Morality and a piano key
In the second chapter, Lewis compares morality with a piano key. He argues that in some cases, a piano key may produce a beautiful sound if it is used in the right context. Other times however, the same piano key may produce an ugly sound as a result of it being used in a wrong way. In a similar way, morality needs to be put into context to have some kind of meaning and if we remove that context or change it, the result may be completely different from what was expected.
Religion and a math problem
For Lewis, every religion has something good in it. He rejects the idea that there is only one true religion and choses instead to believe that every religion can bring something good into the world. To make the reader understand his position, he compares religion with a math problem. While the math problem may have only one good answer the method through which someone can reach the answer may vary drastically. However, just because someone uses a different method that does not mean that the answer is not good. It simply means that a person used another strategy to reach a universal conclusion.
Cutting off the branch we are sitting on
In the second book, Lewis talks about the idea of free will and how many people reject the idea of free will. Lewis argues that believing in God is linked with the ides of believing in free will. Lewis explains that arguing with God and not believing in the things created by him is pointless since he is the creator of everything that exists. Lewis argues that arguing with God is just like cutting off the branch on which someone sits on. This comparison has the purpose of showing just how irrational he thinks disagreeing with God really is.
The Tree of Knowledge
Lewis talks about how Evil appeared into the world and he mentions an important moment in the Bible, when Satan corrupted Adam and Eve to eat from the Forbidden Fruit. The Tree is used here both as a metaphor and a real element. Lewis highlights the idea that the Tree of Knowledge actually represents the desire humans have to gain as much knowledge as possible. This however is not always something positive as it may create more problems than good in certain situations.
Jesus’s nature
Since Lewis decided to focus on Christianity, he also decided to discuss Jesus’s nature. In the Bible, Jesus is an important character, sent from the Heavens on earth to forgive mankind’s sins. Many people argue that Jesus was a simple man who happened to be a great teacher but Lewis argues that this idea cannot be true. He argues that since Jesus was capable of performing miracles and claimed to be entitles to forgive sins, he was more like a God than like a human. This idea is a common motif in Lewis’s speeches and continues to remain a motif until the end of the book.
