The Screwtape Letters Read-Along discussion

DISCUSS. What did you think about these chapters? How do you like this book so far?

Can I just say how awesome it is that this book is dedicated to J.R.R Tolkien. BFFs for life :P

I have to say, so far I am enjoying how all of this is laid out. The preface pointing out that things in these letters can't be trusted because of the author and the reality of time put me in a mind set to trust nothing. I'm constantly going back and forth trying to see half truths and true lies. It can be a bit dizzying. But it shows the reality of what side these letters are coming from.

With that in mind, as well, the constant use of 'the Enemy', if not constantly monitored can put you in a mindset of being on Screwtape's side. It's the whole them and us mentality, and enemy always means evil (at least in my mind) so it is easy to forget which side is 'evil'.

I'm not sure that ramble made any sense but those were my first thoughts.

My head is already swimming a bit after the first ten letters. Lewis has made a lot of wonderful points to consider, but with them being presented in a reverse & ironic manner, you have to do some work to turn them around. It is easy to see the various methods Screwtape suggests finding root in your own life: Distract, Trivialize, Confuse, Divide & Conquer.
To one extent or another, from time to time, I think we have all had to deal with thoughts of comparison, contempt, or carelessness. We know we are wrong to judge others, but we do it, and it is in those moments when we are made weak and vulnerable to suggestions of misguided righteousness. It is in those moments when we have to be on our guard the most. I know I have already started to think a lot about such moments in my life, becoming more aware of their presence and source, and hopefully a bit more vigilant.

Arthur wrote: "Can I just say how awesome it is that this book is dedicated to J.R.R Tolkien. BFFs for life :P"

April Sarah wrote: "I have to say, so far I am enjoying how all of this is laid out. The preface pointing out that things in these letters can't be trusted because of the author and the reality of time put me in a min..." No I totally understand what you are saying! I found it difficult at first to shift from thinking in "The Enemy" as God and not the devil. I have never read an unreliable narrator such as this so I think it will be interesting to discuss. Usually narrators are unreliable because they are confused, but Screwtape may just be flat out lying.

I think it's interesting to reconstruct the right view(or the view of C.S. Lewis) from the wrong one(the view of Screwtape), since it's often the opposite view of the text and often hinted by Lewis.

Chapter 1 is about getting him to to think of something else than sound philosophy. This is clearly directed against the scholastic way of thinking (thesis and antithesis - if something is true, then the opposite has to be false), that is the philosophical tradition that C.S. Lewis mostly advocates (being a scholar of medieval literature and all). Then he shows some ways that the new Christians can backslid, by wrong focus, wrong relations, wrong thinking etc. Those are some common themes in many of his other writings as well (like in The Chronicles of Narnia when the children struggle with believing in Aslan). A big issue is war, and how wartime can be used against Chrisitanity. C. S. Lewis was wounded under WW1 and lost two colleagues, and he was in the Home Guard in WW2(when this book was written) - so he knows a thing or two about this. A curious thing is that Screwtape recommends pacifism as a tool, when C. S. Lewis was against it (wrote an essay called "Why I'm not a pacifist").

Knowing a bit of back story about Lewis this reads more as a metaphysical biography and less like a work of fiction. I do wish that we could read from Wormwoods point of view, I think that might make his points more observable and less abstract. I think it's pretty fitting the this was dedicated to Tolkien because he was highly involved in getting Lewis to stop identifying as an Atheist and converting to Christianity.

Sections that always speak to me when I re-read this book....
1. The bit about the patient's mother, and how they are always misunderstanding the other person's tone. Even if they used a hostile tone themselves, they consider themselves and their words to be innocent of the argument. Oh man, this is my family life! I always try to be careful of my tone of voice, and double-check if my manner is in any way hostile or annoying, but it is stressful to be often misunderstood.

2. Prayer and praying to an image in your mind of what God is, vs. praying "not to what I think thou art but to what thou knowest thyself to be." This always reminds me that those who worship God must "worship Him in spirit and in truth." A profound idea to grasp.

3. The Law of Undulation is a big one for me. I am a very passionate and excitable person, so my lows are very low and my highs are very high (without actually being bipolar). Lewis was the first one who told me in my teens that "feelings" are not the important thing. They will come and go, but the main thing is faith and obedience. God will use the lows to teach me great things and make me into the person I should be, so I can be thankful for the lows. God will use the highs to bring me joy and productivity, so I can be thankful for the highs. A huge spiritual lesson for me that I am always re-learning!

Favorite quote: "He [God] wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there, He is pleased even with their stumbles."

This book mostly centers around temptation at its heart, and I think that most of us can agree, we have been tempted like the patient in this story, in many of the ways Screwtape has commented on.

The first and possibly most striking idea throughout the story is the flipping of Christianity, most notably in calling God "The Enemy." Yes, this book is satire, but that doesn't mean it is always humorous. There are a few laughs here and there, but it is mostly just creepy and unsettling.

As many of you have commented, it is interesting to see an unreliable narrator like screwtape comment on religion. There are times where I really don't know if he is right or not. However, when he is right, it kind of hurts. Letter 3, for example, speaks on prayer and making prayers "spiritual" so that they lose their meaning. That hurts, because I know I worry about that myself.

Even throughout the letters, however, we can see that Screwtape, while intelligent, is not omniscient. He really doesn't understand God and why people are attracted to him. He says humans are like food to demons while God lets men freely come to him.

These first few letters seem hopeless, but the good thing is Wormwood is a poor demon, and the patient contradicts Screwtape's story. He succeeds, despite Wormwood's temptation, but the story isn't over yet...