| View Larger Image | The Problem of Pain | Paperbackby C. S. Lewis (Author)
| List Price: | $12.99 | | Price: | $9.35 | | You Save: | $3.64 (28%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | HarperOne | | Page Count: | 176 Pages | | Publication Date: | February 01, 2001 | | Sales Rank: | 7,581th |
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FEATURES | - ISBN13: 9780060652968
- Condition: USED - LIKE NEW
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
Why must humanity suffer? In this elegant and thoughtful work, C. S. Lewis questions the pain and suffering that occur everyday and how this contrasts with the notion of a God that is both omnipotent and good. An answer to this critical theological problem is found within these pages. |
Amazon.com Review
The Problem of Pain answers the universal question, "Why would an all-loving, all-knowing God allow people to experience pain and suffering?" Master Christian apologist C.S. Lewis asserts that pain is a problem because our finite, human minds selfishly believe that pain-free lives would prove that God loves us. In truth, by asking for this, we want God to love us less, not more than he does. "Love, in its own nature, demands the perfecting of the beloved; that the mere 'kindness' which tolerates anything except suffering in its object is, in that respect at the opposite pole from Love." In addressing "Divine Omnipotence," "Human Wickedness," "Human Pain," and "Heaven," Lewis succeeds in lifting the reader from his frame of reference by artfully capitulating these topics into a conversational tone, which makes his assertions easy to swallow and even easier to digest. Lewis is straightforward in aim as well as honest about his impediments, saying, "I am not arguing that pain is not painful. Pain hurts. I am only trying to show that the old Christian doctrine that being made perfect through suffering is not incredible. To prove it palatable is beyond my design." The mind is expanded, God is magnified, and the reader is reminded that he is not the center of the universe as Lewis carefully rolls through the dissertation that suffering is God's will in preparing the believer for heaven and for the full weight of glory that awaits him there. While many of us naively wish that God had designed a "less glorious and less arduous destiny" for his children, the fortune lies in Lewis's inclination to set us straight with his charming wit and pious mind. --Jill Heatherly |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 111 reviews)
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A tiny gem of a book with a treasure chest of insights . . . . by M. Damore (myrtle beach)  5 Stars
November 06, 2009
I think this was the first book by Lewis I had exposure to. I was 15 to 16 years old, and I remember not being able to know what I was reading, but falling in love with however it was being said. It was through this book that I came to love not just Lewis, but reading in general. Over time, I became a better reader and this book has had a huge impact on my life.
I shall never forget reading the first couple paragraphs of the chapter on Heaven. I remember reading them over and over again, cherishing how true his longings mirrored my own. I remember pulling aside anyone I could get a hold of and reading this beautiful passage. Almost without fail, whenever I read these passages to others, they are stricken with delight, and touched by that same stab of joy Lewis himself felt all those years ago as a child in Ireland.
As a philosopher major, I can testify to Lewis' philosophical abilities. He is an able philosopher with remarkable philosophical intuitions. He is one of the finest writer of pros I've come across, and his style has made me fall in love with the English language.
As for the content, Lewis probes one of the deepest mysteries in life: the riddle of pain in a Christian universe. And there are no easy answers. Having read Plantinga, van Inwagen, and Alston, though these world-class philosophers do great, I prefer Lewis. There is a tone in Lewis' pros that is almost deliciously Christ-like, a sweet aroma that makes you feel like you're being talked to by someone who isn't here to mock you or make you feel stupid. He is here - as he once said - like a patient in the same hospital, who has been here a little longer, and has learned some tips on how to cope.
His chapter on Animal Pain is the most speculative (as he admits), but his speculations are thought provoking, taking away from the beasts self-consciousness, leaving them with sentience. The logic is that if you take away self-consciousness, the beast can't discern an 'I' which experiences successive states of pain: in other words, there is no 'I' to connect together all the successive pain states.
