Reviews for Philosophers Speak of God (Philosophy of Religion Series)

The average rating for Philosophers Speak of God (Philosophy of Religion Series) based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-01-31 00:00:00 Amber Tissandier "'Where will you put all the mosquitoes?'-a question to be answered on its own level by pointing out that, if worst came to worst, a heaven for mosquitoes and a hell for men could very conveniently be combined." This is not your Chronicles of Narnia C.S. Lewis. This is Professor Lewis teaching a theology course. The material is interesting and thought provoking, but the delivery can be a bit dry and heavy at times. Throughout, though, there are little gems like the quote above to make you smile. At one point, Lewis was an atheist, but over time through his intellectual inquiries and deductive reasoning became a Christian and wrote a series of spiritual books to help explain (Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Great Divorce to name a few). The Problem Of Pain is the first one that I have read, but I will say with this one his approach is definitely analytical - very unlike a church service where they preach to the emotions. This is like going to a calculus class instead of listening to a sermon - so be aware if you decide to read. Also, as mentioned, this is a book written by a former atheist about Christian ideas. I will not pass judgement on the content or what readers should make of it based on their own spiritual beliefs. I will only say that if you are a hardcore atheist and reading anything with a Christian angle annoys you, then do not read this. If you are an atheist, but like to read about religious concepts, it is worth giving a shot. If you are a Christian, I cannot guarantee that you will like it as it is pretty heavy - not your typical Sunday discussion with your church peers. If you are a Christian theologian, then I would say that you have to read this! If you are another religion entirely, I cannot say for sure if you will find this interesting or not . . . I already mentioned this is not your Chronicles of Narnia C.S. Lewis - if your only experience with Lewis is Narnia and you really know nothing else about him or his spiritual writings, I suggest doing some research ahead of time before trying out this book or you may be very disappointed. I am giving it 3 stars - the only deduction being because of my struggle to stay interested in his delivery. Other than that, some interesting food for thought!

Review # 2 was written on 2016-03-09 00:00:00 Monte Craft Well, it's not like I really disagree with C.S. Lewis's argument here. I just think that the essential points are summed up rather more succinctly in the first few minutes of Monty Python's "Happy Valley" sketch:STORYTELLER: Once upon a time, long, long ago, there lay in a valley far, far away in the mountains the most contented kingdom the world has ever known. It was called Happy Valley, and it was ruled over by a wise old king called Otto. And all his subjects flourished and were happy, and there were no discontents or grumblers, because wise King Otto had had them all put to death, along with the trade union leaders, many years before. And all the happy folk of Happy Valley sang and danced all day long, and anyone who was for any reason miserable or unhappy or who had any difficult personal problem was prosecuted under the Happiness Act. PROSECUTOR: Caspar Schlitz, I put it to you that you were, on February 5th this year, very depressed with malice aforethought, and did moan quietly, contrary to the Cheerful Noises Act. SCHLITZ: I did. COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENCE: May I explain, m'lud, that the reason for my client's behaviour was that his wife had just died that morning? [All except the accused laugh uproariously.] JUDGE: Members of the jury, have you reached your verdict? FOREMAN: Guilty. [All laugh again.] JUDGE: [donning red nose and trying to stifle giggles] I hereby sentence you to be hanged by the neck until you cheer up. [Yet more hearty laughter]