Who knows how I did it, but I've managed to not read a single C.S. Lewis book in my life. This is not something that I am exactly proud of, but it is the case. I don't know why. It's not like I wasn't raised to enjoy reading. As a child, my mother read lots of stories to me and my sisters - I particularly remember the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and Charlotte's Web. But for some reason, C.S. Lewis was not one of the authors we covered.
It probably wasn't until I was in college that I was exposed to his writings - and almost always in a religious situation. And thus begins my beef with Mormons and C.S. Lewis. I am tired of people constantly quoting C.S. Lewis as if he were a prophet. I'm sure he was an excellent writer, I'm sure he made excellent and valid points about God and good and evil, but he is not the "13th Apostle" as so many (albeit jokingly) refer to him as.
I just watched The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe last night and while I thought it deserved a PG-13 rating, rather than the PG one it was given, I appreciated the religious undertones involved with the story - specifically the balance between justice and mercy - and how Christ's atonement affects that balance.
I also have sat through countless talks in church and read countless articles in Church magazines that cite the Screwtape Letters, which again make for great points regarding the devil and his attempts to lead us away from our goals.
But really, folks, C.S. Lewis may have gotten a few things right, but he's not the be-all-end-all of the gospel. Stop quoting him as if he is! That's all I have to say on the matter. My rant is done.
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