George MacDonald on the universality of moral law

"There is in your house a door, one step through which carries me into a world very much another than this."
"A better?"
"Not throughout; but so much another that most of its physical, and many of its mental laws are different from those of this world. As for moral laws, they must everywhere be fundamentally the same." Lilith (public domain, 1895) Chapter VIII. Adam, also known as the Raven, speaking to Mr. Vane.

Thanks for reading. Read MacDonald.

Lilith, by George MacDonald

Lilith, by George MacDonald, is in the public domain, having been originally published in 1895. It is a fine book of fantastic literature, still very much readable, although a bit dated. (Too many exclamation points for modern tastes, for one thing.)

The entire book is available from Project Gutenberg, and there is a plot summary in the book's Wikipedia article. I wish to briefly state the major theme.

The major theme of the book is that you cannot truly be yourself, until you are willing to give up yourself. In this, the book is an example of Matthew 10:39 "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (ESV, Jesus speaking)

MacDonald (and, I think, Jesus) is speaking on two levels here. First, you can't really accomplish anything worthwhile in life without making Jesus Christ Lord of that life. It's tempting to think you can, but you won't. Second, of course, is the heavenly reward for the believer. Two of MacDonald's characters spend most of the book trying to live for self. Mr. Vane (I don't think the name is an accident -- he is unsettled, subject, as it were, to the direction of the wind.) the protagonist, wants to do good, but tries to do it on his own, and the result is that his heart's love dies, and he doesn't accomplish much, if any, of what he had tried to do. Besides that, he has misled a group of children who depended on him for leadership. Lilith (from a legend, Adam's first wife, before Eve) who is still alive after all these years, makes no pretense of doing good. She is almost entirely selfish. But she knows, deep down, that she needs to yield herself to the ministrations of Adam, Eve, and Mara (sorrow) their daughter. Finally, she does.*

There are many plot twists, and I don't think I've given away too much, for anyone who wants to read this book.

*It is likely, as the Wikipedia article on the book suggests, that MacDonald is arguing for Christian universalism -- everyone, even Satan, will eventually be redeemed. MacDonald was not orthodox in this, of course, but, other than that, he is.

Thanks for reading. Read MacDonald. I have quoted from the book a few times in previous posts. To see these, click on "Lilith" in the tags following.

George MacDonald on the only way to eradicate evil

Nothing will ever close that wound," he answered, with a sigh. "It must eat into her heart! Annihilation itself is no death to evil. Only good where evil was, is evil dead. An evil thing must live with its evil until it chooses to be good. That alone is the slaying of evil." George MacDonald, Lilith (public domain, 1895) Chapter XXX (Adam, or Mr. Raven, to Vane, the main character.

Knowledge and Understanding

"That is one of the pet falsehoods of your world! Is man's greatest knowledge more than a little? or is it therefore dangerous? The fancy that knowledge is in itself a great thing, would make any degree of knowledge more dangerous than any amount of ignorance. To know all things would not be greatness." George MacDonald, Lilith (public domain, 1895) Chapter XXVIII

The fact is, no man understands anything; when he knows he does not understand, that is his first tottering step--not toward understanding, but toward the capability of one day understanding. George MacDonald, Lilith (public domain, 1895) Chapter XXX