The Problem of Pain

The Problem of Pain
C. S. Lewis

For centuries people have been tormented by one question above all – ‘If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain?’ And what of the suffering of animals, who neither deserve pain nor can be improved by it?The greatest Christian thinker of our time sets out to disentangle this knotty issue. With his signature wealth of compassion and insight, C.S. Lewis offers answers to these crucial questions and shares his hope and wisdom to help heal a world hungry for a true understanding of human nature.

The PROBLEM OF PAIN

C. S. Lewis

Copyright (#ud1be4cc5-90de-5d7d-a711-3b47f7aa6454)

William Collins

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.WilliamCollinsBooks.com (http://www.WilliamCollinsBooks.com)

First published in Great Britain by Geoffrey Bles 1940

Copyright © C. S. Lewis Pte Ltd 1940

Cover design and illustration by Kimberly Glyder

The right of C. S. Lewis to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780007461264

Ebook Edition © 2009 ISBN: 9780007332267

Version: 2015-11-20

Dedication (#ud1be4cc5-90de-5d7d-a711-3b47f7aa6454)

To

The Inklings

The Son of God suffered unto the death,

not that men might not suffer, but that their

sufferings might be like His.

GEORGE MACDONALD,

Unspoken Sermons, First Series

Contents

Cover (#uaea3f867-fa84-5727-aac8-23864c78ca08)

Title Page (#ubc2785cb-1a62-517d-bd57-7e3eaa91b6a1)

Copyright (#ud67b1f7a-eea8-597d-b3fe-6ae30b7aed82)

Dedication

Epigraph (#uec4e0d25-ae0e-51d1-9d74-41237aa888b7)

Preface (#u94502a16-ff86-5853-a40a-d4dd2a1c1844)

Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTORY (#ua98ecbed-e51b-5ef2-aedd-5f6be7d10e56)

Chapter 2 - DIVINE OMNIPOTENCE (#u8a9c8998-9bec-59df-8d8d-68985103b5d9)

Chapter 3 - DIVINE GOODNESS (#ucb616958-a099-5bfa-bbe5-eafc2cdad8cb)

Chapter 4 - HUMAN WICKEDNESS (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 5 - THE FALL OF MAN (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 6 - HUMAN PAIN (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7 - HUMAN PAIN, CONTINUED (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8 - HELL (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9 - ANIMAL PAIN (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10 - HEAVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

APPENDIX (#litres_trial_promo)

Footnotes (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

Books By C. S. Lewis (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

PREFACE (#ud1be4cc5-90de-5d7d-a711-3b47f7aa6454)