*For Part 2 of this series, click here.
Book 3 of C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, Christian Behavior, can also be viewed as Human Behavior. If someone takes any religion or faith and replaces the highest power with a general power or the universe, the same rules apply. At the core of humanity, each person wants to be treated with kindness and respect; unfortunately, it's also human nature to be lazy and selfish, resulting in situations where respect is expected but not given.
It is once again a look at individualism to understand how the corruption of society starts with a single person. Whether the immoral choice is done selfishly or maliciously does not factor into how the action negatively affects the world when too many individuals think they are the exception to the rules.
Christian Behavior
Three Parts of Christian, or Human, Behavior
Lewis breaks down the core of Christian behavior into three parts: fair play and harmony between individuals, harmonizing and tidying up the inside of each individual, and the purpose of human life as a whole (72). He gives the example of a fleet of ships: if a person is only concerned with his vessel, his ship may run well but he may drift apart from the general formation and end in a collision. Likewise, if a person is so concerned with avoiding collision that he does not correct the steering problem of his ship, he will go adrift and cause a collision within the fleet.
If each of these ideas (harmony between and within and human purpose) were each in line to where morality states they should be, would the world face the same problems of war, hate, and starvation? If a woman is considerate in her soul, it is right to think she would be considerate to those around her, and if everyone followed this example, the world would be considerate to all people. If this train of thought is right on paper, where did this thinking go wrong?
There are groups in society that will say this way of thinking is not conducive and thus a new one should be created. However, what if the way of thinking is right but its subjects, in this case humans, are in the wrong? If a person wakes up late for work, they might face the world with anger and frustration. This may lead to rudeness among others, and that in turn will spread anger and frustration. The individual is in the wrong, leading to wrongness between other individuals, and then dismantling the purpose of morality: to understand, to accept, to aid.
The first area to tackle is the second issue Lewis brings up, and that is the state of the individual. If a person is too selfish to feel concern for others, then war, hate, and starvation will continue uninterrupted until it directly hurts the individual in question. How can society convince everyone to better themselves in order to better the livelihood of others and themselves?
Lewis proposes the thought that all bodies are on loan from God (74). When a person steps into a friend's home or a co-worker's office, they most likely do not leave trash on the table or scatter papers over a desk like they might their own. Furthermore, when they are placed in a position of power over an object such as their friend's vehicle or home, they will most likely treat these possessions better than they would their own because they hold it to a higher standard.
In this light, why shouldn't a person view their bodies, minds, and hearts in the same light as a loan from God or a higher power? Most religions believe in an afterlife; if these three pieces of a person will be inspected when they pass, might it lead to more effort to preserve, better, and correct them? What has happened to the last few generations that it's better to complain about fixable problems or unhappiness rather than taking the time and energy to achieve a goal?
In the simplest form of explanation for making the world a kinder and gentler place, Lewis says, "A real desire to believe all the good [a person] can of others and to make others as comfortable as [possible] will solve most of the problems" (95).
Knowing Differences
The first step to understanding how individuals can transform into morally right people is knowing the difference between right and wrong. Lewis says that a person who is often right in the way he treats people recognizes when he behaves immorally or cruelly; a person who is inherently bad or selfish will recognize all his wrong actions as right because he lives no other way (93). The first book explains the difference be right and wrong, but this third book focuses on the individual and how he interrupts it for himself.
In today's society, a morally wrong person may be viewed as manipulative, addicted, selfish, or ambitious. When a person puts themselves above others, or in the case of addicts or highly ambitious individuals their objects of necessity, then they tend to put no one else or select persons in a place of importance. The truth is that each person should put all others first in the sense that they should show courtesy: holding doors, saying thank you and please, helping when capable, and protecting when needed.
Society tells people to look out for no one else because no one else will look out for them. This idea is false. A woman who is known for kindness and sacrifice will find help in unexpected places from friends, colleagues, and even strangers she sees routinely on her commutes. They recognize her morally right actions and will help when they see her suffering. If a person says this doesn't happen, then they are identifying themselves as people who do not realize they are morally wrong within their perspective. Being realistic to society does not mean being realistic to all individuals.
