Essay Questions

In what year was the book written and how the book was influenced by the historical context?

The book is composed of different transcripts of talks given by Lewis over the course of a few years. The talks were given between the year 1941 and 1944, the same time when the world was affected by the Second World War. The book is an attempt to answer to the questions plaguing the whole world during the War, questions regarding the morality of different actions done during the war and the logic behind the Holocaust. In his book, Lewis focuses a lot on the Law of Nature and how it can be applied in our everyday lives. He also analyzes why this law is not necessarily universal and why it is broken. The answer and the arguments he brings forward are a way of explaining the reason why certain people behave in ways that are inexplicable.

What is Pantheism?

Pantheism is a belief found in many religions that state that the universe was created by an external force but without naming the force as being a God as it is named in other religions such as Christianity and Islam. The term is considered as being the opposite of atheism and it is sometimes believed to be more of a philosophical idea than a religious one. The core idea of Pantheism is found in different religions and confessions such as Hinduism, Taoism, Sikhism and various other African religions and beliefs.

What is the dualistic point of view?

In the second book, Lewis mentions the dualist point of view found in many religions. According to it, there are two Gods ruling this world, a good one and a bad one. In Christianity for example, the good one is referred to simply as God while the bad one is referred to as being the Devil. However, Lewis notes that this idea of Dualism is different from the original one in the sense that in the original Dualist theory, God and Evil are equal and are fighting for power over the universe. In Christianity, the Devil is inferior to God and in fact he is just a corrupted creature who was created by the Almighty Good God. Lewis rejects the idea of dualism and he explains the reasons why he chooses not to believe in it.