![]() ![]() The book opens with a basic logical issue, questioning how God allows evil, arguing in a similar fashion to that of the 18th century Scottish philosopher David Hume that if God were good and almighty that he would be able to make man happy but that since man is not happy, “therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both.” One of the first major points made by Lewis is that evil is a natural byproduct of a world in which men have free will. With his rapier wit, Lewis writes, “To the puppy the whole proceeding would seem, if it were a theologian, to cast grave doubts on the ‘goodness’ of man: but the full-grown and full-trained dog, larger, healthier, and longer-loved than the wild dog…would have no such doubts.” But in the end, those unpleasant activities are for the good of the dog. ![]() Being washed, trained not to steal, and the dreaded process of house training are all part of the process. The master values the dog loving him too, but to mature the dog, there are things which must be done that might not always be pleasant for the canine. It is also so that the owner has another being that it can love. ![]() It is for the dog owner’s joy that he owns the dog. Lewis, he compares the relationship of God and man to that of a dog owner and his dog. Early in the book “The Problem of Pain,” in an analogy which is the epitome of the brilliance and humor of C.S. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |