C. S. Lewis's "The Great Divorce" (Part 3) (#379)

C. S. Lewis's "The Great Divorce" (Part 3) (#379)

Author: Dan Koch February 13, 2026 Duration: 30:37
I'm back with Kristen Tideman for Part 3 of our conversation about C.S. Lewis's 'The Great Divorce,' and honestly, I wasn't prepared for how much these chapters would make me squirm. We're diving into chapters 6-9, where Lewis introduces us to ghosts who can't stop being their own defense lawyers—and the uncomfortable realization that we're all doing the same thing. Kristen admits she saw herself in the hard-bitten conspiracy theorist ghost (the one who blames "management" for everything), which led us down a rabbit hole about victim mindsets, external locus of control, and why I still can't respond to text messages half the time. The real gut-punch came when we started talking about how good things can feel unbearable when you haven't built up the capacity for them—like trying to read Shakespeare without putting in the work. I share my frustration with how Lewis’ framework is missing the nervous system, childhood trauma, embodied experience—all the things that make human choice far messier than his neat theological categories allow. In the Patron-only second half, we tackle Chapter 9's massive theological exposition by George MacDonald and how this chapter, which felt like liberating good news when we were younger, now just feels like Lewis kicking the moral can down the road. ___________________________________________ Follow Dan on IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.instagram.com/dancoke/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/DanKoch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Faith deconstruction resources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.soyouredeconstructing.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/dankoch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YHP Patron-only FB group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join Dan's email list: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.dankochwords.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nickryanluevano.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosted by Dan Koch, Religion on the Mind digs into the messy, fascinating, and deeply personal space where our inner lives meet our search for meaning. This isn't a sermon or a debate; it's a series of conversations that feel more like late-night talks with curious friends. Each episode brings in a different voice-psychologists, scholars, writers, and other experts-to explore how our beliefs, doubts, rituals, and spiritual yearnings are intertwined with the workings of the human mind. We get into the psychology behind religious experience, the spirituality that emerges outside traditional structures, and the very real ways these forces shape identity, community, and coping. The tone is thoughtful but unvarnished, embracing complexity without pretension. You'll hear genuine curiosity, nuanced perspectives, and, yes, the occasional bit of cussing when the topic calls for it. The goal is to offer a space for reflection on how these fundamental aspects of being human collide and coexist. If you've ever wondered about the psychological roots of faith, the spirituality of non-belief, or just how our brains make sense of the profound, this podcast provides a grounded, accessible entry point to those questions.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Religion on the Mind
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