Screwtape 28-31

I thought it was interesting on how Screwtape tells Wormwood to watch out for the patient's safety. It makes sense though that if he dies a Christian before being fully corrupted than God has won. I agree with him saying, "You will notice that the young are generally less unwilling to die than the middle-aged and the old." Although young people sometimes find life to be difficult and say they want to give up, very few people actually mean it. When things go wrong, they realize that they are young and have a lot of time for things to turn out the way they want them to. Middle-aged and older people, on the other hand, have lived thier lives and accomplished the things they wanted to do so although they probably aren't ready to die, they are more willing than the younger people. It makes sense to want people to live longer lives in order to have more time to turn them towards worshiping the devil instead of God.

Screwtape Letters 25-27

I understand that Screwtape does not want people to be Christians and devote all of their energy into worshiping and believing in God, but I do not understand why he would want people that are Christians to have a purpose and be trying to make a difference. I get that if a person was trying to make a difference, they would be devoting less time to God, but they would still be doing positive things and I would not think that Screwtape would want that either. I guess either way he is not benefiting so he is choosing the option that takes less energy away from God, but I am not sure. According to Screwtape, God does not want people to make a change which is why he has "balanced the love of change in them by a love of permanence." I do not believe that. If God did not want people to try to make a differnce in the world, than there would not be so much suffering and hatred. In letter 26, he writes, "let them think they have solved by Love problems they have in fact only waived or postponed under the influence of the enchantment." Love never solves anything and usually the problems that are avoided because you "love" someone only get worse and end it heartbreak. Love is usually the problem, not the solution.

Screwtape Letters 22-24

Screwtape’s previous letters talked about love and how people should question it. In Letter 22, Screwtape seems angered at the fact that the patient has fallen in love with a girl who he’s never heard of. I was confused at first because when Screwtape called the girl a two-faced little cheat, I saw that as being a positive thing for the devil. When I looked back to how he was describing her from her record, I realized that he was basically saying that she’s a good Christian and I think he is afraid that with a girl like that around the patient, there is no hope in turning him against God. In letter 23, Screwtape says that because the patient is getting closer to the girl and her very intelligent Christian family that it would be hard to remove spirituality from his life so now they have to corrupt it. Personally, I think that it would be easier to corrupt someone’s beliefs and make then question things that way than to remove spirituality from one’s life.

Screwtape Letters 19-21

I had a hard time staying focused while reading these chapters and had to reread parts more than once. Some parts of this book make sense, but other chapters just confuse me. Letter 19 begins by saying that Screwtape has been thinking very hard about the question in Wormwood's last letter. That comment made me start wondering what the question was. I agree with the statement that came shortly after that where Screwtape said that all selves are by their nature in competition. People turn even the simplest things into competitions. I was confused as to why Screwtape was so concerned with the fact that the letters weren't shown to anyone and that Wormwood "keep everything under lock and key." I don't know that I would trust Screwtape to look after my interests if I were Wormwood, because Screwtape goes from saying that he's doing a good job to criticizing him and picking apart everything he does. I liked that falling in love was referred to as being a state because I think that it's just a phase that people go through. People will always question whether or not love is real, but I think that questioning things benefits God and the devil.

Screwtape Letters 16-18

I was confused at first as to why Screwtape wanted the patient to attend a variety of churches, but it makes sense now. If a person does not care about what is being said or where he is at, than it does not matter, but if a person is consistently going to one church because he wants to be there, than God will always win because the patient will be involving himself in religion. I agree that if a person goes to a variety of churches, he will start to criticize and evaluate them all instead of listening to the word of God and taking part in the mass. God wants people to be pupils who listen and learn from things that are being said, instead of being critical of what is going on. Gluttony at one time might have made people feel guilty or sinful, but in today’s world, people strive to have the biggest and best of everything. People think that money brings power and status and as a result, greed does not have the same impact on a person’s mind as it used to. I personally do not think that with all of the pressures on people today, that there is such a thing as complete abstinence or unmitigated monogamy. I also feel that people say that they are in love as an excuse to do things and that an experience of “being in love” isn’t the only respectable ground for marriage. Love in my mind is just a phase that people go through and nothing can make it permanent or ensure that it will last.

Screwtape Letters 12-15

I know I have mentioned this before, but I think reading Wormwood's letters to Screwtape would be helpful. I am confused as to how Screwtape could go from saying that Wormwood is making excellent progress to the man slipping through his fingers in such a short time. I agree that pleasure and pain are "unmistakably real" and give people a sense of reality. Without real pleasure and pain, people would be able to live in a dream world where everything is perfect and that isn't how things truly are. I feel that pain allows people to become stronger and be truly grateful for the good things God gives them.

Screwtape Letters 8-11

People are indecisive and I agree with Screwtape that they go through phases. I completely agree with the statement in the book…”This means that while their spirit can be directed to an eternal object, their bodies, passions, and imaginations are in continual change, for to be in time means to change.” Just because someone believes something one minute does not really mean anything about the next minute. People have ups and downs in life and even when things seem the strongest, they can fall apart by one influential person. I think that people are weak in general and can be influenced at their peaks in life and when they are at their low points. I agree that people feel pleasure because of God, but it is not hard to take a pleasurable thing and turn it into something negative that is looked down upon or disproved by others. I understand Screwtape’s excitement over the fact that the patient has new acquaintances with different beliefs than the patients. People like being similar to others and beliefs start to crumble when other influential people think different things. Everyone says that they want to be an individual, but at the same time they are trying to fit in and be the same as everyone around them.

Screwtape Letters 4-7

Screwtape makes references to letters from Wormwood, and I think that the book would make more sense or be more interesting if the author included letters from Wormwood to Screwtape as well as letters from Screwtape to Wormwood. In letter number four, Screwtape says that Wormwood had amateurish suggestions. Screwtape feels that he is superior to Wormwood and that Wormwood needs him. Screwtape says that people should remain focused on themselves in order to take attention away from God. I do not think that keeping a person focused on himself or herself would be a difficult task because many times people are self-centered.

Screwtape Letters 1-3

I had to read the first three letters and the back cover a few times before finally understanding what was going on. I agree with the statement in the second letter that said that many people claim to be Christians but still continue to have the same bad habits that are in favor of the devil. A person saying that he/she belongs to a specific religion does not really mean anything because saying something and doing something are completely different. My religion is Roman Catholic but I only go to Church twice a year and there are many aspects of my religion that I do not follow. Depending on what church a person attends, he/she may not get anything out of the experience that would change them anyways. I agree with the letter that most things said in a church are either not understood or misunderstood and that religious song lyrics are old and may not interest people today. Many types of people attend church, but that does not mean that everyone is there for the same reason. Some people might only go because they feel like they have to and not because they want to, so it doesn’t really matter who is sitting next to you in a pew because their beliefs could be completely different than yours.