There is a number of questions that arouse in human mind and belong to the category of universal questions. Probably, the one that is the most popular is as follows: What is the reason for God’s allowing people to experience pain and suffering if God has love for everyone and knowledge of everything? The author of The Problem of Pain shows the meaning of the problem of pain, stating that pain presents a problem because of selfishness and narrow-mindedness of human consciousness as people are convinced that if we had an opportunity to live a life entirely devoid of pain, it would have been a perfect proof of God’s love for us. In fact, the author of the book is trying to prove the readers that pain is the direct result of God’s love for people and God’s tool of people’s improvement; He uses pain in order to bring us closer to Him.
The beginning of the book is very successful and eloquent since the author starts it on a personal note saying that “not many years ago [he] was an atheist” (Lewis 1). Thus, he makes an impression that the information he is going to state is first-hand since Lewis uses atheist argument about the existing evil in the world. He finds that the main merit of this atheist argument is its problem: “If the universe is so bad, or even half so bad, how on earth did human beings ever come to attribute it to the activity of a wise and good Creator?” (Lewis 3). Lewis further explains that the answer is that “spectacle of the universe as revealed by experience can never be the ground for religion” (4). Religion is beyond experience.
A necessary reservation is made by Lewis at the beginning of his book at it is necessary to tackle it as well, it concerns equivocality of the terms “good”, “almighty”, and “happy” (Lewis 16). The author states that it is necessary to think these terms over again as they need alteration. In case if conventional definitions of the notions of “good”, “happy”, and “almighty” are considered satisfactory and suitable, it will be simply impossible to find an answer and solution to the argument (Lewis 16).
The first issue analyzed by Lewis pertaining to the problem of pain is the essence of omnipotence. He states that a human being should not be omnipotent since in that case it would have been impossible to distinguish one’s ideas from somebody else’s, besides, the nature of the world should also be fixed so that all people could be under equal and appropriate conditions, but the permanence of nature can also become the cause of evil and pain as in the example with wood that can be used as a beam and as a club to hit another person (Lewis 24). Hence the connection of the permanence of nature and frequent victories of those who are guided by unjust causes but possess material superiority. Finally, Lewis states that though it is at the mercy of God to “thwart harmful uses of the matter” (24), the world where wrong acts cannot be committed, would deprive people of the freedom of will. In case, if people are deprived of free will and the possibility of suffering, life will lose its sense.
In the next section, Lewis offers the description of the notion of divine goodness that is connected with the problem of pain. He states that divine goodness differs from usual kindness; the latter does not suit God. All-forgiving kindness is unable to conquer evil, as God hates evil, it is necessary for God to make those who practice evil better. This is why God lets us suffer; pain is the way to perfection and the best proof of God’s love for us.
As a proof of divine goodness, the author sets the example of original sin committed by Adam and Eve (Lewis 74). He describes the first humans as “all consciousness” (Lewis 72). According to the author, they were able to control such processes as aging but they lost this gift of “perfect cyclic movement, being, power and joy descended from God” (Lewis 74) as a consequence of their being tempted by the Evil One and they became imperfect. To become prefect again, a soul has to change due to the body’s suffering. Though God could have cured original sin, there was the possibility of the second sin and many other sins and constant painless curing instead of painful redemption would be useless. The redemption of the sin though pain is compared to the shout of God to us, while his part in our pleasures is compared to His whisper only (Lewis 91).
The abovementioned episode of Adam and Eve’s falling out of God’s grace is central in the poem by Milton, Paradise Lost. As the title of the poem suggests, it is the literary work about the Lost Paradise and the cause of the fall of the first human beings and the consequences of their fall.
Milton’s poem can help to understand the idea of pain as the partial blessing and the proof of God’s mercy and love for human beings. Milton gives the readers the account of the events preceding the fall of the first people and their expulsion from the Paradise. To understand the idea of Lewis, it is necessary to understand that there are two ways of behavior that are possible for those who show disobedience to God. Satan disobeyed God and showed his pride, he was sure that he “Can make a Heaven of Hell, Hell of Heaven” (Milton and Young 10). He has chosen to follow the route of Sin further; this is why he is described as a gradually falling creature. A reader can see that, at first, Satan is a Cherub, then he takes the form of a toad (Milton and Young 96), finally, he appears in front of Eve as a snake. His degradation is irreversible as he does not want to obey God.
Adam and Eve also commit a Sin of pride. Due to this Sin, they must be exiled from Paradise. What is more, God decides to punish them with the help of pain. Still, this punishment is “justice with mercy” (Milton and Young 223). The essence of the punishment though pain is as follows: the sentence for women is to give birth to new life though great physical pain and submission to males should become one more punishment for women as Eve has disobeyed her husband. Men, in their turn, have to work to provide their living and their families by hunt and harvest gathering. At first, this seems to be just a punishment for those who have betrayed God. What is more, God orders His angels to change the world. From that time on, seasons will be following one another, winter will bring cold and pain, and summer will bring awful heat and suffering. The Earth, full of suffering and pain, this is what Adam was shown by the Son of God. It is not clear if mercy of God is present here, suffering seem to be the punishment only and Adam and Eve start arguing with each other because of that. Still, by the end of Book X, Adam and Eve come to realize that submission to God is the way to salvation: “both confessed humbly their faults, and pardon begg’d: with tears” (Milton and Young 251).
The next step after submission to God is acceptance of pain. Adam and Eve understand this when they are accompanied to the Earth by Michael who show them pain waiting for future generations of people. Still, he also shows Enoch (Milton and Young 257) and Noah who are saved due to their obedience and submission to God. Adam and Eve see that this is the way to salvation. The idea presented by Milton is like the idea of Lewis: people will live on the Earth among suffering and God will give them free will to act as they want to, it is possible for them to save themselves due to their own free will and obedience.
One more idea about pain as the way to salvation is the idea presented by Milton in Book XII; God will send His Son to atone the Sin of humanity. Pain and suffering of the Son of God will open people the way to happiness. As the heroes of the play, Adam and Eve understand this, they see that their punishment is the mercy of God; God loves them and shows them the way to happiness.
Drawing a conclusion, it is possible to state that the book The Problem of Pain by Lewis and the play Paradise Lost by Milton share the same argument: humanity has to experience pain and suffering in order to find the way to perfection. Pain has double nature: it is a punishment for sins and disobedience but it is the mercy and salvation at the same time. God has immense love for human beings and He wants us to become more perfect and pure. As Adam and Eve have lost their purity when they were in God’s grace, pain has become the tool by which God want us to become pure again. The argument presented in both book is a compelling one and it is reasonable for every Christian and for every intelligent person on the whole.
Works Cited
Lewis, Clive Staples. The Problem of Pain. Harper Collins: New York, 2001.
Milton, John, and Edward Young. Paradise Lost: In Twelve Parts. Boston: Phillips, Sampson, & Co., 1850.