Hi Everyone-
I pray this Christmas season is bringing you joy this year. I finished my last final for school yesterday, so being on Christmas break is something I'm certainly joyful about. My last final was for the C.S. Lewis class, so he's still influencing my thinking quite a bit.
Assuming you're a Christian, do you think there's truths and goodness to be found in Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Greek Mythology, or any other non-Christian religion? Lewis says there is. in "Religion Without Dogma?" he writes, "I could not believe Christianity if I were forced to say that there were a thousand religions in the world of which 999 were pure nonsense and the thousandth (fortunately) true. My conversion, very largely, depended on recognizing Christianity as the completion, the actualization, the entelechy, of something that had never been wholly absent from the mind pf man."
I know in years past I've often pitted Christianity against other religions and thought it had the universal hold on truth and goodness, but I think Lewis is saying we shouldn't do that. In fact, he's saying the reality is actually more beautiful than a strict Christianity vs. other religions competition, with Christianity winning. Lewis believes God gave all humanity throughout all history truths about Himself, the world, and each other, thus many of these appear in other religions. To put it differently, Christians can in fact learn goodness, beauty, and truth from say Islam or Buddhism. Do you agree?
However, I don't think that's the best part of what Lewis is asserting. He concludes that following Christ is the culmination, end, and completion of the journey humankind's been on for thousands of years to find the ultimate truths about us, the world, and the Divine. Worshiping Zeus back in 500 BC was one step on the path with certain truths, Hinduism was another, Islam is yet another, etc. Put simply, Lewis is saying Christ is inclusive not exclusive. To put it differently, all goodness and all truth is of and from Christ, whether a person recognizes or names this Christian or not. When Religion X says to feed the poor and hungry that belief is good and true and of Christ even though they say it's from some other being or belief.
What do you think?
Grace and peace,
Lang
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Great work again.
ReplyDeleteThere is some truth found in all of the major religions. But Christianity is the "most truth" in a sense. The beauty of Jesus' Church is that it is for ALL of mankind. He gives His grace and love to all who seek it. His mercy is there for those most in need. People that are unaware of Christianity but live otherwise righteous and "Christian" lifestyles are saved by our Lord's sacrifice on the cross. Beautiful.