musturde Posted November 8, 2006 Posted November 8, 2006 I've heard stuff about C.S. Lewis wanting to convert on his deathbed. In Screwtape Letters, he quotes St. Thomas More and in [i]Screwtape Proposes a Toast[/i] Lewis lists King Henry XIII as one of the people in Hell. Now does Lewis just not like Henry the XIII? If so, why was he Anglican and not Catholic to begin with?
homeschoolmom Posted November 8, 2006 Posted November 8, 2006 Great questions. I really don't know. I had heard somewhere (so take that for what it's worth) that he had some trouble with marian doctrines that kept him from converting.
cathoholic_anonymous Posted November 8, 2006 Posted November 8, 2006 He was a very 'high' Anglican, or an Anglo-Catholic as they are sometimes known. I don't know what kept him from the Catholic Church. For many years I thought he was a Catholic, as the ideas expressed in his books nearly always fit perfectly with Church teaching. It surprised me when I read a biography of him and found that he was a member of the C of E.
Sojourner Posted November 9, 2006 Posted November 9, 2006 Yeah he wasn't Catholic. He was a convert from atheism to theism to Christianity, but never became Catholic, even though he was good friends with Tolkien and Chesterton. And I'm sure they tried to win him over.
Katholikos Posted November 9, 2006 Posted November 9, 2006 C.S. Lewis was Catholic in belief but Anglican in affiliation. He believed in confession and purgatory, for example. I can't find my book by James Pearce, [i]C.S. Lewis and the Catholic Church[/i], so I can't give you an authoritative answer. Great book. Maybe someone else has it. ============================== Blessed Father Damien, pray for us!
musturde Posted November 9, 2006 Author Posted November 9, 2006 (edited) [quote name='Sojourner' post='1115590' date='Nov 8 2006, 07:04 PM'] Yeah he wasn't Catholic. He was a convert from atheism to theism to Christianity, but never became Catholic, even though he was good friends with Tolkien and Chesterton. And I'm sure they tried to win him over. [/quote] No way! He was friends with Chesterton too? Why was he against Henry VIII? (I said XIII as a mistake hehe) Edited November 9, 2006 by musturde
Sojourner Posted November 9, 2006 Posted November 9, 2006 [quote name='musturde' post='1115644' date='Nov 8 2006, 07:28 PM'] No way! He was friends with Chesterton too? Why was he against Henry VIII? (I said XIII as a mistake hehe) [/quote] I don't know his reasons for choosing Anglicanism; maybe the book Katholikos suggested would be a good source on that. But yes, he was friends with Chesterton and a bunch of other writers at the time, most of whom were associated with Oxford. They were all part of [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inklings"]The Inklings[/url], a literary discussion group which I have always thought would have been fascinating to participate in. Unfortunately, I am the wrong age and gender.
Fixxxer Posted November 9, 2006 Posted November 9, 2006 ask [url="http://sths.org/staff/showfaculty.php?id=94"]this guy[/url]
musturde Posted November 9, 2006 Author Posted November 9, 2006 [quote name='Fixxxer' post='1115733' date='Nov 8 2006, 10:55 PM'] ask [url="http://sths.org/staff/showfaculty.php?id=94"]this guy[/url] [/quote] hehe, he didnt know
God Conquers Posted November 9, 2006 Posted November 9, 2006 Just a clarification from a history major and lover of Lewis and Chesterton: They weren't friends. However Lewis was profoundly influenced by "The Everlasting Man" which helped him convert to Christianity. It is not even certain whether Lewis and Chesterton ever met. The were from different generations, Lewis being only 41 (and only 8 years after his conversion) when Chesterton died.
Sojourner Posted November 9, 2006 Posted November 9, 2006 [quote name='God Conquers' post='1115802' date='Nov 8 2006, 11:47 PM'] Just a clarification from a history major and lover of Lewis and Chesterton: They weren't friends. However Lewis was profoundly influenced by "The Everlasting Man" which helped him convert to Christianity. It is not even certain whether Lewis and Chesterton ever met. The were from different generations, Lewis being only 41 (and only 8 years after his conversion) when Chesterton died. [/quote] Really? Ooops! My bad.
cathoholic_anonymous Posted November 9, 2006 Posted November 9, 2006 [quote]Really? Ooops! My bad. [/quote] Lewis quotes Chesterton with such familiar ease in his books that you could be forgiven for thinking that they were friends. In fact, they probably [i]are[/i] friends now - I expect they have a little theological cloud all to themselves and help mark the exam papers for the souls coming out of purgatory. (Before someone leaps on me...joke.)
N/A Gone Posted November 9, 2006 Posted November 9, 2006 [quote name='Katholikos' post='1115606' date='Nov 8 2006, 07:46 PM'] C.S. Lewis was Catholic in belief but Anglican in affiliation. He believed in confession and purgatory, for example. I can't find my book by [b]James Pearce, [i]C.S. Lewis and the Catholic Church[/[/b]i], so I can't give you an authoritative answer. Great book. Maybe someone else has it. ============================== Blessed Father Damien, pray for us! [/quote] Great book..they put a good argument together. Almost as if Lewis was catholic without knowing it. Let me see if I can find it
Colleen Posted November 9, 2006 Posted November 9, 2006 I wonder if he would still be Anglican if he were alive today....
Justified Saint Posted November 9, 2006 Posted November 9, 2006 [quote name='Colleen' post='1115959' date='Nov 9 2006, 09:31 AM'] I wonder if he would still be Anglican if he were alive today.... [/quote] That is argument of Pearce's book...He was Anglican then but would most likely be Catholic now.
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