A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
C. S. LewisRead
To make Christianity a private affair while banishing all privacy is to relegate it to the rainbow's end or the Greek Calends.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the contradiction of seeking to privatize Christianity while simultaneously eliminating personal privacy.
C.S. Lewis argues that one cannot truly separate the practice of Christianity from the public sphere; attempting to keep it as a private matter while stripping away personal privacy renders it meaningless, akin to pursuing something ultimately unattainable, like the end of a rainbow. The quote reflects on the intrinsic connection between individual belief and its expression in the community, suggesting that faith should be an integral part of public life rather than confined to personal solitude.
Themes
ChristianityPrivacyPublicFaithBelief
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on the role of religion in society, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of public faith.
More from C. S. Lewis
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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
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Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
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I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred
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