The Fall entertains Lewis' theory about how the rational faculties - once man disobeyed - sunk beneath the tide of the passions and became subject to them, all within the historical context of biological evolution: once man evolved sufficiently, rational capacities were directly implanted by God, giving us the Adam and Eve of Scripture.
The Chapter on Hell was the most unclear to me, even after the Peter Kreeft commmentary you can find in his books on Heaven. In Hell, the 'I' is abolished, and so there is no unifying 'I' to tie together the various facets of the soul, like a book without a spine, the pages eternally blown away. Time is no longer linear succession or progression - time stops growing in length, and the soul somehow lingers in this eternal final instant where - mysteriously - the soul is destined to linger in time's eternal width. If you imagine time as a line, then eternity in Hell is like a plane; or if you imagine time as a plane, then eternity is like a cube. Just as the plane is a dimension of the cube, time is a dimension of eternity.
As you can see, Lewis' speculations build upon the speculations of past philosophies about these issues. Lewis confesses to be standing on the shoulder's of giants, and when he himself is a titan, we are able to see very far indeed.
The best thing about Lewis is that even if you disagree with him, the presentation is given in a logical order, with clearly written pros, illuminating analogies, and penetrating insights into the human condition.
A must read!
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Very Helpful by Allen Howard (Houston, TX USA) 5 Stars
November 01, 2009
C.S. Lewis is never light reading. He is highly educated and challenges the intellect. Which is good. Especially for a topic such as this.
He explains the age old question - If God is Good, and if God is all powerful, and if God is loving, then why is there pain and suffering in the world?
Lewis starts out presenting the problem. He explains that if there was no God, then there would be no problem. If life is mere chance, then the fact that there is pain would be a non-issue.
So where did we come up with this idea of a good and loving God? Certainly not by looking around us! Pain, suffering and injustice are older than recorded history.
He then proceeds to explain that in a universe where the creatures have free will, there is going to be a chance that one of us its going to hurt someone else. For example, God made wood which can be used for many purposes. It can be used to make fine furniture; or to make a baseball bat which can be used for fun, or can be used to hurt someone else.
This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to be able to explain the problem of pain to themselves, or to those who who are skeptical or searching.
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Helps answer a tough question for christians and non. by P. Cleary (MN, USA) 5 Stars
October 25, 2009
Are evil, suffering, pain, and loss all evidence that God doesn't exist (or if he does, that he is not "good")? The intellectual "giant", CS Lewis, says NO WAY. Although it reads much like a Lewis lecture, a dense argument, it is none the less strong and powerful if you can follow it all the way through. Lewis is a good writer, and presents a very compelling answer to these important questions about humanity and the God of Christianity. If you aren't used to Lewis' writing style, you might have to read it twice to be able to understand the depths of his argument. Otherwise, it is easy to get lose the thesis within the evidence and forget exactly what he is arguing. However, like most of Lewis' writings, it is one you want to read.
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The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis by Little One 5 Stars
October 10, 2009
This is a very helpful book for those facing and or enduring pain. He gives a needed and unusual perspective on the whole issue of pain and suffering which answers the argument "Why is there pain and suffering if there is a good God?"
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Theology, Not Consolation by Michael Horton (Chesterfield, MO USA) 5 Stars
August 18, 2009
The only goal of my brief and amateur review is to simply express my unqualified opinion of what the reader should expect to find within the pages of this amazing work of literary art. To quote directly from C.S. Lewis himself "What I am now going to say is merely an opinion of my own without the slightest authority, which I submit to the judgment of better Christians and better scholars than myself." Even worse, Lewis actually was a scholar, and I am not.
As you may suppose from the title, The Problem of Pain is not a lighthearted work designed to keep the passive reader entertained while he waits for a flight, or passes time in the library. It is not meant to be read in one sitting, nor is it meant to be skimmed over for the highlights. There is no point in this book where the reader suddenly realizes that he has already "figured this out", or "gotten what he needs". This book is meant to be read in a quiet, even peaceful, place where your mind can focus on the depth of the material and allow the concepts and theological analyses to sink in completely. It is a book that will cause you, or at least it caused me, to go back and reread paragraphs or entire chapters because you suddenly realized he lost you ten minutes ago. In short, it is much like the second half of "Mere Christianity", it can be a tough read.
