The four stages of religious development. You can read or buy the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Problem-Pain-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652969 Some helps: See the following quote on this "peculiar feeling" in regards to the dead and ghosts (6:00): "I am not so much afraid of death, as ashamed thereof; it is the very disgrace and ignominy of our human natures, that in a moment can so disfigure us that our nearest friends, Wife, and Children stand afraid and start at us." (Thomas Brown). "Almost the whole of Christian theology could perhaps be deduced from the fact...that men feel the dead to be uncanny. It is idle to say that we dislike corpses because we are afraid of ghosts. You might say with equal truth that we fear ghosts because we dislike corpses — for the ghost owes much of its horror to the associated ideas of pallor, decay, coffins, shrouds, and worms. In reality we hate the division which makes possible the conception of either corpse or ghost. Because the thing ought not to be divided, each of the halves into which it falls by division is detestable." (Chapter 14 of 'Miracles', Lewis). The ancient quotes (8:36) are as follows: 'And surely proper behaviour to parents and elder brothers is the trunk of goodness.' (Ancient Chinese. Chinese Analects, i. 2/Honour thy parents) 'I have not slain men.' (Ancient Egyptian. From the Confession of the Righteous Soul, 'Book of the Dead'/Do not murder.) 'I saw in Nástrond (= Hell) . . . beguilers of others' wives.' (Old Norse. Volospá 38, 39/Do not commit adultery). 'Whoso takes no bribe . . . well pleasing is this to Samas.' (Babylonian. List of sins/Do not steal) 'Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' (Ancient Jewish. Exodus 20.16). (See appendix to the 'Abolition of Man' by Lewis). (13:44) Examples of 'non-moral worship' are explained in following chapters and essays: Sexuality -- See essay called the 'The Grand Miracle': "The nature religions are those of the old, simple pagan sort that you know about. You actually got drunk in the temple of Bacchus. You actually committed fornication in the temple of Aphrodite." The Life force -- see chapter 4 of Mere Christianity. "One reason why many people find Creative Evolution so attractive is that it gives one much of the emotional comfort of believing in God and none of the less pleasant consequences. When you are feeling fit and the sun is shining and you do not want to believe that the whole universe is a mere mechanical dance of atoms, it is nice to be able to think of this great mysterious Force rolling on through the centuries and carrying you on its crest. If, on the other hand, you want to do something rather shabby, the Life-Force, being only a blind force, with no morals and no mind, will never interfere with you like that troublesome God we learned about when we were children. The Life-Force is a sort of tame God. You can switch it on when you want, but it will not bother you. All the thrills of religion and none of the cost. Is the Life-Force the greatest achievement of wishful thinking the world has yet seen?" The worship of the future -- See Letter #15 of Screwtape letters "But we (demonic forces) want a man hag-ridden by the Future — haunted by visions of an imminent heaven or hell upon earth—ready to break the Enemy's commands in the present if by so doing we make him think he can attain the one or avert the other—dependent for his faith on the success or failure of schemes whose end he will not live to see. We want a whole race perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow's end, never honest, nor kind, nor happy now, but always using as mere fuel wherewith to heap the altar of the future every real gift which is offered them in the Present." (14:03) Pagan myths - see doodle called 'The Grand Miracle' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0VxljSppWk). Christ was before creation and the 'craftsman' at the Father's right hand in the creation itself, so when nature religions copy the death and rebirth seen in nature (sunset and sunrise, night and day, winter and summer), it is no surprise that God first invented the principle at the beginning. As Lewis said "they ought to be there" - it would be a stumbling block if their weren't vague pagan references to Christ in other religions. (14:23) Entropy means that disorder increases over time and this means time has an actual direction from order to disorder. Up until the mid-20th century scientists maintained the universe/matter was eternal (no creation or ending) and then, with a better understanding, changed its position and held that it was continuously self-creating (infinity creations and infinity ends). But these ideas were killed off when we learnt that the universe is irreversibly getting old, and will 'wear out', with one real creation and one real end. Science has moved, quite uncomfortably for many, much closer to a theistic point of view held from the get-go.

• published: 09 Jul 2014
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