STL76 Biological necessity makes all their passions point in that direction already, so that thought about the

Future inflames hope and fear. Also, it is unknown to them, so that in making them think about it we make them
think of unrealities. In a word, the Future is, of all things, the thing least like eternity. It is the most completely
temporal part of timefor the Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays.
Screwtape now launches into a discussion of the Past, the Present, the Future and eternity. Read carefully this is
the foundation for the rest of this letter.
Whats the difference from Screwtapes point of view between the eternal and the Future?
How would the patient focusing on eternity be a really bad thing for Screwtape, compared to the things like Creative
Evolution? Think in terms of not just the Past and the Future but in terms of the Beginning and the End.
This segment from The Confessions of St. Augustine is very telling about our perceptions of time (this was written in
397-398). Augustine, S., Bishop of Hippo, & Pusey, E. B. (1996). The confessions of St. Augustine. Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
But see at least whether that one which is now current, itself is present; for if the current month be its first, the rest are to
come; if the second, the first is already past, and the rest are not yet. Therefore, neither is the year now
current present; and if not present as a whole, then is not the year present. For twelve months are a year;
of which whatever by the current month is present; the rest past, or to come. Although neither is that
current month present; but one day only; the rest being to come, if it be the first; past, if the last; if any of
the middle, then amid past and to come.
Try comparing this with current science thoughts on parallel universes / time as a dimension, Etc.
Looking at time as a continuum at any moment in time, there is an infinite amount of time before that moment. There is
also in infinite amount of time yet to come after that moment. And this is true for every moment that is / has
been / will be. Its logically impossible for all these infinite amounts of time to be equal. And yet its true.
Add to that Gods all-knowing characteristic and we potentially end up with something like God knows (sees /
experiences) every combination / permutation of every single choice that every single person made / is making
/ will make across the entire time of our existence. He has always known them. Too much for us to
comprehend.
But the one moment in time when we can experience that is now. We cant experience it before the moment
comes. And once its passed its too late.
Screwtape wants us to focus on the past and the future. He does not want us to focus on the present moment, because
thats when we experience God.He also doesnt want us to focus on eternity because thats when we realize the
awesomeness of God.
STL46 Of course there is no conceivable way of getting by reason from the proposition I am losing interest in
this to the proposition This is false. But, as I said before, it is jargon, not reason, you must rely on. The mere
word phase will very likely do the trick. I assume that the creature has been through several of them before
they all haveand that he always feels superior and patronising to the ones he has emerged from, not because
he has really criticised them but simply because they are in the past.
Screwtape writes - Another possibility is that of direct attack on his faith. Of course there is no conceivable way of
getting by reason from the proposition I am losing interest in this to the proposition This is false. But, as I said before,
it is jargon, not reason, you must rely on.
Given that faith cannot be derived strictly from reason - and one cannot get from losing interest to this is false - what
good is reason? Does it have value - or is it irrelevant?
While it is true that faith cannot come from reason alone - because the very beginning of believing and accepting the gift
of salvation has to be from God - reason is far from useless.
In Isaiah 1:18-20 - God Himself invites us to reason with Him -

Isa 1:18 Come now, let us reason together,

says the LORD.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
Isa 1:19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the best from the land;
Isa 1:20 but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

I believe part of the point of community is also for members to reason together - along with The Word and the Holy
Spirit. Its a way of staying in the Light - its a way of resolving conflicts - its a way of living life the
 way it was meant to be. Everything about the questions in this letter has been about community -
and reasoning - about keeping us from falling for Satans lies.

STL137 The pleasure of novelty is by its very nature more subject than any other to the law of diminishing
returns. And continued novelty costs money, so that the desire for it spells avarice or unhappiness or both.
Why would the devil use boredom to distract us? How can it work?
1 Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks; for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.

What are some things that the devil can use to distract us today? How do they act as a distraction?

