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
Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened: and one must be content to accept it in the same way, remembering that it is God’s myth where the others are men’s myths: i.e., the Pagan stories are God expressing Himself through the minds of poets, using such images as He found there, while Christianity is God expressing Himself through what we call 'real things'.
Interpretation
What this quote means
C. S. Lewis presents the story of Christ as a unique myth that embodies divine truth, differentiating it from other myths which are human creations.
In this quote, C. S. Lewis explores the nature of myths and their relationship to truth, suggesting that while many myths are expressions of human experiences and imaginations, the story of Christ transcends these by being a true event that reflects God's nature. He argues that both religious and secular myths serve as vehicles for deeper truths, but Christianity stands apart as it represents God's direct engagement with reality, making it a 'true myth' that conveys significant meaning beyond mere storytelling.
Themes
ChristMythTruthGodFaithStory
In practice
Example use cases
During a sermon, to illustrate the relevance of Christ's story in modern life.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes →I enjoyed my breakfast this morning, and I think that was a good thing and do not think it was condemned by God. But I do not think myself a good man for enjoying it.
C. S. LewisRead
Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
C. S. LewisRead
Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
C. S. LewisRead
I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
C. S. LewisRead
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
C. S. LewisRead
Similar quotes
And I could weep at how mean people are and how they betray their fellow creatures, perhaps for the sake of personal advantage. It is enough to make a person lose heart sometimes. I often wish I lived on a Robinson Crusoe island.
Sophie SchollRead
It may be shocking to some people in this country to realize that, without meaning to do so, they hold views in common with Hitler when they preach discrimination against other religious, racial or economic groups.
Henry A. WallaceRead
No birth is an accident, No experience is without meaning, and no life is without value.
Gary ZukavRead
Envy, propelled by fear, can be even more toxic than anger, because it involves the thought that other people enjoy the good things of life which the envier can't hope to attain through hard work and emulation.
Martha NussbaumRead
Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.
Gore VidalRead
People really, really hate their religion being criticized. It's as though you've said they had an ugly face; they seem to identify personally with it.
Richard DawkinsRead