#8 in Religion & spirituality
The Problem of Pain
- 148
- Pages
- about 2.5 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“The Problem of Pain” is a compact, closely argued defence of belief in a good God in the face of suffering. Lewis weighs human pain, the pain of animals and hell itself, arguing that none is reason enough to abandon faith. Some readers find it demanding and wish they had given it more time; others, not fully persuaded, still value the thinking it prompts.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Problem of Pain is a 1940 book on the problem of evil by C. S. Lewis, in which Lewis argues that human pain, animal pain, and hell are not sufficient reasons to reject belief in a good and powerful God.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.8 across 89 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 38% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Religion & spirituality average of 8.1. That is how 8.0 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 6.4 | 5 | 6% |
| Hardcover | 7.9 | 84 | 94% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Problem of Pain?
It has 148 pages — shorter than 75% of the ranked books in Religion & spirituality.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Religion & spirituality — with scores between 8.0 and 8.3, closest to this book.