2 Money Matthew 6:19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where
thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys
and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(READ: 19-34)
3 Media movies, internet, games, news, papers, magazines, sports They can act as a distraction by putting them
ahead of time with God.
4 Religion vs. Relationship commandment keeping vs. loving obedience (i.e. Rich Young Ruler How was he
distracted by being religious? [Content to just be good enough Good, but not good enough]
5 Relationships Every kind of relationship falls into this category: friends, parents, siblings, spouses, children, co-
workers, bosses, etc. We can allow any of these relationships to distract us from God. (1 John 3:11; 16)
6 Work Luke 10:38-42 How was Martha distracted by work/cares of this world? [Jesus said: Martha, Martha,
the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has
chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.]
7 Hobbies
Ourselves too busy

STL127 Believe this, not because it is true, but for some other reason. Thats the game.
Screwtape quotes an American theologian?
That quote is from Reinhold Niebuhr, who some would say was one of the great American Theologians of the 20th
Century.
The following quotes are from The Presbyterian Outlook website, on Nov 5, 1007.
Thirty-six years after his death, Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr seems more alive than ever. Perhaps not since
President Jimmy Carter acknowledged Niebuhr's influence in his 1976 campaign has the name been on so many
people's lips.Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama told New York Times columnist David Brooks that
Niebuhr is "one of my favorite philosophers." Brooks himself quotes Niebuhr consistently, describing him as a thinker
we could use today "to police our excesses" in foreign policy.

Niebuhr's own grounding of his political beliefs in his Christian faith may serve as another factor in the increased interest
in him. While Republicans have long cloaked their programs and policies in the language of faith, Democrats
have increasingly turned to a religious vocabulary to cast foreign and domestic issues in moral terms. At
debates and forums, candidates from both parties have spoken about how faith has informed their public
policies and personal lives with a pietistic emphasis some believe would have discomfited Niebuhr.
It would seem that C. S. Lewis wasnt a fan of Niebuhrs point of view.
Given what Screwtape said how is his proposed plan of attack using religion and politics taking place today?
The discussion here is going to be politically charged. However its likely that an unbiased look at things will reveal that
both parties are trying to use their interpretations to do the things they want without really getting the true message.
Jesus didnt even talk about overthrowing the Romans one of the most repressive governments ever. To the contrary -
He said
Mt 22:17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
Mt 22:18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?
Mt 22:19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax. They brought him a denarius,
Mt 22:20 and he asked them, Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?
Mt 22:21 Caesars, they replied. Then he said to them, Give to Caesar what is Caesars, and to God what is Gods.

For instance, Jesus wanted the people the church to take care of the poor not the government.
Mt 19:16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life ?
Mt 19:17 Why do you ask me about what is good? Jesus replied. There is only
One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments. 18 Which ones? the man inquired. Jesus replied,
Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,
Mt 19:19 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.
Mt 19:20 All these I have kept, the young man said. What do I still lack? 21 Jesus answered, If you want to be
perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come,
follow me. 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

STL161 The danger of inducing cowardice in our patients, therefore, is lest we produce real self-knowledge and
self-loathing with consequent repentance and humility.
Screwtape is revisiting an old topic fear.

Screwtape has written about fear in previous letters. He returns to it again but this time with some warnings about
too much fear possibly driving people to The Enemy. Look at Jesus message to His disciples before he sent
them out to proclaim the good news in Matthew 10. Talk about some of the reasons why Screwtape would be
afraid of generating too much fear in the patient.
Mt 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of
the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, preach this message: The kingdom of
heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely
you have received, freely give. 9 Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; 10 take no bag
for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.
Mt 10:11 Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you
leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if
it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust
off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and
Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. 16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.
Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Mt 10:17 Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their
synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to
the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will
be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Mt 10:21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have
them put to death. 22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be
saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going
through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Mt 10:24 A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the student to be like his
teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more
the members of his household!
Mt 10:26 So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be
made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from
the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One
who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ? Yet not one of them
will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. 31 So dont be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Mt 10:32 Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But
whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
Mt 10:34 Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35
For I have come to turn
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law
Mt 10:36 a mans enemies will be the members of his own household.

Mt 10:37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not
worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Mt 10:40 He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 Anyone who
receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophets reward, and anyone who receives a
righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous mans reward. 42 And if anyone gives
even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will
certainly not lose his reward.

Among so many possible verses - here is but one suggestion - from Isaiah 41 -
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11 All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.

