to conclude that humankind must also be as such, but the universe is quite prone to ruthlessness and unfairness. Humankind’s moral codes, however, tend to require individuals to behave in a manner entirely opposite the behavior of the universe. Additionally, the consequences of connecting the unattainable moral laws with the mighty power of the Numinous are severe-- it brings up the question of what punishment the Numinous will exact in its enforcement of moral laws. It requires man to take responsibility for his own actions, thus portions of humanity refuse to bridge the Numinous with morals. These people experience “the obscenities and barbarities of unmoralised worship or the cold, sad self-righteousness of sheer moralism” (The Problem of Pain 20). Lewis states that this connection is either a result of madness or revelation; if it is not revelation, it is madness due to the lack of logical backing for the bridge; if it is revelation, however, humans are blessed through Abraham because the Jews “fully and unambiguously” identified the incomprehensible Numinous “with ‘the righteous Lord’ who ‘loveth righteousness’” (The Problem of Pain
To start his explanation, Lewis begins by describing religious development. Lewis specifies four components: the Numinous, morality, the bridging of the Numinous to morality, and the historical event. …show more content…
Lewis points out that while it seems natural to connect moral laws to a mighty spirit, it cannot be logically deduced because “the actual behaviour of [the] universe” contrasts against acceptable moral behavior (The Problem of Pain 20). If the universe were kind and just, then it would be logical to conclude that humankind must also be as such, but the universe is quite prone to ruthlessness and unfairness. Humankind’s moral codes, however, tend to require individuals to behave in a manner entirely opposite the behavior of the universe. Additionally, the consequences of connecting the unattainable moral laws with the mighty power of the Numinous are severe-- it brings up the question of what punishment the Numinous will exact in its enforcement of moral laws. It requires man to take responsibility for his own actions, thus portions of humanity refuse to bridge the Numinous with morals. These people experience “the obscenities and barbarities of unmoralised worship or the cold, sad self-righteousness of sheer moralism” (The Problem of Pain 20). Lewis states that this connection is either a result of madness or revelation; if it is not revelation, it is madness due to the lack of logical backing for the bridge; if it is revelation, however, humans are blessed through Abraham because the Jews “fully and unambiguously” identified the incomprehensible Numinous “with ‘the righteous Lord’ who ‘loveth righteousness’” (The Problem of Pain