tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post7018440352810939741..comments2024-01-22T05:12:14.300-05:00Comments on Mere C.S. Lewis: Deciding about Jesus: Liar, Lunatic or LordKen Symeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11459635303438115559noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-81335861607843781812014-02-02T02:31:00.862-05:002014-02-02T02:31:00.862-05:00There's also the Pantheist or Suitheist option...There's also the Pantheist or Suitheist option: we are all God, & Jesus was one of those who gained experiential awareness of this fact. He was neither the sole Lord, Liar, nor Lunatic; he was Enlightened, or perhaps experienced a glimmer of Enlightenment & translated it into the concepts of the Jewish culture of his time, thus calling himself the Messiah.Myrna Sabornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-7799104875110706512014-01-29T21:34:37.419-05:002014-01-29T21:34:37.419-05:00Lewis is saying that for Jesus to be wrong about b...Lewis is saying that for Jesus to be wrong about being the son of God he'd have to be a liar or a mad man, which is obviously not the case. There's another option, one that isn't addressed in this argument, making this a false dilemma. I would say that if Jesus was misguided about his holy origins, he could very well still be a great moral teacher, so even your proposed intent of his argument is invalid. I would argue though that his desire is most certainly to prove that Jesus is God, and many people use this argument for exactly that purpose.Tom McQuarrienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-88436239214194548312014-01-29T21:18:37.949-05:002014-01-29T21:18:37.949-05:00As I understand it, Tom, Lewis is not presenting t...As I understand it, Tom, Lewis is not presenting this as an argument that Jesus is God. He explains, "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say." So Lewis's argument is that these two ideas about Jesus are incompatible.Ken Symeshttp://kensymes.newsvine.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-83906507709921249112014-01-29T19:57:06.977-05:002014-01-29T19:57:06.977-05:00I'm surprised this argument has lasted so long...I'm surprised this argument has lasted so long. Probably because it's dumbed down and people like alliteration. If the "I am God" statement is false, there is obviously another alternative. Maybe no one's thought of it because it doesn't start with "L". What if he's simply wrong, mistaken, incorrect? What if he believed he was the son of God because, I don't know, his parents told him so? His parents, who happened to be in a sticky predicament with Mary pregnant out of wedlock? Perhaps it was them who were the lunatics, and Jesus merely a victim?Tom McQuarrienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-82199587448816724042012-10-05T16:49:32.455-04:002012-10-05T16:49:32.455-04:00Jesus' claims to deity are foundational to our...Jesus' claims to deity are foundational to our faith, but they are hardly the only evidence of his true nature. As the Son of Man (his favorite term for himself), his life was both human and supernatural. His very birth was such, as were the miracles he performed as signs of his true nature. Who else but God in human form could quiet a raging storm, feed the multitudes with mere loaves and a few fish, raise the dead, and himself survive Roman execution to walk around in a resurrected body for thousands to see? If Jesus hadn't done these things and hadn't claimed to be God incarnate, nothing would have been written about him. No Gospel, no secular histories in the first century, and so on. In one sense, the very fact that he is still being discussed in the 21st. century is evidence of his divinity. Name one other human being from the first century that continues to have books written, movies made, articles, radio shows, etc. solely about his life. Jesus is who he says he is.Curt Parkerhttp://www.facebook.com/people/Curt-Parker/1267641897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-75942603679908625192012-09-14T13:05:26.470-04:002012-09-14T13:05:26.470-04:00woooooord!woooooord!Jhartynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-37365521585332006652012-03-12T16:05:43.147-04:002012-03-12T16:05:43.147-04:00Everyone always tries to speak as if they truely u...Everyone always tries to speak as if they truely understand the concept of Lord, Liar or Lunatic.<br /><br />Here is someone that lived it recently.<br /><br />http://lordliarorlunatic.wordpress.comlordliarorlunaticnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-86360250180859635902012-01-17T03:14:06.744-05:002012-01-17T03:14:06.744-05:00Very inspirational man Lewis.Very inspirational man Lewis.Da Bauz (The Boss)http://dabauzstake.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-30121086616159056552010-11-11T04:28:30.514-05:002010-11-11T04:28:30.514-05:00Jesus reveals God the Father to us, and we are oft...Jesus reveals God the Father to us, and we are often amazed by the mercy and love and compassion he shows. We might have expected something else from the One who reveals God to us, but could it be that God is humble and meek? Does God force himself upon us? Doesn't he speak with a still, small voice? How long will God be patient with us?<br /><br />It seems possible to me that Jesus in being humble and meek was showing us something about God.Ken Symeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11459635303438115559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-16925690633414519402010-11-10T18:20:16.788-05:002010-11-10T18:20:16.788-05:00Anonymous, I think that's Lewis's point: Y...Anonymous, I think that's Lewis's point: You DON'T square those two claims... unless you really are God. And yes, that is the sacred mystery. (Or sacred paradox, if you prefer.)Margaret Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00692860243550948747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-71185607643966600092010-11-09T14:31:53.356-05:002010-11-09T14:31:53.356-05:00How do you square the claim of being "humble ...How do you square the claim of being "humble and meek" with the claim to being a God? Seems like a contradiction. Or is that a sacred mystery?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-39623527741452109172010-11-09T12:46:03.728-05:002010-11-09T12:46:03.728-05:00Keep 'em coming, Ken! Lots of folks are readin...Keep 'em coming, Ken! Lots of folks are reading... I don't usually chime in because, frankly, everything Lewis says seems dead-on to me. There is rarely a reason to argue with the man... <br /><br />Gosh, do ever know what you mean about the "Oprah" version of Jesus... Sigh...Margaret Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00692860243550948747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876005511404859259.post-26128951918567477542010-11-09T08:45:21.381-05:002010-11-09T08:45:21.381-05:00Here it is... a classic C.S. Lewis argument! And I...Here it is... a classic C.S. Lewis argument! And I'm posting it in November which means there must surely be enough Lewis power quotes to get through a whole year. What a journey it's been so far.<br /><br />We have much to gain from reading more Lewis. I still remain in awe at the clarity of the argument presenting in today's reading. Explanations about what Lewis did there are far more complicated than the work itself!<br /><br />The problem being addressed -- that someone might opt for a lesser yet logically impossible view of Jesus -- is still rampant today. How can we learn from Lewis and respond better to the "Oprah" version of Jesus so common now?Ken Symeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11459635303438115559noreply@blogger.com