STL111 as in everything else, the way must be prepared for your moral assault by darkening his intellect.
Who does our time belong to?
See the story below from Nelsons Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations & Quotes.
<Its not necessary to read the entire story in the class but its funny & almost all too true>
But There Were Interruptions!
And the Lord spoke to Noah and said: In six months Im going to make it rain until the whole earth is
covered with water and all the evil people are destroyed. But, I want to save a few good people, and two of
every kind of living thing on the earth. I am ordering you to build an Ark. And in a flash of lightning he
delivered the specifications for an Ark.
Ok, said Noah, trembling in fear and fumbling with the blueprints.
Six months, and it starts to rain, thundered the Lord. Youd better have my Ark completed, or learn to
swim for a very long time.
Six months passed. The skies began to cloud up and rain began to fall. The Lord saw Noah was sitting in
his front yard weeping, and there was no Ark.
Noah, shouted the Lord, Where is my Ark? A lightning bolt crashed into the ground next to Noah.
Lord, please forgive me! begged Noah. I did my best, but there were interruptions!
First I had to get a building permit for the Ark construction project, and your plans did not meet code. So
I had to hire an engineer to redraw the plans. Then I got into a big fight over whether or not the Ark needed a
fire sprinkler system. My neighbors objected, claiming I was violating zoning by building the Ark in my front
yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning commission.
Then I had a big problem getting enough wood for the Ark because there was a ban on cutting the trees,
to save the Spotted Owl. I had to convince the U.S. Forest Service that I needed the wood to save the owls.
But, they wouldnt let me catch any owls. So no owls. Then the carpenters formed a union and went out on
strike. I had to negotiate a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board before anyone would pick up a
saw or hammer. Now we have sixteen carpenters going on the boat and still no owls.
Then I started gathering the animals, and got sued by an animal rights group. They objected to me
taking only two of each kind. Just when I got the suit dismissed, EPA notified me that I couldnt complete the
Ark without filing an environmental impact statement on your proposed flood. They didnt take kindly to the
idea that they had no jurisdiction over the conduct of a Supreme Being. Then the Army Corps of Engineers
wanted a map of the proposed new flood plain. I sent them a globe.
Right now Im still trying to resolve a complaint from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
over how many Croatians Im supposed to hire. The IRS has seized all my assets, claiming Im trying to avoid
paying taxes by leaving the country, and I just got a notice from the state about owing some kind of use tax.
I really dont think I can finish your Ark for at least another five years, Noah wailed.
The sky began to clear. The sun began to shine. A rainbow arched across the sky. Noah looked up and
smiled. You mean youre not going to destroy the earth? Noah asked hopefully.
No said the Lord sadly, The government already has.
Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (475476). Nashville:
Thomas Nelson Publishers.

What does this tell us about these unplanned intrusions on our time and the consequences of not handling them
well?
For one thing - From Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.).
Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
The Interruptions Are the Ministry
A minister once observed that sometimes interruptions are the ministry. In the book, Before Burnout, the authors point
out that Marks Gospel provides many examples of Jesus handling interruptions well. After he healed a
man with an unclean spirit (Mark 1:2126), Jesus was suddenly interrupted by an entire city who
demanded his attention (1:33). He was then interrupted in the midst of his teaching by four men carrying
a paralyzed man (2:15). Later Jesus was pursued and interrupted by a large multitude (3:79). At one
point, after being interrupted by Jairus, Christ was almost immediately interrupted again by a woman with
a long-term illness. The Savior compassionately handled all of those interruptions well.
A study of the way Jesus handled these kinds of interruption can teach us several things:
1. Christ always responded graciously. He never conveyed the attitude that people did not have a right to interrupt Him.
2. He made people a priority. For the most part, those who interrupted Him were not prominent individuals, yet Christ
treated them as important.
3. Although frequently interrupted, Christ did not allow those interruptions to deflect Him from His ultimate purpose. For
example, after dealing with the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus immediately went on to raise
Jairus daughter.
4. On occasion, the Savior actually initiated an interruption himself. He interrupted His teaching of the multitude to call
Levi the tax collector to follow Him.
5. Fifth, when important priorities made it necessary, Christ isolated Himself from interruptions.
Learning to handle interruptions in a Christlike fashion, say the authors, will take us a significant distance down the
road of handling lifes circumstances.

