C.S. Lewis: The Problem Of Evil/Atheism

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Preface

Lewis was a key Anglican exemplar for my Wales, MPhil thesis:

2003 The Problem of Evil: Anglican and Baptist Perspectives: MPhil thesis, Bangor University

The link features my work on Lewis, some of which has been edited and presented on this blog previously.

MPhil 2003

I am not a Lewis scholar, but realize that many pastors and Church leaders view him as a major and primary theological source.

In contrast, I acknowledge him as a useful historical Christian apologist.

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1. C.S. Lewis Introduction British born, Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was a world renowned British writer whose theological literary works have been influential within Christian apologetics. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, describes Lewis’ beginnings and places of study. Anglican scholar-novelist and Christian Apologist, perhaps best known for his literary fantasies that explore theological concepts. Born near Belfast in Northern Ireland, he received his B.A. from University College, Oxford, in 1924, and was fellow and tutor in English literature at Magdalen College, Oxford, from 1925 until 1954. He then accepted the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge. Hein (1996: 630).

Concerning the problem of evil, his most related work is The Problem of Pain which will serve as the base text for this section. Within the text are ten Chapters which I will use as nine sections for this part of my work. These Chapters within his book are Introductory, Divine Omnipotence, Divine Goodness, Human Wickedness, The Fall of Man, Human Pain, and Human Pain Continued, which I shall deal with together, Hell, Animal Pain, and Heaven.

2. Introductory Lewis began this chapter by explaining the reasoning for his atheistic belief of the past. He noted that the world and Universe appeared to be consisting of "empty space, completely dark, and unimaginably cold." Lewis (1940)(1996: 1). The world existed by beings "preying upon one another." Lewis (1940)(1996: 2).

Lewis in his past atheism concluded that: "Either there is no spirit behind the universe, or else a spirit indifferent to good or evil, or else an evil spirit." Lewis (1940)(1996: 3).

Clyde S. Kilby described Lewis’ view concerning the idea of a possible God as creator in relation to humanity: "With man it was worse still for, unlike animals, he has both consciousness and reason, the first allowing pain to be a ceaseless reality, and the second making it a reality to be always anticipated until the time of that last and greatest pain called death." Kilby, (1965: 66). Lewis’ atheism appeared to be a plausible explanation of the world and Universe he lived in. He observed throughout most of the Universe, a lack of sustainable life, and that the life that existed on earth was hostile to itself as animals and people inflicted pain upon one another and eventually each individual being ceased to exist.

As Kilby pointed out, Lewis believed human beings’ rational understanding of these problems made their pain far worse than that of the animals who did not fully understand their present suffering, nor their impending doom in death. The spirit behind this reality, if there was one, was either indifferent or evil because it, or he, failed to rid the world of the vast amount of suffering that Lewis observed. There was a troubling obstacle to his atheism. Lewis asked: "If the universe was so bad, or even half so bad, how on earth did human beings ever come to attribute it to the activity of a wise and good Creator?" Lewis (1940)(1996: 3).

Lewis struggled with the idea that the very nature of reality which he saw as being naturalistic and not needing a creator, showed the very signs of being made by a creator. The fact that human beings struggled with what they saw as evil meant that they were by nature contrasting evil with the perfect good which did not make sense as coming from randomness, but rather a perfect God. If this perfect God did not exist, then the supposed evil that humanity suffered should not bother people at all, it is natural, and should not be a problem.

This type of evidence undermined his atheistic conclusions because if an atheist claimed something to be evil, he/she must have something good to contrast it with. Without a perfect creator establishing something as evil or good becomes very difficult and subjective. It could be said that if all the pain and death in the Universe is natural, then there is no evil or good, just existence and no problem at all. The atheist, for example, can argue that rational beings suffering is a wrong because it causes pain which is not good for the mind and body. However, without a perfectly good God as a model, it can be strongly argued that for evolutionary reasons suffering is needed. The weak must suffer and die in order for stronger beings to emerge, so thus what we see as a problem of evil could be seen simply a necessity of reality. When the perfect God is introduced into the equation then his nature can be contrasted with that of fallen creation and indeed we can see that there is a problem of evil!

KILBY, Clyde S. (1965) The Christian World of C.S. Lewis, Appleford, Abingdon, Berks, U.K., Marcham Manor Press.

LEWIS, C.S. (1961)(1983) A Grief Observed, London, Faber and Faber. 

LEWIS, C.S. (1941)(1990) The Screwtape Letters, Uhrichsville, Ohio, Barbour and Company. 

LEWIS, C.S. (1940)(1996) The Problem of Pain, San Francisco, Harper-Collins.