C.S. Lewis Was Wrong!

C.S. Lewis was wrong.

I don’t say those words, in that order, very often.

Unless we’re talking about afterlife theories, eschatology, eternal security, or evolution, I put stock in what Lewis said. His work on moral law thinking, The Problem of Pain, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, they’re all spectacular. He has affected my way of thinking and my way of life more than any other writer, except perhaps the Apostle Paul.

Unfortunately, Lewis was very wrong about one particular prediction.

The Universe Can’t Tell You Anything

(Yes, I know that's a picture of a galaxy... throw me a bone here!)

I first noticed it on How I Met Your Mother. Ted appeals to “the universe” quite often and talks quite often about how “the universe wants this to happen.”

I thought it was funny at first, but it’s gone way beyond that. It’s become a way of life. It’s become a philosophy and a religion. People honestly and earnestly use the phrase “I think the universe is saying…” I’m calling it the “Consciously Reacting Universe Doctrine” or “CRUD” for short.

I am so tired of this CRUD. I am so tired of people treating the universe like it’s alive.

Let’s clear this up right now: the universe can’t tell you anything.

The universe can’t want things. The universe can’t do anything to, for, or about anything! The universe is an inanimate, humongous, space, sparsely filled with gigantic planets. It’s cold, and dark, and fairly freaky. We don’t everything about it, I’ll admit. It might have other living creatures. It might have an end. It might be cooling at a constant rate until it will ultimately run down and cease to expand outward as it currently does. One thing is sure though: IT will never cease to be an IT.

“It”s don’t think, “it”s don’t feel, and “it”s don’t speak.

“Who”s do.

This ridiculous trend of giving the universe anthropomorphic qualities is a reflection of the need for a higher power which is deeply embedded into the fabric of humanity.

Christians and Cursing

Can Christians curse? When, if ever, is it appropriate?

Some try to say that the Bible isn’t clear on the subject. Unfortunately this simply isn’t the case.

Sprained Ankles and Spiritual Pride

I’m going to give you a few pieces of this puzzle before I put them together for you.

Piece 1:

4 weeks ago I sprained my ankle… badly.

Most people don’t realize this, but sprained ankles are often more painful and take longer to heal than broken ones. I sprained my ankle in as bad a way as you can. What’s worse is that the doctor who originally diagnosed it and told me my treatment (wearing a boot and using crutches) was overly optimistic in the healing time.

The doctor said I would have 2 weeks on the crutches with a boot, 3-4 more weeks in the boot without crutches, and then I’d be walking normally again.

It’s been 4 weeks and I’m still on crutches.

A String of Flowery Phrases

To preface this, I need to point out that it was a school assignment. Flash fiction, if you don't know is a form of writing that blurs the line between a short story and poetry. The goal is to express a thought or idea as powerfully as you can in as few words as possible. It's very similar to slam poetry. One other flash fiction I wrote is titled "Hide and Seek with a Still Small Voice".