I read this book in junior high or high school, probably, when reading C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series and the Screwtape letters. I just didn’t, nor couldn’t, understand what Lewis was saying in the Great Divorce. I hadn’t lived long enough yet, and hadn’t experienced what I have experienced over the last nine years.
Two quotable quotes that I’ve written down out of the book so far:
“The sane would do no good if they made themselves mad to help madmen.” This is multi-layered when one considers recent events in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
“Those that hate goodness are sometimes nearer than those that knew nothing at all about it and think they have it already.” Duh, this is why my prison ministry is successful as opposed to my efforts at reform of the Episcopal Church.
Oh, and the Bishop ghost at the beginning of the book reminded me very much of our current and immediately past Presiding Bishops. He even talked liked they do. Like this part of the dialogue:
“‘Ah, I see. You mean that the grey town with it continual hope of morning (we must all live by hope, must we not?), with its field for indefinite progress is, in a sense, Heaven, if only we have eyes to see it? That is a beautiful idea.’
‘I didn’t mean that at all. Is it possible you don’t know where you have been?’
‘Now that you mention it, I don’t think we ever do give it a name. What do you call it?’
‘We call it Hell.’
‘There is no need to be profane, my dear boy. I may not be very orthodox, in your sense of that word, but I do feel that this matters ought to be discussed simply, and seriously, and reverently.’
‘Discuss Hell reverently? I meant what I said. You have been in Hell: though if you don’t go back, you may call it Purgatory…But don’t you know? You went there because you are an apostate…’
‘This is worse than I expected. Do you really think people are penalised for their honest opinions? Even assuming, for the sake of argument, that those opinion were mistaken.’
‘Do you really think there are no sins of the intellect?’
‘There are indeed Dick. There is hide-bound prejudice, and intellectual dishonesty, and timidity, and stagnation. But honest opinions fearlessly followed-they are not sins.’”
Later on the Bishop ghost talks about how he denied the resurrection in a famous sermon and that got him a bishopric. Ultimately, he is a part of the little theological society down in hell.
I may write more on it as I study the book. But, I would encourage my readers to read it or read it again for the first time.
Recent Comments