My Response to Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis

   "In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth--only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair." --Mere Christianity, bk 1, ch. 5
   “Now that I am a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable: but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable.” –Mere Christianity, bk 3, ch. 11
   These words of wisdom from C.S. Lewis reflect what I was going through before I started reading his works While I have read nearly all of his apologetic works by now, my life was already changed after just the first one: Mere Christianity.
   The contents of the book were originally short little lectures (comparable to FDR’s “fireside chats”) given by the author on BBC radio during WWII. The intention of these talks was, to quote the preface, “… [to present] an agreed, or common, or central, or ‘mere’ Christianity,” and they have since been reformatted so as to be able to mesh together coherently into a book—a book that changed my life.
   Ever since I had learned about atheism, I had always had some degree of lingering doubt as to the validity of Christianity and the existence of God. Some days it was barely there, while other days I was actually consciously weighing my options. The latter sort of day slowly grew more and more frequent as time passed.
   However, all that changed in my sophomore year in highschool. There are several factors that led me to the point of having this life changing experience. I am the son of a pastor and I have been in church my entire life.  However, I still had many doubts about my faith.  The kind of doubts that even numerous conversations with my father and other church leaders could not completely persuade me to abandon.  I also have a strong background in science; this scientific background also left me with many questions as to the nature of my faith.
   However, one day my dad bought me a copy of this little book that he said would answer many of my questions. He said it was by the same guy who wrote the Narnia books, and that this guy was one of the best Christian writers ever. I was not (and still am not) much of a fan of the Narnia Series, so I was skeptical at first. However, I changed my mind completely almost immediately. Mere Christianity helped me to solidify my beliefs despite the issues that challenged my faith.
   Being the son of a pastor is not easy. My parents try hard to answer all my questions and to help me find my way as far as my faith goes but I think that all the pressure has definitely affected me.  We had had lots of ups and downs in church life and we have had to move five times since I was a child.  Each church we have been at has its own culture and its own strengths and weaknesses.  There are a lot of issues my parents don’t want me to discuss at church.  Issues like politics and evolution are taboo for me (it’s not that my dad is a fundamentalist, it’s that we’re afraid of being kicked out by other church members who are).  But I still have questions.  The book Mere Christianity really helped me to find my way.
   I have always been interested in the sciences.  I would like to have a career in the sciences.  After I finish my Associates Degree, I would like to transfer to another college and major in Biology.  This background in science has created in me a certain way of thinking.  I try to approach life’s issues very logically.  The book Mere Christianity is also very logical.  C.S. Lewis took an approach to his talks that was very logical.  He appeals to my scientific mind in a way nothing else has. I no longer have any doubt in my mind as to the validity of Christianity and the existence of God whatsoever.

"If Christianity was something we were making up, of course we could make it easier. But it is not. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. How could we? We are dealing with fact. Of course anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about." -- Mere Christianity, bk 4, ch. 2