Unit 2 What is Christianity I: Is There Something Behind our Universe?
Overview
We’ve all heard people quarrelling. Sometimes it is humorous while at other times it can be awkward and we usually hope it ends soon. But can we learn anything from quarrelling? Perhaps you’ve never thought we could, but in this unit we’ll be considering precisely the possibility that the way we quarrel reveals something important in our deeper thoughts, something related to the question of this unit, i.e., ‘What is Christianity?’
What could quarrelling have to do with culture or religion? C. S. Lewis, the author of our text, Mere Christianity, believes it has a lot to do with it. In our reading, he draws important conclusions about the universe and what lies behind it, but what may surprise us is that it all starts with his observations about the way we quarrel with each other. We’re in for an interesting read.
Most of us have probably never dissected a good quarrelling match to see exactly what is being said or, more importantly, assumed by people as they quarrel. In the reading for this unit, C. S. Lewis will ask us to do this. We encourage you to follow along with him and see what you think about his fascinating observations about quarrelling.
Let’s talk about terminology for a moment. You’ve probably noticed that every discipline or field of study including medicine, history, plumbing, auto mechanics, and philosophy has its own terminology or jargon, words that people within these fields use with each other. These terms convey important concepts and have been learned by people in the disciplines along the way. To outsiders, they don’t mean much. To practitioners, they are the ideas of the trade and without a clear grasp of them, they simply could not do their jobs.
The study of Culture and Christianity also has its own terms like religion, instinct, social convention, high culture, popular culture, cultural symbols, the reading of culture, cultural practices, and the religious view versus the materialist view. They convey important concepts we need to understand to carry out our inquiry and, in this unit, we will encounter some of them. You will want to keep an eye out for such terms and make note of their definitions as you read about them. Once we have a clear working knowledge of them, we will be able to reflect on where we stand on the issues they raise. It will be a rewarding and informative journey.
Topics
This unit is divided into 2 topics:
- Is There a Transcendent Moral Law?
- What Lies Behind the Moral Law?
Learning Outcomes
When you have completed this unit, you should be able to:
- Define key terms, such as the Law of human nature, instinct, and social convention.
- Explain the concept of a transcendent moral law and why many Christians believe there is one.
- Articulate three objections to this concept related to differing cultural moralities, human instinct, and social convention, along with thoughtful responses to these objections.
Activity Checklist
Here is a checklist of learning activities you will benefit from in completing this unit. You may find it useful for planning your work.
Learning Activities
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Read the preface of your Mere Christianity textbook by C.
S. Lewis. Watch the videos related to the topic.
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Read Book I, (chapters 1-5) of Mere Christianity textbook
and consider some questions.
- Explore perspectives and experiences related to a chosen key term.
Assessment
-
Unit 2 Student forum presentations (20%) and forum interaction
(20%).
- Reflective Learning Journal (20%)
2.1 Is there a Transcendental Moral Law?
No question is more foundational for the study of culture and Christianity than whether there is something behind our universe. Most people around the world believe there is but there have always been some who disagreed. In this topic, we are taking one important step in exploring this question and, in the next topic, we will go further.
Surprisingly, even though the author of our text, C. S. Lewis, is pursuing this question, he does not start with it. The question he begins with is whether a transcendental moral law exists, something he calls a Law of Human Nature. In our reading for this topic, he outlines his reasons for thinking one does exist and only then does he build on this to move to the question of whether something exists behind the universe. A heads up: you may be surprised by his way of reasoning on these questions.
Our job will be to grasp his reasoning well enough that we can explain it to someone who has not read our text. Once we understand it, we’ll be in a position to assess the belief in a transcendental moral law and, fortunately, Lewis himself has provided three of the more common objections to it along with his own responses to them. By reading these objections, along with the responses, we have the opportunity to become better informed on both sides of this important question and push our own thinking further.
As noted above, Lewis begins his reasoning for the existence of this Law of Human Nature by turning to the common human activity of quarrelling, and notes some highly relevant assumptions he sees behind the things we often say in the midst of a good quarrel.
We encourage you to ask two questions as you read through this discussion by Lewis:
- First, do you think he is reading too much into the things we say when we quarrel, or does he have a point? Our answer to this seemingly innocent question will have a serious bearing on how we evaluate the rest of his reasoning for the existence of a transcendent moral law since it builds on this question.
