Good Vs Evil-the Chronicles Of Narnia

Kiss It and Make It Well

If your given Christian name was Clive Staples, you, too, might have been inclined to shorten it to C. S. Lewis, become a professor Medieval and Renaissance literature at Cambridge University and write voluminously in a range of genres from fiction, such as "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Space Trilogy," to theological-philosophical works, such a Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters, using involved and entwined compound, complex sentences; sentences such as this one you've just now endured.

Because of a reference in something unrelated, I undertook to read C. S. Lewis' "The Problem of Pain." Overall I would not suggest any of his philosophical works to one without some prior readings in theology and/or philosophy. In my case, I've just enough prior inoculation to only be confused by his sentences about half the time.

I'd read it before, but didn't quite remember if he had come to some useful answer to said Problem. If he did, I for one didn't find such an answer in the current reading.

The problem of pain, it turns out, is only a problem for the professed Christian. Pain is not a problem for the atheist or agnostic, who is as free to doubt the existence of pain as he is free to doubt the existence of God -- with equal impact on both God and pain.

As Lewis elucidates the Christian's problem:

"'If God were good He would wish to make His creations perfectly happy; and if He were almighty He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both.' This is the problem of pain in its simplest form." (Page 26)

If it ever becomes incumbent on me to solve absolutely or to find one book which solves this problem absolutely, where do I enlist in the local branch of Agnostics Anonymous?

As it is my place merely to observe and not resolve, I propose some minor observations of positions seemingly tenable for a professing Christian who from time-to-time has been called upon to "rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10."

Observed, I'll let God defend Himself. Pain, suffering, tribulation exist. And, no Christian need defend God by saying this is the best of all possible, or even the only possible world. As the succinct Ziva David puts it, "It is what it is." And, very early on, "God saw all that He had made, and it was very good" (Genesis 1.31, NIV).

Observed, all us Christians live in His world. God does deliver, heal, and restore; and we are entreated to so pray.

Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader - DVDActive/Reviews

It’s been three years since the Pevensie children last visited the magical land of Narnia to help Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) vanquish evil. With their older siblings away and approaching adulthood, and a war raging across Europe, Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) are sent to live with their aunt, uncle and obnoxious cousin Eustace (Will Poulter). While bickering in Lucy’s room a painting of the ocean comes to life, and leaks water into the room, eventually engulfing the three relatives, and transporting them to Narnia. The children emerge from the water and are rescued by Caspian (now a King), and the crew of the Dawn Treader. Once aboard the ship the reunited friends…and Eustace, embark upon a new adventure. more successfully mixes all the good things of Lewis’ tales without wasting too much time on the weakness (though Aslan does pretty much state ‘I am Jesus, worship me dammit’ at the end of the film). The problems and strengths mostly lie within the source material. I personally gave up on the series when I was a kid following Prince Caspian films) are well enough made, but as director Andrew Adamson doesn’t take many chances, and mostly rests his vision on the shoulders of better films. His action direction is consistently impressive (much better than the similarly endowed Chris Columbus), but otherwise he’s just as unmemorable as his films. Michael Apted might not seem the most obvious choice for the job of continuing the series – he’s not exactly a rising talent (in the business for going on 40 years), his best films aren’t exactly groundbreaking, and his biggest film to date ( The World is Not Enough Still more of the film’s success rests on the shoulders of the three young leads. Four if you count Ben Barnes as Caspian. The production is quite lucky that Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes have grown into good little actors. I wasn’t particularly smitten with either mini-thesp in the other two films, but I have been won over here. Henley fills the role of the meek on the outside, strong on the inside youngest child, and even believably looks the part, unlike so many ‘plain’ young actresses who look like they stepped out of a perfume ad. I buy her struggle, and am rooting for her victory. Keynes has a higher hill to climb.