Block Day, October 19 ~ Into the wilderness of love...

Hey lookie what I found! A PDF of our text for you. 


Some conversation starters...agree or disagree?

• Love is a choice, not a feeling. 
• Real love is permanent. 
• Lewis says that "Love, having become a god, becomes a demon."
• Friendship is a wonderful thing, no doubt, but it is the least necessary of the loves.
• It's okay to love someone because you need him/her.
• The word love has become diluted in our current culture.
• True friendship is based on common interests.
• Familiarity breeds affection.
• If God is love, is love God? How so?

Lewis' Four Loves

Journal 21

• If you could categorize types of love, what categories would you use to divide them?
• Record at least three real questions that you have about love.
• What would you guess is Lewis' motive in writing on this topic considering he wasn't all that experienced in marriage?

Let's work on the Intro

HW: Journal 22: Chapter 1 - Introduction

1.  What was the first distinction Lewis makes in types of human love?     Give his example of each and add an example of your own. 2.  Lewis initially did not consider "Need-love" to be a form of love.  What reasons led him to reconsider? 3.  Describe the paradox that "man approaches God most nearly when he is in one sense least like God." 4.  Lewis distinguishes between two things, both of which might be called "nearness to God."  (a)  nearness by likeness:  humans and angels are nearer to God in the sense that they bear more of his image or likeness than do the animals and plants(b)  nearness of approach:  we are nearest to God when swiftly approaching our final union with God, vision of God and enjoyment of God Try to contrast the two by completing the chart: Nearness by likeness Nearness of approach 1. 1. able to increase 2. given to us by God 2. 3. made without our collaboration or consent 3. 4.  likeness of image or portrait 4.  union with God in will 5.  Lewis (building on Dennis de Rougemont's remark) says that when we make love into a god, it becomes a demon.  God is love; but love is not god. Give a real life example. 6.  Why is it that natural loves at their best stand in greatest danger of blasphemy? 7.  Lewis cautions against becoming either an idolater or a debunker of natural human love.  He gives examples of each. Would you characterize 21st century American society as predominantly idolaters or debunkers of love? How would you characterize yourself?