Considering C.S. Lewis' 'Meditation on a Toolshed'

I've been reading a book about C.S. Lewis recently called The Most Reluctant Convert. It tracks how his life and writings reflected his spiritual life and how he eventually decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

One of the numerous pieces of his work that is referenced there is a short essay found in his book God in the Dock. It is called "Meditation in a Toolshed". The central premise has really intrigued me and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

He tells of a time when he was momentarily in a darkened toolshed. Just above the door is a large crack in the wall and a single beam of light is shooting down into the small room. As he observes it from the side he sees bits of dust floating in the beam. Then stepping toward the beam he lets the beam fall on his eye. What he sees then is green leaves blowing in the wind outside and even the sun 90 million miles away.


Then he draws a crucial distinction between 'looking at' the beam from the side and 'looking along' the beam when he aligns it with his eye. Lewis then goes on to say that the experience describes two ways of knowing about something. Modern experts, academics, and scientists tend to look at things. But people also can know about something by looking along it or experiencing it. But the modern prejudice is against 'looking along' and in favor of looking at. In other words, experts, academics, and scientists tend to be credited with the 'true' view of things while people who experience these things have their opinions discounted.

Lewis uses several analogies in the essay but he clearly wants to highlight the validity of religious belief as a credible means of understanding something and evaluating it. I find that the mainstream media, in particular, tend to fall into the mistake that Lewis is highlighting. They think that their observation of faith is somehow more true and honest than those with the faith.

Now I do think that faiths of different kinds should be evaluated and I, like Lewis, agree that it might be found that the 'looking at' AND the 'looking along' view might be found wanting with regard to a particular religion's truth claims. But both should be considered.

In my case as a Christian, I am often considering my faith. I read about the historical evidence for the reliability of the Bible. Or I reconsider the sayings of Jesus and weigh whether or not it's reasonable to believe he was claiming to be God. That's 'looking at'. And everyone should do it.

But I'm also 'looking along' the beam. And from my vantage point, I think I can see the sun 90 million miles away.