A Mind That Grasped Both Heaven and Hell

NY Times ^ | 11/22/03 | JOSEPH LOCONTE

[Walkin Man]

Mere Christianity and other CS Lewis books had a profound effect on my life and many others no doubt.

[cornelis]

FYI

[Darksheare]

Screwtape Letters.

[Sabertooth]

Aldous Huxley also died November 22nd, 1963.

[LiteKeeper]

read later - CS Lewis is oneof the best of the 20th C!

[the invisib1e hand]

I've been alive for forty years, not dead, and I still love 'The Chronicles of Narnia.'

***

I suspect the same sorts noise about Princess Diane's 'controversial' death will threaten (but not succeed) to obscure Mother Theresa's.

[the invisib1e hand]

...in fact, I'm reading "A Horse and His Boy" now.

[Valin]

I've been alive for forty years, not dead, and I still love 'The Chronicles of Narnia.'

Got you by 15 years and I agree. That's because they're good stories.

[Walkin Man]

Mere Christianity:

"If you are really a product of a materialistic universe, how is it that you don't feel at home there?"

Transposition and Other addresses:

"We are born helpless. As soon as we are fully conscious we discover loneliness..."

A Preface to Paradise Lost

"Really, a young Atheist cannot guard his faith too carefully. Dangers lie in wait for him on every side."

Some quotes...

[VOA]

"The Most Reluctant Convert"...at least I think that's the way he described himself.

What's funny is that I've heard one of his stepsons say that Lewis faithfully attended chruch
services...but often had the habit of sitting in a certain pew by which his view of
the pulpit was obscured.
Apparently, this was Lewis' way of lessening exposure to certain preachers
(or priest, or whatever the main service speaker is called in The Anglican Church).

Nice to see that even one of the greats was a very good and human being.

[Darksheare]

I think I still have my copy of 'The Screwtape Letters' around here somewhere.
I do know exactly where my complete set of "The Chronicles of Narnia" is, it's safe from being borrowed and lost again!

The rest of the books I have by C.S. Lewis are in a large tub, packed for moving as they have remained.
Of course, being in a perpetual state of moving, one never gets to UNPACK one's books.

[Walkin Man]

Of course, being in a perpetual state of moving, one never gets to UNPACK one's books.

Yeah getting ready to do it again myself :)

I need to re-read some CS Lewis, its been years since he fascinated me with his thoughts and insights on Christianity.

[MinuteGal]

Thanks for posting this. I've always found C.S. Lewis to be a fascinating and unique man.

I wonder what he'd have to say about the Islam religion if he were alive today.

I think maybe I know. His thoughts would be calm, but erudite and theologically honest. He had an unique ability to reason and present his reasoning in an understandable literary context.

Leni

[the invisib1e hand]

That Hideous Strength -- an absolute hoot. I tell you, C.S. Lewis, with his mind that grasped both heaven and hell, helped set mine at ease when exposed the dark possibilities as being quite doomed, even laughable in retrospect.

Chesterton deserves a mention here, too.

[Preech1]

There's a book I read many years ago called "Between Heaven and Hell. The premise is a conversation between JFK, C.S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley on their way to there eternal destiny. JFK took the humanist point of view, Lewis the Christian and Huxley the atheist...it was a fascinating read.

[Darksheare]

Ugh!
I hate packing, one never can find anything again afterwards.
And when you finally do, it's either too small, too out of style, or too buried to be of use when you needed it.

Have Out of the Silent Planet somewhere as well.
Interesting how he wove truth and analogy together the way he did.

[jocon307]

Mere Christianity, one of the best books I ever read. I had such a funny sensation reading it, I felt I was transported back to my childhood, because the way it described Christian belief was just what had been conveyed to me by my parents.

It is an excellent book, if anyone wanted to know the "one book" to read about the Christian religion, I would say Mere Christianity is the one.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Mere Christianity and other CS Lewis books had a profound effect on my life and many others no doubt

Count me among those who hope to meet CS Lewis someday just long enough to say "thank you" for touching my life.

CS Lewis was---and is---a great man.