Another thing you may infer from the title is that this book may be ideal for someone who is in a season of difficulty or pain in their life right now. In my humble opinion, it is not that kind of book. This material is for those who are seeking a greater understanding of the evil, suffering, and pain in this world. To rethink the Fall of Man and the Doctrine of Original Sin, the effects of the natural world, and ultimately to begin to consider the realities of Heaven and Hell.
It is a tool to be used in the education of a Christian adult who is trying to more deeply understand this fallen world, how we got here, and what lays ahead. To prepare a person to be ready for whatever challenges this broken world may bring. It is not a book to comfort the grieving widow or widower with flowery and fanciful, yet understandably comforting, prayers of strength and fortitude as they struggle with their grief. I see nothing in these pages that would comfort the parent of a sick or dying child, if read from their perspective deep within such unimaginable anguish. It is no good to bolster the foundation and board up the windows after a hurricane. That is the time to pick up pieces and rebuild. This book is for the calm before the storm, it is to set a deeper foundation and ready the steel shutters that allow the house to withstand the forces of the storms of life. It is an essential tool in the mature yet still developing Christians belt to help him more confidently and faithfully face the realities of evil in a world full of fallen men and the ultimate mixed blessing, free will.
The Problem of Pain addresses one of the most difficult objections to Christianity in a very clear and thought provoking way. You may find the tact to be quite direct, and less than gentle, which is precisely why this is not a book for those currently in a painful season. For those people, and in time we shall be one of them, there are far more gentle and consoling books available. One last thought on this, it is also possible that this book is for those who have had great suffering in their past, and are now trying to come to grips with it, and move forward in, or even return to, their walk with Christ. For that application though, be gentle and consider all that I have said before giving this book as a gift to a healing soul.
In summary, I recommend this book to anyone who is seeking to become closer to God by gaining a more clear understanding of His Word, His world and His people. It is for those who seek answers to the difficult questions, whether for their own edification, or to be prepared to defend the Faith when called upon to do so. Jesus Himself said to "...bring you mind", and this book requires you to do just that.
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Side note: Before he was saved by Christ, C.S. Lewis was an atheist. This is of little importance now because once he was saved he became one of the best and most prolific advocates of Christianity in literary history. In the "introduction" of this book, Lewis gives what had previously been his response to the question, "Why do you not believe in God?". His answer consists of one long paragraph taking a little more than one page of the book. That answer is one of the most difficult passages I have ever read, and far from being a convincing argument for atheism, it gives the reader a very clear example of how truly blessed we are to have our Faith in a loving God. The other option is nothing less than horrific.
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SIMILAR PRODUCTS |
| A Grief Observed
by C. S. Lewis (Author)
In this classic trial of faith, C. S. Lewis probes the fundamental issues of life and death, and summons those who grieve to honest mourning and hope in the midst of loss.
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| Miracles
by C. S. Lewis (Author)
An impeccable inquiry into the proposition that supernatural events can happen in this world. C. S. Lewis uses his remarkable logic to build a solid argument for the existence of divine intervention.
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| The Great Divorce
by C. S. Lewis (Author)
C. S. Lewis takes us on a profound journey through both heaven and hell in this engaging allegorical tale. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis introduces us to supernatural beings who will change the way we think about good and evil.
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| Mere Christianity
by C. S. Lewis (Author)
A forceful and accessible discussion of Christian belief that has become one of the most popular introductions to Christianity and one of the most popular of Lewis’s books. Uncovers common ground upon which all Christians can stand together.
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| The Four Loves
by C.S. Lewis (Author)
A candid, wise, and warmly personal book in which Lewis explores the possibilities and problems of the four basic kinds of human love- affection, friendship, erotic love, and the love of God. “Immensely worthwhile for its simplicity...a rare and memorable book” (Sydney J. Harris).
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