| Miracles (book) |
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In a preliminary chapter on "Red Herrings", Lewis deals with some of the arguments put forth against the possibility of miracles and the action of the supernatural. These are arguments made often, he says, by some biblical scholars as they date pieces of the New Testament. His tactic is to show that these arguments assume their conclusion in their premises. The philosophical view with which Lewis starts is Pantheism , or Naturalism . He argues that rather than being an outdated, ancient mode of thought, pantheism (his definition: the worship of God or gods as abstract and a part of nature) is the natural mode of human thought without revelation. Men and women want to worship "Justice", "Love", or other abstractions, he argues, but these abstractions only find secure meaning in the context of revelation. In a chapter on "Natural Laws", Lewis addresses the issue of whether miracles are incompatible with natural law or science. He argues that rather than being mutually exclusive, miracles are definite interventions that go beyond natural laws. Miracles are consistent with nature, but beyond natural law. They are caused by a benevolent being. All of the major miracles of the New Testament are treated, with the Incarnation (in which God becomes man) playing the central role. Also included are two appendices which deal with matters of free will and the value of prayer. CRITICAL DISCUSSION Philosophers and theologians have generally not paid academic attention to Lewis' work, and critical discussion of his positions and arguments is thus difficult to find. In chapter four of his book ''C.S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion'', the philosopher John Beversluis critically examines Lewis' central positions in ''Miracles'', in particular his arguments against naturalism. BIBLIOGRAPHY
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