Lewis: I believe in Christianity as I believe in the risen sun: not only because I can see it, but because it illuminates everything else.
Pullman: Christianity is a powerful and very convincing mistake. You must know this.
Lewis: The sun in the sky, the creatures of the world, the earth and all of its elements. All of these things tell me that there is a God.
Pullman: To believe in God is to subjugate yourself to a being of higher power that you do not know exists. You do not know, because you cannot see it. When there is a belief in a single god, it promotes no equality or peace, but an excuse for bad behavior.
Lewis: When Christians behave badly, or fail to behave well, we give the outside world an excuse for unbelief. God’s work is hampered.
Pullman: I do not believe in the God I was brought up to believe in, nor that he has work to perform, and I’ll tell you why. The stories in the bible—the “thou shalt not”s and the “thou shalt”s—all betray that this loving god of the Hebrews was nothing more than a jealous overlord. What we need are fewer commandments, and more fairytales.
Lewis: I agree that we need more stories. Since children will most likely be met with oppression, why not give them tales of heroic knights and courageous deeds? Though, I’ve seen in my days of faith that charity given to another gives peace to yourself. You should try it sometime.
Pullman: The only thing I intend on trying is convincing you that you were wrong to convert to Christianity. His Dark Materials should convince you of that. Give it a read, go on.
Lewis: I realize that. Though, nothing anyone can say will convince me that there is not a God in heaven. I believe that joy is the blessing He gives. And I fell joyous. Therefore, I can conclude that this serious business heaven has taken upon itself is to give joy to the human race.
Pullman: It’s not the doctrine of Christian beliefs that I