Screwtape's Toast

So, to finish up the book, Screwtape is at some sort of party where many "gentledevils" are gather to celebrate a special event. Screwtape is pretty eloquent and talks about many different topics and ideas having to do with the devil and God alike. The most interesting portion I found was on page 200 when Screwtape is talking about democracy and humanity. He led up to this portion talking about people being equal, and those who say "I'm as good as you" actually don't believe this statement. They must say it to feel better about themselves. However, this idea of "equality" posed by democracy restricts some to a certain extent, from reaching a true "humanity." They are forced to withdraw from the idea of "full humanity" because it may be "undemocratic" according to Screwtape.

Screwtape likens this phenomenon to a person who might draw away from something they like, such as "classical music or good literature" for fear of not being a part of the "group." We see this a lot in society today, more than we may realize. This occurs in young girls and boys who must dress in the latest fashions, listen to the "hip" music, and own all of the latest technology. They are not individuals, they are products of a corrupt society. Many people are afraid to be different because they may not "fit in." But as individuals, we are who God made us to be. Even if we are different, we are loved by God, and there will be someone in the world that will appreciate our difference, even if they aren't a part of the "in-crowd." And if the "in-crowd" won't let an individual, whom God loves in, what's the good of being a part of that group anyway? I think of the quote "Dare to be Different." I really liked this idea; it is honestly true and is a good message to us all; we need to be ourselves and not worry about what others think about us.

Letter 31

This final reading was pretty confusing, more so than even the first letters. Screwtape is criticizing Wormwood for something terrible he has done in letter 31. It seems that Wormwood has "lost" the patient, although it is never clarified what "lost" was actually alluding to. Did the patient die, or did he just realize that he was being tempted by one of the devil's minions, Wormwood. This was a very confusing concept, and many of us did write about this letter, indicating our confusion on the idea of being "lost" to the devil. The devil obviously wants us alive to help in the corruption of others, and ultimately to ruin the plan that God has for bring His people closer to Him. On the same plane, God wants us alive to work against the devil, carrying out His words and helping people see Him. So, in being "lost" to the devil in a dead sense, would that lead to God winning? Because, it seems like God had the patient's soul throughout the book, at least partially, if not fully. I was confused by this letter; Screwtape refers to Wormwood by very endearing names at the beginning then tears him to shreds. Did anyone have any insight to this letter?

Letter 26

Letter 26 focuses on the ideas of unselfish behavior and love. Screwtape discussed the issues with sexual desire and fulfilling the others wishes. This was an interesting argument; Screwtape mentioned that it is only when influenced by "erotic enchantment" that a person will fully give in to the wants of others, forgetting their own desires. Screwtape goes on to say that once the enchantment dies, the "giving" thus wains as well. This was quite disturbing in the fact that it is quite possible that people do things in hopes of being rewarded themselves. Take for example, charity. Screwtape mentions that most people, when sexual excitement ceases, will not give into the wishes of the other, that the giving that was once there was merely a product of sexual attraction. Is Screwtape right on this? are we all objects of desire that are subject to "charity" because of physical attraction? Are we less deserving of charity once our looks fade? Is there any hope in the world that someone somewhere will be charitable to their significant other once their sexual desires fade? I really think this is what we should be striving for. After all, isn't that what love is really about, romantic or platonic?

Letter 20

I found letter 20 to contain themes that are relevant to today’s world, not only the spiritual world, but in the media as well. Screwtape talks about women and what is desired of their appearance. In the time this book was written, women were desired if they embodied a boyish, slender figure. This is very similar to what we see today in the media; women who are freakishly skinny, unhealthy, and regarded as the object of ultimate desire. Screwtape goes into detail on the desire issue and the patient’s obligation to get married. He talks of the two type of women he would marry. The first is the natural, healthy, earthly woman, who would no doubt be “mixed with charity, readily obedient to marriage,” et cetera. The second would be the woman of lust, the one he wants only for her physical attributes. This is seen a lot in society and is somewhat disturbing. I was wondering what is everyone’s take on this topic of women as subjects of desire??

Letter 17

Letter 17 talks about gluttony and it's different appearances. Screwtape talks about a need for perfection being just as awful as a desire for excess. Once can fool themselves into believing that they are doing well by restricting themselves from certain desires...Screwtape gives the example of the woman who has a disdain for too much food on her plate. This obsession with perfection and the desire for a certain state can be just as debilitating as indulging. A person becomes engrossed in the state of desire for a certain outcome and cannot break themselves from it. It can be unhealthy physically and spiritually.

This state of mind, of craving perfection may seem harmless to an individual, but in reality, it can be disastrous. What comes to mind for me is the idea of the perfect body image and eating disorders. The need for an excessively skinny body becomes a psychological problem, resulting in health dangers. A psychologically sick person isn't necessarily taking care of themselves as well as they should, and in turn, this person as one of God's creations is being hurt. So, I think that gluttony can exist in two forms excess desires for indulgence and excess desires for perfection.

Letter 14

I found Letter 14 to be quite interesting and thought provoking. On page 71, Screwtape describes the topic of humility and what it really means. I found it very insightful to learn that to be humble is not to keep putting yourself down, but rather to be happy in all aspects of life, not being overly proud. He mentions the 'state of mind' that God wishes we embody; it is described by Screwtape with the example that God wants men to be "so free from any bias in his own favor that he can rejoice in his own talents as frankly and gratefully as in his neighbor's talents, or in a sunrise, an elephant, or a waterfall."

