all punishment unjust and any act to correct behavior would contradict itself. On another level, Lewis says that we experience a thirst for revenge. This passion though loses sight of the end in the means. He notes how biblical ancestors probably meant retribution when they spoke of God’s ‘vengeance’. Pain gives the only opportunity for bad men to amend. Human Pain, Continued In this chapter Lewis discusses six propositions that are not connected but need saying for a complete view of human pain: 1) "There is a paradox about tribulation in Christianity." 2) "If tribulation is a necessary element in redemption we must anticipate that it will never cease till God sees the world to be either redeemed or no further redeemable." 3) The Christian doctrine of self-surrender and obedience is purely theological and not political. 4) "We are never safe, but we have plenty of fun, and some ecstasy… Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns but will not encourage us to mistake them for home." 5) "We must never make the problem of pain worse than it is by vague talk about ‘unimaginable sum of human misery’." 6) Of all evils, pain is only sterilized or disinfected evil. Is this about perspective? Lewis distinguishes between pain and evil. Hell Lewis restates that allowing free will means that some people will choose rebellion and not all will be saved. He says that there was no other doctrine that he wished he could remove more, that it has the support of scripture, Jesus Christ himself, and reason. While some overdo it and tragedies have come from espousing the doctrine, Christians preach it because it is a terrible possibility and its horrors are worse. Lewis then states the real problem: "so much mercy, yet still there is Hell". He first says that the doctrine is not tolerable but it is moral. Then lays out the ordinary objections and his responses to them. 1) Many people, Lewis says, object to retributive punishment. He reminds readers of a previous chapter of how he showed a core of righteousness in punishment/pain and how it could lead to repentance. But what if the punishment didn’t lead there? He asks the reader if they could really allow a wicked person to go forever into eternity happy and thinking they had the last laugh? If a person wouldn’t allow that, then is that