C.S Lewis on Faith

Excerpts from Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis

In the one sense means simply Belief — accepting or regarding as true the doctrines of Christianity.

John 20:29 blessed are those who have not see n and yet have believed.

If the human mind once accepts a thing as true it will automatically go on regarding it as true, until some real reason for reconsidering it turns up.

Faith and Mood

Now once a man accepts Christ because he's convinced in his heart that it is true.

There are things that are bound ta happen

For example there will come a moment when he wants ta lie or sees a chance of making a little money in some way that is not perfectly fair: some moment, in fact, at which it would be very convenient if Christianity were not true. And his wishes and desires will carry out a blitz.

Now Faith, here is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods. For moods will change, whatever view your reason takes.

I am not talking of moments at which any real new reasons against Christianity turn up. Those have to be faced and that is a different matter. I am talking about moments where a mere mood rises up against it.

This rebellion of your moods against

your belief is going to come anyway. That is why Faith is such a necessary virtue: unless you teach your moods "where they get off," you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist.

Consequently one must train the habit of Faith.

Faith must be fed

The first step is to recognise the fact that your moods change.

We have ta be continuously reminded of what we believe. Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind.

It must be fed

That is why daily prayers and bible reading and church going are necessary parts of the Christian life.

Drifting away

if you noticed people who had lost their faith in Christianity, you'll see most people simply drift away, without having reasoned out of it by honest argument.

• Faith in the second sense

A man does not always say to himself, "Hullo! I'm growing up." It is often only when he looks back that he realises what has happened and recognises it as what people call "growing up."

Battle between Faith and reason is on one side and Emotion and imagination on the other.