The Problem of Pain

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It's a hit!

It is fascinating to read Problem of Pain and then A Grief Observed ... as Lewis himself cautioned, Problem of Pain was not meant to explain pain A... (show more)

It is fascinating to read Problem of Pain and then A Grief Observed ... as Lewis himself cautioned, Problem of Pain was not meant to explain pain AWAY, or even really to comfort people who were in pain. It is a philosophical explanation of the existence and significance of evil, and an argument against the contention that the fact of pain disproves the possibility of a God who is both omnipotent and good. This book is for the head alone, and it is excellent. Then, however, Lewis was confronted with his own tragedy (the death of his wife), and wrote A Grief Observed in the full and honest admission that knowing in your head why bad things happen is not enough to deal with them in your heart. Read em together. (show less)

 

 

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No, it's a flop!

A thought-provoking read, but slightly disappointing. This book reads like a layman's conversational interpretation of why pain exists in God's cre... (show more)

A thought-provoking read, but slightly disappointing. This book reads like a layman's conversational interpretation of why pain exists in God's creation. Like most Lewis, it is written in a style like dictation from a live speech or radio broadcast, and does not flow in a point by point manner, like an analytical person like myself (or a researcher) would perhaps prefer. Lewis starts out by proving the existence of God. All along, Lewis seems to urge the reader to challenge what is "real" and what is a myth. Perhaps the creation myth is closer to reality than we imagine, he asserts. The next 2 chapters attempt to explain why man was created, and why God allowed us to have free will. Then, pride is pointed out as likely the worst of human sins - thinking of the self's desires as more important than God's desires for the person. The next chapter is intriguing - Lewis' theory on the fall of man. Then the 2 main chapters on Human Pain, a weird and not too helpful chapter on Animal Pain. The final chapters are on Heaven and Hell. Lewis' theory on Hell as the punishment being primarily the soul's eternal separation from God is pretty standard fare. Then he poses the question of whether the damned soul's suffering in hell is eternal, or whether the soul just ceases to exist by turning back into other basic elements from which it came (analogy of a log burning up in a fire). Hell exists because it isn't fair to play a game and not have a winner and a loser, Lewis says. The chapter on Heaven was boring. 2 points in the book I think are especially interesting: 1) Kindness is defined as wanting the best for a person. So, to be kind is to sometimes not let a person have something they shouldn't, despite the fact that they may resent you for it. 2) Pain is God's "megaphone to rouse a deaf world." Putting these 2 points together I think gives the reader the thesis of Lewis' book: God uses pain out of kindness to discipline his children, and for that we should be grateful. Pain / suffering can be a tool to draw us closer to God and focus on Him rather than on our own selfish desires. My main issue with this book is that Lewis never really says WHY pain exists. I can't find the sentence to quote it, but he says something like "why pain exists isn't important, it is how God uses it that is important." Another theology book I read talks about pain existing because of Satan, in a battle between good and evil. I like that theory. Lewis does quote Luke saying that human physical sickness is of Satan, but doesn't directly correlate that with pain. This book doesn't do a good enough job of hammering home the importance of pain in God's eternal plan. Lewis' writing is too scattered for me. I would have to read this book again, taking painstaking notes to come up with Lewis' thesis statement and maybe 15-20 points backing it up, for about 2 pages of notes for 162 pages of book. It would be more fun to listen to this book, or talk to Lewis in person than to try to muddle through it. He seems to be distracted and jumps off topic a lot. Read this book when you have dedicated quiet, solitary time to focus on it, because (at least for me) it is difficult at times to follow Lewis all the way through one of his points. (show less)

 

 

by Andrew Mathews

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  This book was written before C.S. Lewis suffered the loss of his wife. Still, it provides sufficient intellectual explanations for the dilemmas of pain and the omnipotence of God. He eloquently advises us to examine our definitions of "good" and "pain," etc.. He challenges us to consider God's perspective on the matter of pain and temporarily suspend our own views. "God offers us the happiness that there is, not the happiness that there is not" he asserts. A... (show more)

  This book was written before C.S. Lewis suffered the loss of his wife. Still, it provides sufficient intellectual explanations for the dilemmas of pain and the omnipotence of God. He eloquently advises us to examine our definitions of "good" and "pain," etc.. He challenges us to consider God's perspective on the matter of pain and temporarily suspend our own views. "God offers us the happiness that there is, not the happiness that there is not" he asserts. And, we must not confuse "good" for "happiness." There are many "goods" that are not pleasant or happy but are no less good because of it. He briefly looks at the words of Kant, Aristotle, and others on pain as well as the nature of God and His goodness; His goodness is not necessarily arbitrary but perfect, rational, and "intrinsically good." Similar to Aristotle's idea that "the more virtuous a man becomes the more he enjoys virtuous actions" Lewis suggests that in obeying God through suffering and trusting in His goodness, we reverse "the act by which we fell, treads Adam's dance backward, and returns." Thus redemption is made where destruction once lay. (show less)

   

  by Facebook User on Aug 05, 2009 at 10:43PM

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  I love C.S. Lewis. He always challenges me with new perspectives and articulates old truths with color and energy. This book was no exception. It provided much food for thought and helped me make connections and applications that had previously eluded me. But I also have issues with Lewis. The main problem I have with Lewis in general and which this book is the clearest example of out of all that I've read of his, is that he is so smart that he relies on his logical mind and vast knowled... (show more)

  I love C.S. Lewis. He always challenges me with new perspectives and articulates old truths with color and energy. This book was no exception. It provided much food for thought and helped me make connections and applications that had previously eluded me. But I also have issues with Lewis. The main problem I have with Lewis in general and which this book is the clearest example of out of all that I've read of his, is that he is so smart that he relies on his logical mind and vast knowledge rather than the authority of Scripture. While he readily admits it, the fact that most of the propositions in this book are "his opinion" became wearying and in some cases, just plain dangerous. While his opinion and logic often squared with Scripture, he rarely appealed to the Word of God as his plumb line or authority. Instead he seemed to have more respect for scholars, theologians, and church fathers than that of inspired Scripture. To make matters worse he often made it very clear that he did not believe in the historicity of Scripture, especially the book of Genesis. His chapter on the Fall of Man was probably the worst passage of Lewis I have read so far. Since he rejects the literal 6-day creation account and holds that the theory of evolution is irrefutable fact, he is forced to concoct a theory of the fall of man that strays very far from what Scripture clearly teaches. Also scattered throughout the book are some assertions that smell very strongly of open-theism.
  While there are some truly great thoughts and passages in this book, and I have been helped by it, I recommend it only with the strongest warning to use Biblical discernment.
  I can only imagine what Lewis could have accomplished and how much more he could have blessed his readers if he had had a higher view of God's Word! (show less)

   

  by John Freiberg on Jul 22, 2009 at 03:17AM

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