Fixed?!

I think I have it fixed! I hope to get some posts done this coming week so stay tuned!

Sorry

I just want to let my readers know that I am having difficulties logging into blogspot on my home computer. I'll try to have posts ready for when I am somewhere where I can post while I look into why I can't do it at home.

Thank you for understanding!

Morality and C.S. Lewis

I just started “book” three of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I was intrigued with his discussion of morality.

“Morality, then, seems to be concerned with three things. Firstly, with fair play and harmony between individuals. Secondly, with what might be called tidying up or harmonizing the things inside each individual. Thirdly, with the general purpose of human life as a whole: what man was made for . . .You cannot make men good by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society.”

His definition of morality intrigued me. He mentions how most people only concern themselves with the first point, which makes sense, and seem to forget the other two points. I decided to look up morality in the dictionary to see what the “standard” definition is.

morality, n, 1 a moral discourse, statement, or lesson 2 a doctrine or system of moral conduct 3 conformity to ideals of right human conduct 4 moral conduct

I quickly realized that I also needed to look up moral

moral, adj., 1 of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior 2 probable though not proved 3 having the effects of such on the mind, confidence, or will

First, I wonder where evolutionists say that our sense of right and wrong come from. I, of course, believe that our sense of right and wrong come from God who placed it in our hearts. With that understanding, Lewis’ description of morality makes sense. We would then want to have harmony within ourselves as well as harmony in what we were created for.

Second, I wonder if the reason why most people only concern themselves with the first aspect of morality is because it is easier to find faults in other people instead of ourselves. We see much clearer how someone else is not harmonizing with others than we can see how we are failing not only others but ourselves.

In our society, people are taught to find someone else to blame for any of their problems and that includes problems with their morality. They will blame it on their upbringing, on their lack of having everything, on their lack of love, etc. No one wants to take responsibility for their own actions and their own lack of morals. They don’t want to admit that they are struggling within themselves. They truly know what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior, but when they aren’t worried about harmony within themselves, they will convince themselves of the opposite because they think it will be more beneficial. If they were concerned with harmonizing with the general purpose of what man was created for, they wouldn’t be concerned with what was more beneficial for only them, but for others as well.

Our society has tried to create moral men by writing more and more laws. As Lewis states, that just isn’t going to work!  You can’t teach men morals by giving them laws to abide. If they don’t have morals in the first place, they aren’t going to care if they break any laws. In reality, they are already breaking the most important laws there are—God’s laws.

The current gun ban proposal is just the most recent example of trying to create moral men. Some people in government believe that if they just make it illegal to own guns, or even certain kinds of guns, that the US will be a safer place for all men. Don’t they realize that the same people who are already hurting people with guns are the same people who don’t care whether they break a law or not. Making another law for them to break (because they are already breaking laws), isn’t going to make them one day just change their minds into obeying the law! People have to have morals in the first place before they even agree to be law abiding citizens.

This discussion on morality will hopefully continue as I continue to read this book. I know that if it is something the Lord wants me to share, He’ll provide the words for me to write as well as the time to write them.

Wisdom from C.S. Lewis

I started reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis at the end of last month. I have found it to be a very through explanation of Christianity so far. My idea of the book from reading just the title was that he was saying that Christianity isn’t much of anything, but he is really describing what Christianity truly is.

I just wanted to share with you some of the nuggets I have pulled from the first two sections of the book (it’s divided into four “books”). You also need to keep in mind that the books within this book are radio transcripts (with minor adjustments for easier reading) that Lewis did in the early forties.

“There is nothing progressive about being pig headed and refusing to admit a mistake. And I think if you look at the present state of the world, it is pretty plain that humanity has been making some big mistake. We are on the wrong road. And if that is so, we must go back. Going back is the quickest way on.”

“[T]here is a difficulty about disagreeing with God. He is the source from which all your reasoning power comes: you could not be right and He wrong any more than a stream can rise higher than its own source. When you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all: it is like cutting off the branch you are sitting on.”

“A live body is not one that never gets hurt, but one that can to some extent repair itself. In the same way a Christian is not a man who never goest wrong, but a man who is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin over again after each stumble—because the Christ-life is inside him, repairing him all the time, enabling him to repeat (in some degree) the kind of voluntary death which Christ himself carried out.”

“He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us; just as the roof of a greenhouse does not attract the sun because it is bright, but becomes bright because the sun shines on it.”

One Glass of Milk

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime let, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.”

He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.”

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Years later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation.

When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor’s gown, he went to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words:

PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF MILK.

(signed) Dr. Howard Kelly

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: Thank You, God, that Your love is shed abroad through human hearts and hands.

“He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6

February Reading

I didn't read as many books as I had hoped for February, but February is a short month filled with Valentine's Day, my birthday, and the twins' birthdays so I've been busy.

I have started (but haven't finished) Family Driven Faith by Voddie Bauchman. I started reading a borrowed copy, but was then an anonymous giver blessed me with my own copy so I started over and have been making notes along the way which is taking me longer. I'm truly enjoying it!


I also started Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis just two days ago. So far it is very interesting.


I read and finished Living More with Less by Doris Janzen Longacre. I had requested the library find a copy of Cooking More with Less by the same author. They haven't been able to find a copy of that yet, but they found this. I was quite disappointed at first, but then I really got into this book. It is filled not only with lots of ways to live a more frugal life, but also about being a better steward of what God has given us. It made me realize how financially  blessed I am compared to many in this world. (I'm sorry I don't have a picture of this book as I forgot to take one before returning it to the library.)

I also read and finished The Three R's by Ruth Beechick. At first I thought it might be filled with information I already knew (which is why it sat on my shelf for over a year before I actually read it), but I was encouraged to try some new ideas in teaching the younger girls and also reinforced that they know more than I thought they did for their age levels. Even though I was an English major in college and taught English, I was certified as a secondary teacher so I have always struggled a little with teaching things like phonics and simple arithmetic. A nice aspect of this book is that it gives ideas for a classroom teacher as well as a mother who home schools. I have incorporated some of her ideas and the girls (and I) are enjoying school so much more. I plan on reading her follow-up book, You Can Teach Your Child Successfully as well (maybe in March?!). The Three R's covers first through third grade while You Can Teach . . . covers grades fourth through eighth.