In this short essay, Lewis addresses the question which I think is seen very often in society today: "Can't you lead a good life without believing in Christianity?" In a sense of doing good on earth I would say yes, but in a good life that honors God, I would say no. He writes about Christianity that, "...if it is true, every honest man will want to believe it, even if it gives him no help at all...If Christianity should happen to be true, then it is quite impossible that those who know this truth and those who don't should be equally equipped for leading a good life. Knowledge of the facts must make a difference to one's actions." (109) What I believe Lewis is trying to say much more elaborately than I could ever say is that if we do not believe what is right, what is just, and what is in fact good, how can we possibly be able to live out a life that exemplifies those characteristics. It's essentially like not being able to drive a car or play a sport correctly under its rules without the proper knowledge. You will certainly fail, at least at first, in whatever the task may be. Lewis calls this phenomena, "working in the dark."
Lewis turns his attention to the motive of the people who ask this question, to find out if they simply do not believe because they are afraid of the truth "like the man who won't look at his bank account because he's afraid of what he might find there." (111) Instead of being in a state of honest error, Lewis writes that, "He is in a state of dishonest error, and that dishonesty will spread though all his thoughts and actions..." (111) Again, Lewis is stating that you cannot do good if you choose to not know good, which I would have to agree with. God does not forgive those who turn a blind eye to Him, or "conveniently" ignore any sign of him. As Lewis reminds us, we cannot live "a good life" without Christ, and if that is our final goal, "we have missed the very point of our existence." After reading this, I now take pity on the people who ask this question, because they are asking the wrong question. Instead, they should be asking "Will Christianity help me to live the life I was created to live?" However, you may have a problem convincing them that they in fact were created (instead of being the result of chance) and have a purpose. In the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11 tells us "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." That is the answer to the question.
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I also liked Lewis's thoughts about those who ask if they can lead a good life without Christianity. Indeed this is the wrong question for them to ask because it shows that they know about Christianity and have not dismissed it as a false religion. Therefore, they are too lazy to discover more about it, and by doing so they are going against human nature and becoming more like animals.
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