mere christinaity
Apologetics Mere Christianity Mr. Price
Mere Christianity Review
Book I RQ’s
1. What is the Law of Human Nature?
The Law of Right and Wrong applies to human behavior that could be obeyed or
disobeyed.
2.
“ Everyone has heard people quarreling. Sometimes, it sounds funny, and
sometimes it sounds merely unpleasant; however it sounds, I believe we can learn
something very important from listening to the kinds of things they say. What can
we learn, according to Lewis? ( Chapter 1 Book 1)
We can recognize that they are appealing to a standard of behavior that he
expects the other person to know.
3.
“Explain the following quote,
“Human beings, all over the earth, have this
curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid
of it.
” (Book 1, Chapter 1)
It is believed that everyone knows the law by nature, and no one needs to be
taught it.
4. In BK 1 Chap 1, what does Lewis say are the two points he seeks to make? (8)
That human beings all over the earth have this curious idea that they ought to
behave in a certain way and can not get rid of it. Secondly, they do not, in fact,
behave that way
5. What is Lewis's point about moral law in this quote?
Whenever you find a man who says he does not believe in real right and wrong,
you will find the same man going back on this a moment later. He may break his
promise to you, but if you try breaking one to him, he will complain,
“It is not
fair,
” before you can say Jack Robinson.
Even those who fail to obey the moral law in their treatment of others,
nevertheless, when they are wronged, they respond to the injustice. This proves
that they, in fact, have an understanding of the law.
6.
“Some people say that the idea of the Law of Nature or decent behavior known
to all men is unsound because different civilizations and different ages have had
quite different moralities.
” How does Lewis respond when people say that the
moral law is different among different people?
Lewis says this is not true. There have been differences in morality, but these
have never amounted to a total difference.
Apologetics Mere Christianity Mr. Price
7. In Chapter 2, Lewis lists three objections people have to his understanding of
the moral law. List the three objections.
a. Herd Instinct
b. Social Convention
c. Changing moralities over time.
8. Define the following terms:
a. b. Instinct -an impulsive reaction to a set of stimuli.
Herd Instinct -It means that you feel a strong want or desire to act in a
certain way. And, of course, we sometimes do feel just that sort of desire
to help another person.
c. Social Convention— things that are customary to certain areas, created by
man—is a set of rules a society follows.
9. What is the difference between the physical laws of nature and the law of human
nature? Which is descriptive, and which is prescriptive?
The physical laws describe what an object will do. The law of human nature is a
prescriptive law that tells one what one ought to do.
10. Explain the following quote: “Men ought to be unselfish … The Moral Law is not
simply a fact about human behavior in the same way the Law of Gravitation is … it is not
a mere fancy, for we can not get rid of the idea… for the behavior we call bad or unfair is
not the same as what we call inconvenient.
“
The Law of Human Nature is not merely subject to our preferences. Sometimes, what is
convenient is not moral, and what is inconvenient is moral.
11. Define the following terms:
a. Religious View - the belief that the universe is more like a mind than like
anything else; that is to say, it is conscious, has a purpose, and prefers one
thing to another.
b. Materialist View - the belief that matter, space, and time just happen to
exist and have always existed, and that the matter, behaving in a fixed
way, has happened by some sort of fluke.
Explain what Lewis means when he says there is a mind behind the law.
Lewis argues that the moral law is a real thing that exists, presses down on you,
and promotes right conduct, fair play, and unselfishness - the moral law. It comes
from outside of ourselves and is universally known - a mind behind it all.
12.
Apologetics Mere Christianity Mr. Price
13. Define the following terms:
a. Cosmological argument - attempts to prove God’s existence through the
observation of nature, whereby one reasons from effect to cause.
b. Psychological argument - an argument based upon evidence from the
observation of human behavior
14. Why do we have cause to be uneasy?
The moral law is as hard as nails, and the mind behind it is all concerned with justice.
If we do not obey the law of human behavior, we come into conflict with that very
mind behind the law, and therefore, we are in conflict with it. Therefore, we have
cause for concern as to what it will do to hold us accountable to the law.
15 When does Christianity begin to speak? Why?
Christianity offers a God who is concerned with justice, mercy, and redemption. Once
we realize we have violated the moral law, we need forgiveness and mercy, which the
Christian God offers.
Basic Tenets of the Natural Law
16. What is the most basic command of the natural law?
Do what is good and avoid what is evil.
17. What does it mean to be good, and what does it mean to be evil?
Good means fulfilling its purpose and design. Evil is a lack of goodness. It is a
privation is not a created thing.
18. How do you respond to a person who says, if God created everything, why did he
create Evil?
Evil is a privation, not a created good; therefore, God did not create it.
19. What are the three characteristics of the Natural Law?
a. universal
b. permanent
c. unchanging
20. How do we come to know the natural law?
Through the use of reason.
21. Why is it difficult for us to truly know the natural law?
We have a fallen nature, so we have a darkened intellect and a weakened will.
Apologetics Mere Christianity Mr. Price
22. Is the natural law Catholic dogma? Explain.
The natural law preceded Christianity. It was known to the Greek philosophers
like Aristotle and others throughout the world.
23. Where can we find a summary of the natural law directly revealed by God?
God reveals it in scripture through the Ten Commandments.
The Crocodile and the Axe Murderer
24. What is the problem atheists have with arguing that it is objectively true
and absolutely that torturing little children is morally wrong?
Because they have no philosophical foundation or basis to make absolute claims,
for without a lawgiver, there are no absolute laws.
25. What is the happiness standard or utilitarianism that atheists use to argue for
what is morally good?
That what is moral is based on what provides the greatest number of people with
the greatest happiness possible.
26. What is deficient in the above standard?
It reduces people to objects whose value is based on their utility and
productiveness in producing happiness in a society.
Define the following terms:
Moral relativism = The view that there is no absolute or universal moral law or truth,
resulting in a morality determined by cultural factors or personal preference.
Utilitarianism = the idea that the goal of society should be to bring about the greatest
happiness for the greatest number of people
Eternal Law = The order in creation that reflects God's will and purpose; it is eternal because
it is always true and never changes. All other types of law have their basis in Eternal Law and are
only true if they reflect the truth of Eternal Law.
Evil = Spoiled goodness or a lack of the good.
Good = something is good when it fulfills its design or purpose
Instinct = An innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in
response to certain stimuli. Impulsive, not reasoned.