Can someone explain to me why this quote would be used to refute atheism...?

Well to me C.S. Lewis is stating the obvious with a the right conclusion. In the first instance with a question about the universe. "How can meaning come from something that has no meaning?". And in the second instance he sites a fact of nature with sightless creatures that disregard light, since they operate by senses that do not rely on light at all for them to maintain their existence. So again, here, what has meaning to creatures that require light to survive does not have meaning to creatures that are blind to it.

I'm sorry but I did not see any "conversely" or vagueness in the quote since the second example buttresses the first point of his answer. At least to me. Later.

Why do people like you have to put a meaning in everything? Oh well he died because it was a part of Gods plan. No he died because he was sick. Oh well WWII was the work of the devil. No WWII was the primary role of the indoctrinating ways of religion. Hitler was catholic (and he bashed religion alot only to the people who didn't take it seriously.) Besides we humans are only used to there being a beginning and an end thus what if there was no beginning to our universe? Oh no! That means God didn't create us! What if there was no end? No armaggedon! Finally those religious fanatics can finally fixate on something else. Last, but not least why did God create us in the first place? We can barely leave this planet? What are we supposed to do? What are we looking for? Is all those Bible bedtime stories a bunch of crap?

You sound like a suffering Deist. Or a Deist suffering to emerge. this would help. there's a glyph in Kabbalistic Judaism, that's additionally utilized by applying some Gnostic Christians (see the hyperlink under). on the desirable or the crown is the undifferentiated divine, called Keter, as you circulate down the glyph--called the Tree of existence or Jacob's Ladder--divinity turns into extra differentiated finally to the universe we see manifested immediately. Granted, it fairly is written in the language of mystical Judaism, yet do no longer enable that be a practice stopper. it ought that should assist you draw close what Jesus (Rabbi Yeshua) became attempting to get throughout the time of. yet, none of this contradicts our expertise of technological know-how. It only enriches the human element of the extra advantageous entire. Shalom and Namaste.

It's not just because somebody famous said it, it's because it agrees with their preconceptions, so they view it as correct, that's something that we all do, atheist and theist alike.

You're right in that it makes no sense though, and it certainly doesn't prove anything, especially not the existance of the god C.S. Lewis wanted us to believe in. The man was a good author and I loved his books when I was a kid, but he's not much of a philosopher.

The quote does not refute atheism as you rightly point out. C.C. Lewis was primarily an academic -Medieval and Renaissance English - and writer. He became an apologist for christianity after his 'conversion'. I would not regard him as an expert on the subject of atheism, its scientific, rational and moral underpinnings. The quote was probably from the book he wrote justifying his conversion.

Because Lewis had a gift with English and played at philosopher. I like a lot of his work, but his conclusions are often erroneous.

Better yet, why do people assume that in order to have meaning there has to be a God, or that the existance of a God means there is meaning.

Sometimes people behave like sheep...we all like to be led around by the rams. I assume the truth

The HOLY SPIRIT was very present in the works of C.S. Lewis.

Why do people assume something is wrong just because someone famous said it?