ABSTRACT
Iris Murdoch simply begins with the observation that the influence of what might be called orthodox Christianity is waning rapidly. She offers us no extended account of why this may be, but calls our attention to Don Cupitt's observation that humankind is just now emerging from its mythological childhood. Murdoch rightly calls attention to the wisdom of "ordinary people", who know that prayer can induce a better quality of consciousness and provide energy for good action otherwise unavailable. Murdoch is admirably clear that her morality is metaphysics, though she might prefer to say that metaphysics is a guide to her morality. From the perspective of creation ex nihilo, Murdoch's account of necessity and contingency is reversed. In contrast to Murdoch's account of the absolute pointlessness of existence, Christians believe that God means for all creation to worship God.
