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The Screwtape Letters
- Thread starter Kidron
- Start date
Kidron
Member
+1 That's a good book. I have a copy floating around here somewhere...
It's a very unusual book and does not read like your typical Christian book. I've heard it scares some people.
Yes.
I think its a profound little book that will open and light a lot of eyes regarding the spiritual warfare that Christians deal with, daily.
You can usually find good cheap copies on Amazon.com for .50 cents.
Barbarian
Member
A wonderful book. Supposedly, Lewis used it to lampoon some of his own perceived sins. Screwtape is a bright, charming, and ghastly evil being, whose expertise is in pulling Christians down to damnation.
Not always enjoyable, as Lewis leads you into Screwtape's gloating description of a man who is on the way to losing his soul, when you realize that man is not much different than you are, and how close you are to being him.
Not always enjoyable, as Lewis leads you into Screwtape's gloating description of a man who is on the way to losing his soul, when you realize that man is not much different than you are, and how close you are to being him.
Hi Kidron,
I read this book many years ago. I like it for 3 reasons.
First Lewis wrote it. Another of his books, Mere Christianity is the best explanation of christianity I've ever read so I'm willing to read any book of his.
Second, many kids today don't believe in God or in satan. Speaking of it in religious terms sometimes (maybe most times!) turns them off. It's difficult to believe in satan if you don't even believe in God. This book makes everything seem more real since it's told as a diary or story. It makes the two demons come to life. I've always thought all teenagers should read it.
Third, For We Fight Not With Flesh and Blood But With Principalities...
Well, here are the principalities!
What do you suppose was the thing about God that Screwtape most didn't understand?
Wondering
I read this book many years ago. I like it for 3 reasons.
First Lewis wrote it. Another of his books, Mere Christianity is the best explanation of christianity I've ever read so I'm willing to read any book of his.
Second, many kids today don't believe in God or in satan. Speaking of it in religious terms sometimes (maybe most times!) turns them off. It's difficult to believe in satan if you don't even believe in God. This book makes everything seem more real since it's told as a diary or story. It makes the two demons come to life. I've always thought all teenagers should read it.
Third, For We Fight Not With Flesh and Blood But With Principalities...
Well, here are the principalities!
What do you suppose was the thing about God that Screwtape most didn't understand?
Wondering
Barbarian
Member
Lewis mentions it at the beginning. Screwtape writes that Satan was intrigued as to why God was "pretending" to care so much for weak and pitiful humans. So he asked God to let Him in on the secret, and what His real motives were. When God explained that there was no ulterior motive, Satan became angry and stomped off on his own.
Screwtape at some point admits that he has no idea from where joy comes, and so cannot comprehend that all true happiness is from God. And his insistence that even an inanimate object like a rock exists only by virtue of excluding all other things from its space makes it clear that he does not understand the role that love plays in happiness.
Screwtape at some point admits that he has no idea from where joy comes, and so cannot comprehend that all true happiness is from God. And his insistence that even an inanimate object like a rock exists only by virtue of excluding all other things from its space makes it clear that he does not understand the role that love plays in happiness.
That's it Barbarian.
satan can't understand why God loves us, or why we love Him with all the bad things that happen.
He gets frustrated that we love God anyway even though he puts forth so much effort to tear us away from Him.
I liked how you get to know how subtle satan is, how conniving he is. Conniving means to work toward a secret and/or fraudulent end. To trick you. Satan could make bad things seem good. Which is exactly what's happening in our modern world. What seems like freedom could really be slavery.
And who is The Enemy? God! Yes. To Screwtape everything is the opposite. God is HIS enemy. Any enemy of satan is a friend of mine!
I should read it again. Good books deserve to be read twice!
Wondering
satan can't understand why God loves us, or why we love Him with all the bad things that happen.
He gets frustrated that we love God anyway even though he puts forth so much effort to tear us away from Him.
I liked how you get to know how subtle satan is, how conniving he is. Conniving means to work toward a secret and/or fraudulent end. To trick you. Satan could make bad things seem good. Which is exactly what's happening in our modern world. What seems like freedom could really be slavery.
And who is The Enemy? God! Yes. To Screwtape everything is the opposite. God is HIS enemy. Any enemy of satan is a friend of mine!
I should read it again. Good books deserve to be read twice!
Wondering
Barbarian
Member
I like the end of the book. (Screwtape Proposes a Toast)
"But now for the pleasantest part of my duty. It falls to my lot to propose on behalf of the guests the health of Principal Slubgob and the Tempters’ Training College. Fill your glasses. What is this I see? What is this delicious bouquet I inhale? Can it be? Mr. Principal, I unsay all my hard words about the dinner. I see, and smell, that even under wartime conditions the College cellar still has a few dozen of sound old vintage Well, well, well. This is like old times. Hold it beneath your noses for a moment, gentledevils. Hold it up to the light. Look at those fiery streaks that writhe and tangle in its dark heart, as if they were contending. And so they are. You know how this wine is blended? Different types of Pharisee have been harvested, trodden, and fermented together to produce its subtle flavour. Types that were most antagonistic to one another on Earth. Some were all rules and relics and rosaries; others were all drab clothes, long faces, and petty traditional abstinences from wine or cards or the theatre. Both had in common their self-righteousness and an almost infinite distance between their actual outlook and anything the Enemy really is or commands. The wickedness of other religions was the really live doctrine in the religion of each; slander was its gospel and denigration its litany. How they hated each other up where the sun shone! How much more they hate each other now that they are forever conjoined but not reconciled. Their astonishment, their resentment, at the combination, the festering of their eternally impenitent spite, passing into our spiritual digestion, will work like fire. Dark fire. All said and done, my friends, it will be an ill day for us if what most humans mean by “Religion” ever vanishes from the Earth. It can still send us the truly delicious sins. Nowhere do we tempt so successfully as on the very steps of the altar."