STL135 The real trouble about the set your patient is living in is that it is merely Christian. They all have
individual interests, of course, but the bond remains mere Christianity. What we want, if men become Christians
at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call Christianity And. You knowChristianity and the Crisis,
Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity
and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be
Christians let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a
Christian colouring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.
Mere Christianity is a reference to another C. S. Lewis book. A reading group guide for the book includes the
following text:
Regarded as the centerpiece of Lewis's apologetics, Mere Christianity began as a series of live fifteen-minute radio talks
that Lewis gave, under the auspices of the BBC, during WWII. Characterized by careful reasoning, vivid
analogies, and Lewis's gift for making complex religious ideas immediately accessible, the broadcasts were
overwhelmingly successful,

Lewis was able to reach such a wide audience in part because he tried to explore the essence of Christian belief, what he
felt "all Christians agree on." After he finished the radio scripts, he sent them to Roman Catholic, Presbyterian,
Methodist, and Church of England theologians, all of whom agreed on the main points he had made. Lewis
himself says in the preface to Mere Christianity, "So far as I can judge from reviews and from the numerous
letters written to me, the book, however faulty in other respects, did at least succeed in presenting an agreed,
or common, or central, or 'mere' Christianity."
Compared to Christianity And why is Mere Christianity something that Screwtape wants to avoid?
Mere Christianity - Christianity at its core - without things added or subtracted by people - is the very basic set of
beliefs. Theres really nothing to argue about - nothing necessary to be added - nothing that can be
taken away without having something that itsnt Christianity any more.
As we move into Christianity and things get added - things that not everyone will agree on.We also move into territory
where we start adding our own beliefs (maybe hopes / desires) would be a better word.
In any case - Christianity and isnt Christianity.The further that we get away from Christianity and build up Christianity
and -the further we get from God - and the more likley that Satan will succeed against us.
STL16A "It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is
done by keeping things out.
Screwtape encourages getting the patient to either react against childhood experiences or to assume a level of prayer far
in advance of what he is really prepared for. These both make sense - they will make it harder for the patient to focus
on God , instead focusing on the act of trying to pray. But then he says It is funny how mortals always picture us as
putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out. Why would keeping things out of
our mind be their goal?

Let's start with Genesis 1:26-27, while God was creating everything.
Ge 1:26 Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the
birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the
ground.
Ge 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
So God created us in His image - there's something of Him in each of us.
And in Ecclesiastes 3:9-14, we read -
Ecc 3:9 What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything
beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God
has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do
good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toilthis is the
gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and
nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
and we learn more about ourselves. God has set eternity in our hearts - a longing for what is eternal - in other words
a longing for Him. He has also made us to revere Him.
No wonder Screwtape wants us to keep things out of our minds . He wants to be sure we don't realize what's in us -
what's in our hearts - to realize that what we really want is God. There's no telling what could make us think of God -
better to have us not think of anything at all, but certainly things that would be least likely to unlock that desire for God
that we all have inside of us.
STL155 The long, dull, monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent
campaigning weather. You see, it is so hard for these creatures to persevere.
It is so hard for these creatures to persevere. This is so true. Perseverance is more essential to the Christian life and
our calling than wed like to believe. You and I can do or be just about anything for a moment, but over time who we truly
are and our level of fitness will be revealed. We dont persevere for an instant or a moment, we persevere a
season. Only time can give birth to perseverance. Those who possess a noble and good heart, who hear the word,
retain it and who persevere produce a crop. (Luke 8:15) There is no fruitfull life without perseverancein the right
things.
The routine of adversity
The gradual decay of youthful loves and youthful hopes
The quiet despair of ever overcoming chronic temptations
The drabness which we create in their lives
The inarticulate resentment with which we teach them to respond to it
Being knit to the World through a sense of being really at home on Earth
Check, check, check, check and checkI am familiar with these assaults and know how effective they are. We must
recognize that this is not the way life is, accepting it and thereby letting the enemy wear out our soul by attrition. We
must not fall under his evil spell. I believe that the way we overcome this assault is to fervently guard our heart, stay
close to God and live like an artist in the fellowship of artists. Paul wrote, I pray that the fellowship of your faith may
become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christs sake. (Philemon 1:6)
Winston Churchill said, Virtuous motives, trampled by inertia and timidity, are no match for armed and resolute
wickedness.
Fighting inertia and timidity with compelling and courage (I guess thats what a movement is),
STL161-162 courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which
means, at the point of highest reality. A chastity or honesty, or mercy, which yields to danger will be chaste or
honest or merciful only on conditions. Pilate was merciful till it became risky.
Doing good, and pursuing Christ-like character, is not something to do simply when it is easy. What really counts is when
you continue being merciful or generous or justice-seeking or truth-affirming even when it is risky, dangerous, and
possibly to your own disadvantage. To be merciful or loving or generous only when it is easy is not to be merciful or
loving or generous at all.

