>>185134, >>185135, >>185136, >>185137, >>185138
The Culturist @the_culturist_ - Why did C.S. Lewis say that Hell is locked from the inside?
He explores this idea in his book The Great Divorce.
In it, souls of the damned are allowed to visit heaven on a bus ride, but they are not pleased with what they see — and they leave of their own accord.
The fact is, the damned cannot touch Heaven. They can't so much as disturb the dew drops on the grass. Nor can they even gaze upon the garden properly.
Why? Because they are blinded by their own sins:
– The philosopher would rather philosophize about God than meet him
– The painter would rather make beautiful art than gaze upon the source of all Beauty
– The clingy mother would rather fret over her son than give her full love to God
Lewis' point is that God cannot force man into salvation. Damnation is not God's rejection of man, but God tragically accepting man's rejection of him.
Hell itself is the ultimate monument to human freedom; for a human with true free will is even free to divorce himself with paradise.
What Lewis suggests is that you don't fully understand human nature until you understand that some humans really do not want paradise.
Conversely then, true freedom does not mean using your free will however you want. True freedom means surrendering your free will by forming your soul to the Good.
By sacrificing your free will in this manner, you gain glory, virtue, and happiness — for man was made to know and love virtue above all.
https://x.com/the_culturist_/status/2061816343259730040

The Culturist @the_culturist_ - Longer article on The Great Divorce here!