C.S. Lewis on Temperance
July 15th, 2005 | Published in Culture, Quotes, Religion | 5 Comments
Temperance is, unfortunately, one of those words that has changed its meaning. It now usually means teetotalism… [In the past,] temperance referred not specially to drink, but to all pleasures; and it meant not abstaining, but going the right length and no further. It is a mistake to think that Christians ought all to be teetotalers; Mohammedanism, not Christianity, is the teetotal religion.
Of course it may be the duty of a particular Christian, or of any Christian, at a particular time, to abstain from strong drink, either because he is the sort of man who cannot drink at all without drinking too much, or because he is with people who are inclined to drunkenness and must not encourage them by drinking himself. But the whole point is that he is abstaining, for a good reason, from something which he does not condemn and which he likes to see other people enjoying. One of the marks of a certain type of bad man is that he cannot give up a thing himself without wanting every one else to give it up. That is not the Christian way. An individual Christian may see fit to give up all sorts of things for special reasons—marriage, or meat, or beer, or the cinema; but the moment he starts saying the things are bad in themselves, or looking down his nose at other people who use them, he has taken the wrong turning.
—C.S. Lewis. Mere Christianity, p. 78-79
September 1st, 2008 at 11:27 am (#)
Amen! It’s refreshing to see that people understand the truth about these things. Most people take it too far.
February 17th, 2010 at 1:39 pm (#)
Many fundamental Christians have been wrongly taught that scripture advocates teetotalism. It does not! While there are good arguments for not drinking beverages that contain alcohol none come from scripture. At most scripture teaches moderation in all unsinful pursuits of pleasure (enjoyment). But, unfortunately many Christians are held captive to poor teaching.
November 8th, 2010 at 1:10 am (#)
Just so you know, I believe the correct page reference is 49, not 78-79.
September 27th, 2011 at 12:57 am (#)
I tell you the truth..
I used to enjoy such things too..
but think about this, could you justify drinking or smoking in the tabernacle before in Jerusalem?
1Corinthians 6:19
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Does drinking and smoking bring glory to God?
I believe we are called to be different from the world not to conform to it..in fact Revelation says we are called to be Kings and Priests unto God! Imagine that!
Revelation 1:6
6 …And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Give God Glory in all you do!
September 21st, 2012 at 6:37 am (#)
Dana,
Asking if drinking brings glory to God is like asking if eating ice cream brings glory to God. The answer is, it depends. If someone is getting drunk, their drinking isn’t bringing glory to God. Likewise, if someone is getting fat on too much ice cream, they aren’t bringing glory to God.
What brings glory to God is temperance, and that’s exactly what C.S. Lewis is talking about. Now, if someone can’t drink or eat ice cream without exercising self-control, then they shouldn’t. But saying that all Christians should abstain from drinking is an unbiblical demand.