STL175 All that sustains me is the conviction that our Realism, our rejection of all silly nonsense and claptrap,
must win in the end.
If only we could find out what He is really up to!
Like so many people Screwtape knows, but doesnt know
What is He up to?
Is the Intelligence Department really to blame or is it something else?

Its no secret what Gods up to.

Jn 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the
world through him.
But without Gods grace - that concept means nothing.
STL159 To be greatly and effectively wicked a man needs some virtue. What would Attila have been without his
courage, or Shylock without self-denial as regards the flesh?
Screwtape says that even wicked figure needs to have some type of virtue to carry out the radical actions that he
becomes known for.
STL1 are you not being a trifle nave? It sounds as if you supposed that argument was the way to keep him
out of the Enemys clutches. He doesnt think of doctrines as primarily true or false, but as academic or
practical, outworn or contemporary, conventional or ruthless. Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in
keeping him from the Church.
The dictionary definition of "jargon" is: "special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or
group and are difficult for others to understand."

This whole issue boils down to what voices we're permitting to fill our heads each day and how we "color" those
opinions and beliefs and handle them in our hearts.

In other words, do we really care about truth -- i.e. the honest, objective pursuit of truth, knowing that there are
indeed mutually exclusive paths where one thing is true, therefore something else is false -- or are we too lazy to
care?

If we're lazy in that way and if having absolute conviction about something is too much, well, that's when "jargon"
becomes our cup of tea. It's more soothing, more invigorating, and certainly less inconvenient for us.

STL66 The man who truly and disinterestedly enjoys any one thing in the world, for its own sake, and without
caring two-pence what other people say about it, is by that very fact forearmed against some of our subtlest
modes of attack. You should always try to make the patient abandon the people or food or books he really likes
in favour of the best people, the right food, the important books.
We see more of the differences between Gods view of us and Satans view.
A homonym is a word which is the same as another in sound and spelling but with a different meaning. God and Satan
both want to detach men from themselves, but in a different way. Talk about this for instance in what ways, why
they have a different view of us, and what is the end result?

A homonym is a word which is the same as another in sound and spelling but with a different meaning. God and Satan
both want to detach men from themselves, but in a different way. Talk about this for instance in what ways,
why they have a different view of us, and what is the end result?

From Jeremiah we see

Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to
give you hope and a future.
Jer 29:12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
Jer 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jer 29:14 I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the
nations and places where I have banished you, declares the LORD, and will bring you back to the place
from which I carried you into exile.

God will bring us back from where Satan will take us if we ask.
STL44-45 Hence we always try to work away from the natural condition of any pleasure to that in which it is
least natural, least redolent of its Maker, and least pleasurable. An ever increasing craving for an ever
diminishing pleasure is the formula. It is more certain; and its better style. To get the mans soul and give him
nothing in returnthat is what really gladdens Our Fathers heart.
Do you think Screwtapes statement, To get the mans soul and give him nothing in returnthat is what really gladdens
Our Fathers heart is true or false?
Consider Satans gift to Eve - what did he actually give Adam and Eve?
The Fall of Man
Ge 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the
woman, Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden?
Ge 3:2 The woman said to the serpent, We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, You
must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.
Ge 3:4 You will not surely die, the serpent said to the woman. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes
will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
Ge 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable
 for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he
ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig
leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Ge 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of
the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the
man, Where are you?
Ge 3:10 He answered, I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.
Ge 3:11 And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not
to eat from?
Ge 3:12 The man said, The woman you put here with meshe gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.
So we see - what Satan gave to Adam & Eve was:
Lies (OK - half truths - but still lies)
Knowledge - but
knowledge that would lead to their removal from Eden
Knowledge that would turn them against each other - with Adam blaming Eve
Knowledge that would lead them away from God
Knowledge that would result in their death - just as God said.
Which all resulted in Satan getting what he wanted - but having to give up nothing in return. He gave some fruit from
the tree - although actually convinced Eve to take it rather than giving it to her - on top of which it wasnt his to
give anyway.
Yes - Satan was surely happy about what happened - and gave them absolutely nothing in the process.

Consider Satans gift to Jesus what did he actually offer Him?

