Sunday, September 23, 2007

"No, I can promise you none of these things."

"Very well," said the other, as if changing his plan. "Will you believe in me?"

"In what sense?"

"Will you come with me to the mountains? It will hurt at first, until your feet are hardened. Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows. But will you come?"

"Well, that is a plan. I am perfectly ready to consider it. Of course I should require some assurances... I should want a guarantee that you are taking me to a place where I shall find a wider sphere of usefulness - and scope for the talents that God has given me - and an atmosphere of free inquiry - in short, all that one means by civilisation and -er- the spiritual life."

"No," said the other. "I can promise you none of these things. No sphere of usefulness: you are not needed there at all. No scope for your talents: only forgiveness for having perverted them. No atmosphere of inquiry, for I will bring you to the land not of questions but of answers, and you shall see the face of God."

- The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis, pg 40.



From The Great Divorce, An Essay (Allen Adams):

I would recommend this book to those who were intelligent people with objections to the Christian faith due to a subjective moral position. Those who reject Christianity because they think it is too rigid are the most likely to get a lot out of the book. It is an intelligent book so those who don't have at least some basic understanding of philosophical concepts will not understand the book. For those who are philosophical and good thinkers this book will stimulate their imagination in many ways. It will challenge their presuppositions. It will stimulate their imaginations. It will give them a good understanding of the Christian position in a non threatening way.

Also I would recommend the book for the Christian who is struggling with subjectivism. Our culture has shoved this concept down our throats in recent times and I am sure many Christians struggle with these issues. If they are relatively intelligent people they will find the book very stimulating and it will help them to put all of these issues in perspective.

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