The Worm Reviews

One of my colleagues in the office recently bought a box set of books by C.S. Lewis. I was familiar with Lewis through his “Chronicles of Narnia” and his masterpiece “Till We Have Faces” but I had never before read his philosophical works. My first book of this kind by Lewis was “The Screwtape Letters” of which I have done a review for, however this second book is something entirely different. Lewis was asked to engage the British community during WWII, at the time when the Luftwaffe was conducting bombing raids at night. Lewis very much brought forth memories of my tedious reading of Spinoza’s “Ethics”, yet Lewis was talking over the radio not writing a very detailed essay based on scientific/spiritual reasoning. Therefore a platform of understanding was provided on which everyone could be raised due to the simple eloquence with which Lewis spoke to the people over the radio and he outlined a clear and concise argument for Christianity. It was these conversations that Lewis eventually compiled into a book that he would name “Mere Christianity”. I feel to talk about the work itself as a book would be incorrect due to the nature of it being a compilation of discussions so I will not refer to it as a book (However this is the form in which you will find it). I have always had the question, how do we know Jesus was who he claims to be? Lewis goes on to say that any man who would make such a statement is either mad or a god, and Jesus was anything but mad. If one is to think about that statement right there and at least consider it to be true, then I recommend you continue with the rest of the book. However if religion leaves a bad taste in your mouth then I would recommend you leave this book where you found it. Lewis starts off with a law of morality of sorts and from that starting point starts the reader on a logical pathway (much like Spinoza) lined on each side by common sense and human nature that leads one to a clear answer. My conclusion is very similar to The Screwtape Letters review, if you wish to be educated in how to be a good person and what the stipulations are in doing so, then this is a must read especially in today’s tumultuous world when it is so hard to conduct oneself in a manner worthy of the title “Good”.