The Problem of Pain - SFBA Book Club

English language

Published April 1, 2012

ISBN:: 978-0-00-746126-4

(1 review)

The Problem of Pain is a 1940 book on the problem of evil by C. S. Lewis, in which Lewis argues that human pain, animal pain, and hell are not sufficient reasons to reject belief in a good and powerful God. Lewis firmly establishes that his writing is "not primarily arguing the truth of Christianity but describing its origin - a task...necessary ''if we are to put the problem of pain in its right setting". He begins by addressing the flaws in common arguments against the belief in a just, loving, and all-powerful God such as: "If God were good, He would make His creatures 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." Topics include human suffering and sinfulness, animal suffering, and the problem of hell, and …

The Problem of Pain is a 1940 book on the problem of evil by C. S. Lewis, in which Lewis argues that human pain, animal pain, and hell are not sufficient reasons to reject belief in a good and powerful God. Lewis firmly establishes that his writing is "not primarily arguing the truth of Christianity but describing its origin - a task...necessary ''if we are to put the problem of pain in its right setting". He begins by addressing the flaws in common arguments against the belief in a just, loving, and all-powerful God such as: "If God were good, He would make His creatures 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." Topics include human suffering and sinfulness, animal suffering, and the problem of hell, and seeks to reconcile these with an omnipotent force beyond ourselves.

5 editions

Brad Vrolijk 📖 reviewed The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis

A Theological Examination of Pain

3 stars

Lewis explores the existence of suffering from an explicitly Christian theological lens with only fleeting glances of a more philosophical viewpoint. If you already ascribe to a Christian belief, then what's presented here will likely mesh with your existing knowledge to produce a more whole comprehension of the whys and role of suffering in our world. If you aren't, then I don't know if there's that much here for you; not that the insights aren't applicable outside of a Christian context, but rather because I think that context so forcefully holds the entire examination together.

It was a very interesting book, though; I agreed with a bunch of it, it provided a few things I will continue to mull over in the years ahead, and there were a few things I think Lewis missed the mark on. While I don't think that this book is the #1 treatise on the …

Lewis explores the existence of suffering from an explicitly Christian theological lens with only fleeting glances of a more philosophical viewpoint. If you already ascribe to a Christian belief, then what's presented here will likely mesh with your existing knowledge to produce a more whole comprehension of the whys and role of suffering in our world. If you aren't, then I don't know if there's that much here for you; not that the insights aren't applicable outside of a Christian context, but rather because I think that context so forcefully holds the entire examination together.

It was a very interesting book, though; I agreed with a bunch of it, it provided a few things I will continue to mull over in the years ahead, and there were a few things I think Lewis missed the mark on. While I don't think that this book is the #1 treatise on the theology of suffering, I do think it's competent, coherent, and insightful enough to be an excellent driver for conversation and exploration of the topic.