XPost: alt.books.cs-lewis   
   From: bree@bree.com   
      
   On 9 Oct 2005 21:37:34 GMT, Siwel Naph  wrote:   
      
   >Steve Hayes wrote:   
   /snip/   
      
   >No, but you have to use how MCs and MBs have behaved in this world to   
   >know how they'd behave in an imaginary one.   
   /snip/   
   >> In an imaginary Japan in which people practised mere Christianity,   
   >> people would behave a lot better than historical Buddhists in   
   >> historical Japan. But in an imaginary medival Europe in which people   
   >> practised mere Buddhis, they woould also behave a lot better than   
   >> historical Christians in historical medieval Europe.   
   >   
   >This is based on your definition of "mere Christians" as omniscient and   
   >infallible.   
      
   Certainly as something quite different from real world Christians! -- whom   
   Lewis was talking about. He used the term 'mere Christianity' to be   
   INCLUSIVE, to show he meant ALL Christians, not just one or another group.   
      
      
   >Here's the question again:   
   >   
   >Do you think Japanese Christians would have behaved better than Japanese   
   >Buddhists with the same power?   
   >   
   >A couple more questions:   
   >   
   >Do you accept that sincere MCs can mistakenly execute other MCs as   
   >witches?   
   >   
   >Do you accept that sincere MCs can torture and execute other MCs as   
   >heretics?   
   >   
   >If it's "No" and "No", then where did MC go in those long periods in   
   >which the above were taking place?   
      
      
   And why didn't Lewis mention that tidbit of news? Instead of writing about   
   the beliefs that had been common to ALL Christians at ALL times?   
      
   Really, Naph, it seems hopeless to restore your meaning of MCs.   I think   
   you'd better drop the term and use some other term.   
      
   Not that I'm 100% sure of what you meant, either. Did you mean 'everyone   
   who shares the basic beliefs Lewis listed, and attempts to follow any   
   denomination of Christianity (such as RC, Chapel, whatever), now and in   
   past ages'? In that case the word is 'Christians'. IE  real people   
   throughout the ages. Which is who Lewis was writing about.   
      
   Well, I suppose the meaning of 'Christian' would quickly get changed to   
   'true Scotsman', in spite of what Lewis said about defining Christian as   
   one who believes certain doctrines, rather than one who is closer in spirit   
   etc.   
      
      
   Bree   
      
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