The Temptation of Jesus
Lk 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for
forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was
hungry.
Lk 4:3 The devil said to him, If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.
Lk 4:4 Jesus answered, It is written: Man does not live on bread alone.
Lk 4:5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he
said to him, I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to
anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours.
Lk 4:8 Jesus answered, It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.
Lk 4:9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. If you are the Son of
God, he said, throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
Lk 4:11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Lk 4:12 Jesus answered, It says: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
Lk 4:13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
In Jesus case - Satan also offered things which werent his to give. To make matters worse - Satan tried to give all the
kingdoms of the world to Jesus - with both of them knowing full well that they already belonged to
Jesus.
The difference - the simple responses of Jesus to answer Satans false / twisted words of Scripture with the truth. There
was no questioning - no discussion back and forth - just simple statements of truth.

To answer the overall question then - yes - Satan loves to give nothing and get someones soul in the process. The
simple truth is - Satan has nothing of his own to give. All he has are twisted truths (lies) that lead to his ultimate goal if we
arent careful - lies that will take us away from God.
STL156 So inveterate is their appetite for Heaven that our best method, at this stage, of attaching them to earth
is to make them believe that earth can be turned into Heaven at some future date by politics or eugenics or
science or psychology, or what not.
Screwtape advises Wormwood to direct the patients desire for heaven to trying to create it on earth through various
means like politics.
All of us can lose perspective on the proper place of theology. We may think it is a way to bring about a social utopia
through government policies or we could view it as the means through which God will bring revival to our nation.
Both of those miss the truth about politics and, more importantly, the truth about heaven.

If the Christian is going to apply their faith to their political preferences, the demons want him to use Christianity as a
means to another endlike politics.
You can see this all across the spectrum this election. People are leveraging Bible verses and biblical sounding
arguments to attack those who say they plan to vote differently.
Quite subtly, we shift from our Christianity informing our politics to altering our morals and beliefs to better serve our
politics.
STL25 There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a humans mind against the Enemy. He wants
men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them.
Wait a minute here. Wasn't it just in the last letter that Screwtape wrote -
Consider too what undesirable deaths occur in wartime. Men are killed in places where they knew they might be
killed and to which they go, if they are at all of the Enemys party, prepared.
So why is it that now - in the very next letter - Screwtape is delighted to hear that the patient may be called up to war?
What's different now? The circumstances? The plan of attack?

One big difference is the circumstances - which leads to a different plan of attack.
Screwtape talks about suspense and anxiety. Today - thanks in large part to the computer industry - it's something
now known as FUD. There are several different claims as to exactly who coined the term - but here's one that
I'm familiar with -
FUD was first defined with its specific current meaning by Gene Amdahl about 1975 after he left IBM to found his own
company, Amdahl Corp.: "FUD is the fear, uncertainty, and doubt that IBM sales people instill in the
minds of potential customers who might be considering Amdahl products."
And that's what Screwtape is hoping for here. Instead of maybe waiting to be bombed at home - or in a bomb
shelter - now the patient may have to actually go out and fight. Presumably - that means a higher level of fear -
more uncertainty as to what might happen to him - and hopefully that's followed by doubt about his recent
Christian activities and friends. Hopefully he'll be more concerned about himself - and forget about "The
Enemy" <God>.
Of course - that also means the Wormwood is supposed to forget - or not realize the importance of - what
Screwtape wrote in the previous letter
Consider too what undesirable deaths occur in wartime. Men are killed in places where they knew they might be killed
and to which they go, if they are at all of the Enemys party, prepared.
STL4 But the best of all is to let him read no science but to give him a grand general idea that he knows it all
and that everything he happens to have picked up in casual talk and reading is the results of modern
investigation. Do remember you are there to fuddle him. From the way some of you young fiends talk, anyone
would suppose it was our job to teach!
Having already considered "reasoning" in 1.5, notice the statement Above all, do not attempt to use science (I mean, the
real sciences) as a defence against Christianity. This sounds so backwards from what many people believe to be the
case. How is it that science - which is so often used to try to disprove that God even exists - can be something that
these devils are so afraid of?
If Wormwoods patient occupied himself with reading science, he might quickly discover that he doesnt know it all.
He may more readily accept belief in something outside of his familiar real life.
Science can lead to reason at a level that could either be provable or could be not provable but capable of
showing that there are so many things we dont understand. For example what about parallel universes as
an explanation for this from Genesis
Ge 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the LORD God said, The
man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out
his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever. So the LORD God banished
him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the
man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing
back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Notice the tree wasnt removed or destroyed the Garden wasnt either. The tree is just guarded from us not
visible to us. So where did it go and how come there isnt a hole of some sort where it should have been?
These are the kinds of questions that science can begin to provide some possibilities to show that what the Bible says
could actually be true even though it seems far fetched or maybe should be taken as a story. This is not to say that
parallel universes is definitely the answer to "How did God do that?" - it's just to show that there are ways that even we
humans ("patients") can come up with from our limited knowledge.
STL40 Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer
desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemys will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him
seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.
Obedience and faith in God amidst hopeless situations

Screwtape correctly says It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into
 the sort of creature He wants it to be. Why do the troughs of the Christian life encourage more growth than the peaks?