"But now for the pleasantest part of my duty. It falls to my lot to propose on behalf of the guests the health of Principal Slubgob and the Tempters’ Training College. Fill your glasses. What is this I see? What is this delicious bouquet I inhale? Can it be? Mr. Principal, I unsay all my hard words about the dinner. I see, and smell, that even under wartime conditions the College cellar still has a few dozen of sound old vintage Well, well, well. This is like old times. Hold it beneath your noses for a moment, gentledevils. Hold it up to the light. Look at those fiery streaks that writhe and tangle in its dark heart, as if they were contending. And so they are. You know how this wine is blended? Different types of Pharisee have been harvested, trodden, and fermented together to produce its subtle flavour. Types that were most antagonistic to one another on Earth. Some were all rules and relics and rosaries; others were all drab clothes, long faces, and petty traditional abstinences from wine or cards or the theatre. Both had in common their self-righteousness and an almost infinite distance between their actual outlook and anything the Enemy really is or commands. The wickedness of other religions was the really live doctrine in the religion of each; slander was its gospel and denigration its litany. How they hated each other up where the sun shone! How much more they hate each other now that they are forever conjoined but not reconciled. Their astonishment, their resentment, at the combination, the festering of their eternally impenitent spite, passing into our spiritual digestion, will work like fire. Dark fire. All said and done, my friends, it will be an ill day for us if what most humans mean by “Religion” ever vanishes from the Earth. It can still send us the truly delicious sins. Nowhere do we tempt so successfully as on the very steps of the altar."
Radagast
Member
I was recommending this very book on another thread. It's a true classic.
That's from a quite different book. Are they packaging that in with the Screwtape Letters now?
The Screwtape Letters ends with the Christian subject dying and seeing God: "... he saw Him. This animal, this thing begotten in a bed, could look on Him. What is blinding, suffocating fire to you, is now cool light to him, is clarity itself, and wears the form of a Man."
That's from a quite different book. Are they packaging that in with the Screwtape Letters now?
The Screwtape Letters ends with the Christian subject dying and seeing God: "... he saw Him. This animal, this thing begotten in a bed, could look on Him. What is blinding, suffocating fire to you, is now cool light to him, is clarity itself, and wears the form of a Man."
Barbarian
Member
Yes, it's attached to my copy. I think it works nicely.
Lewis did this masterfully. I felt pity for Screwtape in his eternal separation from God at the same time that I felt a visceral disgust for him. An amazing bit of writing.
Radagast
Member
Lewis spoke of a kind of partner book: advice from a senior to a junior guardian angel, but felt he wasn't up to writing it.
Mike
Member
I can't find my copy, but Lewis makes a statement at the beginning that I've thought of over the years. If someone has a copy handy, can you quote it? Something like:
"There are two mistakes people often make about Satan. Either they dismiss him altogether, or they obsess about him."
I know I slaughtered that. He had an amazing way with words. I've heard stories of good friends C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Token sitting at the pub over a beer. Who wouldn't want to have been sitting at that table observing those conversations?
"There are two mistakes people often make about Satan. Either they dismiss him altogether, or they obsess about him."
I know I slaughtered that. He had an amazing way with words. I've heard stories of good friends C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Token sitting at the pub over a beer. Who wouldn't want to have been sitting at that table observing those conversations?
Barbarian
Member
I think it was something to the effect that the two great errors people make about the devil is to either deny his existence, or to attribute godlike powers to him. (Barbarian checks)
Looks like you had it right:
There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.
Looks like you had it right:
There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.
We hear that the best victory satan has experienced is that of making the world think he doesn't exist.
If he doesn't exist, it means that maybe God doesn't exist either. If neither one exists, we could do whatever we want and thus we fall into relativism.
When I was teaching catechism in the Catholic Church, one priest told me not to mention satan to the children because when they get older they dismiss him and with him they also dismiss God.
WELL, how one does catechism without mentioning satan is a mystery to me - and also to most Catholics.
I wasn't under his supervision anyway and did as I thought best - which was to mention him, of course. Balance is needed however. Not too much and not too little. Fear is not a good method to use to bring little people to God - but a healthy respect for satan is necessary. (respect, not admiration).
If I ruled, every teenager would be required to read this book.
It's truthful, it's interesting and it makes the spirit world be more real to them.
Wondering
If he doesn't exist, it means that maybe God doesn't exist either. If neither one exists, we could do whatever we want and thus we fall into relativism.
When I was teaching catechism in the Catholic Church, one priest told me not to mention satan to the children because when they get older they dismiss him and with him they also dismiss God.
WELL, how one does catechism without mentioning satan is a mystery to me - and also to most Catholics.
I wasn't under his supervision anyway and did as I thought best - which was to mention him, of course. Balance is needed however. Not too much and not too little. Fear is not a good method to use to bring little people to God - but a healthy respect for satan is necessary. (respect, not admiration).
If I ruled, every teenager would be required to read this book.
It's truthful, it's interesting and it makes the spirit world be more real to them.
Wondering
Mike
Member
Thanks for sharing this. Not only is there great wisdom in this statement, I find it particularly responsible of him to forward this book with it.
The Screwtape Letters is such a powerful book, I could see how some people who are predisposed to obsess over Satan could be driven down further by it.
Barbarian
Member
It was Tolkien, a devoted Christian, who got Lewis thinking about the possibility of God.
Mike
Member
I guess I butchered his name.
I also guess you had to go by your first and middle initials to sit at their table at the pub.