I thought this was an amazing passage. It really made me think about how I react when I've accomplished something great, as opposed to one of my peers accomplishes the same thing. I will truthfully admit that I am more excited about something that I do myself, be it a great art project or getting the starting goalie position on my hockey team. If my peer would to win a prize for one of their paintings, I would be happy for them, but not in the same sense as if it was my own doing. I think this is a part of human nature; since we are small children, we are told to take pride in what we do, and our culture is quite competitive. However, I do really see Screwtape's point, or rather what he says that God wants us to live by. It is important to have confidence in yourself, but you should try to be appreciative of not only your talents, but the talents of others. We are all created by God, therefore, when any one of us does something well, it ultimately glorifies Him. Finally, I don't think that I could ever make a waterfall or a tree.

Letter 8

In letter 8, Screwtape describes humans as “amphibians,” due to their capacity to engage themselves in the spiritual world while embodying animal urges. The human also undergoes various ups and downs in their lives. Screwtape refers to them as “peaks and troughs,” respectfully. He notes that God’s work with the patient is done best when the patient is at his worst. It is an amazing event when a person to pray and give thanks to God while life is really getting them down.

I find this especially true. It’s difficult to remember how much is going well in life when a few things go wrong. As much that is wrong with life is still nothing compared to all that is beautiful. It’s very hard to thank God for the flowers and trees and the opportunities we have to go to college when we just had a fight with a close friend and failed our chemistry test. Anyone who can handle this situation with ease is pretty rare, but anyone who has felt the weight knows that it is difficult to focus on positives. Remembering that God loves us and thanking Him for the beautiful things He does, along with asking for strength when times get tough is a difficult thing to do. Who has ever been in this sort of situation? Have you ever asked God for strength and felt relief or has it been a lost cause?

Screwtape's 4th Letter

In letter 4, Screwtape is advising Wormwood on the topic of prayer, and how he can pull the patient farther away from the “Enemy,” which we all have figured out by now, is God. In the previous reading, we discovered that the patient is currently caring for his mother, who is in poor health. He has been praying for her, but his prayers somewhat reflect his personal feelings of his mother, be it frustration or whatever else. At any rate, the patient’s prayers are just the target for Wormwood and Screwtape to aim for in their efforts of causing his downfall.

They speak of dampening the patient’s intentions of praying all together. Also, to remind him of the “parrot-like” prayers most children memorize, often times against their will. Finally, Screwtape mentions the patient, or mankind in general, trying to manifest the feelings or actions they are praying for on their own. The example given is the idea of asking God for charity, and it doing so, they create charitable feelings for themselves. So, instead of sincerely asking God for charity, they feel sorry for themselves. This personal feeling makes them believe they are actually deserving of charity.

At the end of the chapter, Screwtape begins to describe the act of praying to an “image” of God. This doesn’t mean an idol, but rather an idea. For example, many followers of the Catholic faith have crucifixes hanging in their homes. Screwtape’s assertions would be similar to the person with the crucifix actually believing that the object embodied God.

This of course, isn’t true. God is all around, He’s omnipresent, yet His form is unknown to us. As humans, we cannot possibly know what God looks like or just how powerful His presence is. I think this is true; we simply can’t grasp God’s awesome presence. There was a passage in the Bible that we looked at the first night of class that echoed this idea. Moses wanted to know what God looked like. God responded by allowing Moses to see where He had been: His backside, if you will. He put Moses between two rocks, and as God passed, He put his hand up to block Moses’s view. The direct image of God would have killed Moses otherwise.

These ideas of prayer and praying actually to God, letting go of ourselves and our “images” of God and just praying, talking to Him, is what I think C.S. Lewis is telling us. It’s what we should be aiming for each time we pray.

The Screwtape Letters 1-3

Starting of the book, I was genuinely confused. I feel like I’ve no idea what is going on, nor does Screwtape do a good job of explaining what he’s talking about. The second letter was a bit easier to understand than the first, due to the fact that by the middle of the letter, I could find some themes that made sense. These letters are obviously between two individuals, and uncle and his nephew, who have a deep past and are scheming together on some sort of endeavor.

Uncle Screwtape refers to a “patient” throughout the three letters, and it seems to me that the nephew plays a sizable role in the patient’s life. The second letter is what I’d like to focus on.

The patient has recently become a Christian, according to Screwtape. During the letter, Screwtape advises Wormwood, the nephew, of the faults of the Church and how to turn the patient astray from Christianity. To achieve this, Wormwood is to sway the patient into looking at his fellow Christians for face value, picking out all of their faults and beginning to judge them. Screwtape refers to the neighbor with squeaky boots and the double chin…finally mentioning that the patient will see these faults in his neighbors and deem the religion a farce.

This second letter made me think about my own views on church and organized religion. In many churches today, the followers are focused on appearances. It all seems to be an act. To be a Christian is good for the reputation, it’s a social status and not a belief or creed. It’s exactly the opposite of what I think it means to be a Christian. Acceptance and love is a big part of it, at least in my mind.