A second difference Lewis brings up is love. The Christian behavior follows courtship and marriage, but society highlights the "honeymoon" phase and chasing the excitement (109). Lewis reminds his reader that love is meant to be stable: a person brings stability into their partner's life and also receives stability from their partner. Being in love involves passion and dependency; love involves trust and security. The latter is identified as the morally right because of the security it provides.
A third difference is the most difficult to follow while living by the world's standards. Forgiveness is a tricky issue because Christian forgiveness focuses on forgiveness within the person and worldly forgiveness is often a case of forgiveness once a person has received vengeance. Christians should never seek revenge, but many modern Christians may argue against their faith's teachings because they do not feel liberated.
Fact: Christianity is not about feeling liberated. It is about family and love with the Father. It is about mercy and forgiveness for all people regardless of their sins. Loving enemies is not about being fond of them or liking them or saying what they did wasn't wrong. Loving enemies means wishing them well in their life (120). Individuals wish the best for themselves; they must do the same to all people in order to spread human decency.
In today's society, a morally wrong person may be viewed as manipulative, addicted, selfish, or ambitious. When a person puts themselves above others, or in the case of addicts or highly ambitious individuals their objects of necessity, then they tend to put no one else or select persons in a place of importance. The truth is that each person should put all others first in the sense that they should show courtesy: holding doors, saying thank you and please, helping when capable, and protecting when needed.
Society tells people to look out for no one else because no one else will look out for them. This idea is false. A woman who is known for kindness and sacrifice will find help in unexpected places from friends, colleagues, and even strangers she sees routinely on her commutes. They recognize her morally right actions and will help when they see her suffering. If a person says this doesn't happen, then they are identifying themselves as people who do not realize they are morally wrong within their perspective. Being realistic to society does not mean being realistic to all individuals.
A second difference Lewis brings up is love. The Christian behavior follows courtship and marriage, but society highlights the "honeymoon" phase and chasing the excitement (109). Lewis reminds his reader that love is meant to be stable: a person brings stability into their partner's life and also receives stability from their partner. Being in love involves passion and dependency; love involves trust and security. The latter is identified as the morally right because of the security it provides.
A third difference is the most difficult to follow while living by the world's standards. Forgiveness is a tricky issue because Christian forgiveness focuses on forgiveness within the person and worldly forgiveness is often a case of forgiveness once a person has received vengeance. Christians should never seek revenge, but many modern Christians may argue against their faith's teachings because they do not feel liberated.
Fact: Christianity is not about feeling liberated. It is about family and love with the Father. It is about mercy and forgiveness for all people regardless of their sins. Loving enemies is not about being fond of them or liking them or saying what they did wasn't wrong. Loving enemies means wishing them well in their life (120). Individuals wish the best for themselves; they must do the same to all people in order to spread human decency.
Christian Humility
Pride is the root of all evil, according to Lewis. He says,
"Whenever [persons] find that [their] religious life is making [them] feel that [they] are good--above all, that [they] are better than someone else--[they] may be sure that [they] are being acted on, not by God, but by the devil. The real test of being in the presence of God is, that [a person] either forgets about [himself] altogether or sees [himself] as a small, dirty object. It is better [for a person] to forget about [himself] altogether." (124-125)
When faith makes someone feel superior to another, they have lost contact with God. This can also be compared to those who believe another faith or none at all. If they put themselves above others, why should they show concern for others? Pedestals create division. They are immoral to human decency, but rampant in human behavior.
If a person is right with God, she will be right with her fellow people (145). If a person is moral and lives rightly by respecting and caring for others, she will be right with all around her. Some Christians say that being right with God is having faith and baptism, and then all is well. Some say actions are more important because it spreads God's message.
The truth is, both are needed. One must believe in God and Jesus Christ as the ultimate sacrifice for our immoral human nature, but also take action to be an example of the New Testament's teachings of forgiveness. If each individual Christian lived their lives by this standard, no one would doubt the followers of God as morally right people. Christian behavior means accepting all people and showing them the way to God, and therefore, showing them a way of life that involves moral human behavior toward one another.
For Part 4 of this series, click here.
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