- Secondly, do you think the reasoning he builds upon this foundation for the existence of a transcendent moral law is sound? Why or why not? It’s important to think about why we answer as we do.
Welcome to a fascinating journey as we explore one of life’s proverbial questions with one of history’s great thinkers.
Activity: Read and Reflect
In the first activity, you are asked to read the Preface and the first three chapters of Book I of your textbook, Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis. As you read be sure to take notes in your Learning Journal, defining key terms and explaining key concepts and arguments. Putting them in your own words is an excellent way to be sure you understand them. This will help you as you complete the assessments in this course.
Questions to Consider
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Do I agree with C.S. Lewis about the existence of a transcendent
moral law?
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Which of the objections to this moral law mentioned in the text do I
find most persuasive?
- Do I find the author’s response to this objection helpful?
Next, watch the video, “Moral Nihilism”, to learn more about the term.
Questions to Consider
After watching the video, reflect on the following questions:
-
What do you think might motivate someone to embrace moral
nihilism?
- Can you name one difficulty a moral nihilist might experience as they try to live life as a nihilist?
2.2 What Lies Behind the Moral Law?
Our question in the previous topic was whether a transcendent moral law exists. In this topic we will build on that discussion and ask if this moral law points to something else behind our universe. It is one of life’s great questions and has been asked throughout human history. Perhaps you’ve wondered about it yourself.
There are many ways of approaching this question and the way our author, C. S. Lewis, does it, as unusual as it is, is fascinating. In our reading for this topic, he builds on the previous question about the existence of a transcendental moral law and his reasoning is straightforward. If we have good reason to believe a transcendental moral law exists, then there must be something behind this moral law, something in which it is grounded.
Of course, we could avoid the whole question by treating the moral law as if it were not real but only a figment of our imagination. However, as Lewis has shown, very few of us do treat it this way. Most of us go to great lengths to convince ourselves and others that our actions somehow conform to this moral law. What we may not notice is that when we do this, we are demonstrating how seriously we take the moral law. We are treating it as though it is not only real but also correct. We do not want to be on the wrong side of it. But if it is real, says Lewis, it cries out for an explanation. There must be something behind it which means there is something behind our universe.
If Lewis is correct, it raises an immediate question: what can we know or say about whatever it is that lies behind this moral law? In our reading for this topic, you will see he proceeds cautiously and is willing to ascribe only two characteristics to this being so far.
- First, whatever it is, it looks more like a mind than matter since it obviously prefers some things over others.
- Secondly, the being behind the universe is extremely interested in right conduct. As he puts it, the moral law which emanates from this being is as tough as nails.
Suppose we want to know more than this about this being. Lewis contends that the way to learn more is the same way we learn about other people, namely, by listening to them. So too we can learn more about the being behind the universe by looking at the moral law emanating from this being. It’s what Lewis calls “inside information” – but it’s available to all of us.
Activity: Read and Reflect
Read Chapters 4 and 5 of Book I of your textbook, Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis. As we read the text for this topic, let’s follow along with the author and ask these two questions:
-
Do we think his reasons for concluding there is something behind the
moral law and our universe are good ones, or has he moved too
fast?
- If so, what has he overlooked? At what point has he moved too quickly?
Remember to take notes in your Learning Journal as this forms the basis of your Reflective Journal assignment.
Activity: Key Terms Analysis
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Choose one of the following key terms from the readings:
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Religion
-
Popular culture
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High culture
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Cultural symbols
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Cultural practices
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Religion
-
Carefully consider the meaning of the term from the course readings
and find at least two different examples of its manifestation in modern
society (e.g. religious practices, cultural symbols in fashion, or
cultural practices in music)
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In groups, name two ways in which it impacts people’s lives.
- Reflect on your own experience with this concept and share your personal views on its significance and meaning.
Assessment
Unit 2 Student Presentations & Forum Interaction
See the Assessment section for instructions on the discussion forum for this unit.
Reflective Journal
Continue to take notes on your learning as read the course texts. See the Assessment section for instructions, including tips on reading and engagement strategies.
Checking your Learning
Before you move on to the next unit, you may want to check to make sure that you are able to:
-
Define key terms, such as the Law of human nature, instinct, and
social convention.
-
Explain the concept of a transcendent moral law and why many
Christians believe there is one.
- Articulate three objections to this concept related to differing cultural moralities, human instinct, and social convention, along with thoughtful responses to these objections.