Monthly Archives: June 2014

A Meeting with CS Lewis

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Photo Source: CommonVision.org

Photo Source:
CommonVision.org

I met CS Lewis in downtown Washington yesterday . He was having a conversation with Sigmund Freud. Well… perhaps it would be better to say that I saw a play that featured an imagined meeting between CS Lewis and S Freud (1). We had seats on the third row, so it felt like meeting them in person.

Dr. Freud insulted Prof. Lewis by remarking that he should just “grow up – be a big boy” and let go of his belief in God. With ideas taken from Freud’s Collected Works (2), the actor argued that belief in God was a neurotic response to childish needs.

Prof. Lewis displayed remarkable poise in defending his faith in Jesus Christ as the son of God. In a manner consistent with Lewis’ comments in Mere Christianity (3), the playwright had Prof. Lewis show sincere appreciation for Freud’s development of psychoanalysis yet confront his narrow-minded refusal to consider the possibility of God.

It was nice to see a mostly healthy debate on the value of faith and science by two brilliant men, even if it was just a play on a Saturday afternoon.

(1) Freud’s Last Session by Mark St. Germain. Theater J, Washington, DC
(2) Sigmund Freud. The Standard Collection of Complete Works (Translated by J. Strachey). London, 1959
(3) CS Lewis. Mere Christianity. New York, 1952.

Spirituality in Recovery

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iphone June 2014 128Spiritual growth can help to change habits – from overeating and smoking to alcohol and drug abuse. 12-step programs, such as AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), suggest how this may work.

A recent medical journal notes: “The heart of AA’s philosophy is that addiction should be seen a spiritual problem and that genuine recovery requires a profound spiritual awakening (1).” Part of this awakening comes in the steps, first by recognizing an inability to change on our own (step 1), then recognizing that God has the power to orchestrate change (Step 2), and then giving the problem to God (Step 3).

Recognizing God seems to be the key: searching for his presence in moments of meditation and prayer, appreciating his existence beyond words and ideas, developing a habit of waiting on the movement of His spirit. Focusing on God can usher in the serenity we too often seek thorough unhealthy behaviors.

John Allen & others. “Recovery on higher ground: Spirituality in the treatment of substance abuse.” Current Psychiatry. February, 2014.