This could continue on with the discussion in the previous question related to Paul. However - it can also apply to others
that you may have talked about. The concept is the same - regardless of the example.

Below is an excerpt from Pathways to His Presence - by Charles Stanley. Its the daily reading for March 2 -
Life sometimes feels like an endless roller coaster, full of surprising twists and turnssome that excite us and others that
severely disappoint us. And during the ride of life, our weaknesses are revealed. As believers, we need
to know how to handle the ups and downs so that our relationship with Christ remains consistent in its
nature and we can have a victorious walk.
When our weaknesses are revealed, we discover our inability to accomplish something to its full potential. The world
leads us to believe that weakness is a liability; however, in our relationship with Christ, it can oftentimes
be our greatest asset.
Paul realized his weaknesses. Agonizing over them and bemoaning his situation never accomplished what was
necessary. Yet Pauls accepting attitude of his weaknesses resulted in the avenue God needed to
intervene.
In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in
distresses, for Christs sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Paul discovered that strength was found in weaknesses. Instead of trying to lug his cross up a hill, Paul decided it was
best turned over to the Lord. When Pauls strength was insufficient, he turned to God. As a result, Paul
humbly walked through lifes ups and downs with a perspective that kept his eyes forever focused on
Jesus.
Theres a song by Chris Tomlin - Your Grace is Enough -
we sing it - we know it - but do we live it?
Thats what Paul is about here -living that them of Your Grace is Enough.
For many of us - its hard to even remember when things get tough -but thats when we need it the most.
Its easy to follow God when things are going well -When they get too good - maybe we start to forget -But when they
get really bad - its all to easy to forget.
So - we see that God can bring us back to reality - His reality - when we get to high on the hype cycle.
As this section points out -He can also bring us from the depths of the deepest trough -and thats where His power and
glory are most evident -through the power to get us through those times.

STL88 Because what she wants is smaller and less costly than what has been set before her, she never
recognises as gluttony her determination to get what she wants, however troublesome it may be to others. At the
very moment of indulging her appetite she believes that she is practising temperance.
Gluttony is defined simply as excessive eating and drinking these days. Going back a little in history, it comes from a
French word gourmand which was to indicate a person who is fond of good eating, often indiscriminatingly and
to excess.
Temperance is habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion, while intemperance is a lack of
moderation or due restraint, as in action or speech.
Talk about how changing the way we view words over time can affect the way we view our actions and how trying to
avoid doing something (even for a good reason) can cause us to miss that fact that were doing something else that
we wouldnt want to be doing if we were aware of it.

For Gluttony in the 13th century was considered a deadly sin.

Before that from Exodus with the Manna we see in verse 28 that the issue is bigger than just over eating. It has to
do with listening to and obeying Gods command.
Now its only about over eating. Its starting to be about healthy living as well lately. But Gods nowhere to be
found. While there is a reason back into why it shouldnt be done its all about us.
Ex 16:11 The LORD said to Moses,
Ex 16:12 I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will
be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.
Ex 16:13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the
camp.
Ex 16:14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.
Ex 16:15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, What is it? For they did not know what it was. Moses said
to them, It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.
Ex 16:16 This is what the LORD has commanded: Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each
person you have in your tent.
Ex 16:17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the
 omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.
Each one gathered as much as he needed.
Ex 16:19 Then Moses said to them, No one is to keep any of it until morning. 20 However, some of them paid no
attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So
Moses was angry with them.
Ex 16:21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.
Ex 16:22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as muchtwo omers for each person and the leaders of the community
came and reported this to Moses.
Ex 16:23 He said to them, This is what the LORD commanded: Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the
LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it
until morning.
Ex 16:24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it.
Ex 16:25 Eat it today, Moses said, because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground
today.
Ex 16:26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.
Ex 16:27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none.
Ex 16:28 Then the LORD said to Moses, How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?
STL112 Let him have the feeling that he starts each day as the lawful possessor of twenty-four hours. Let him
feel as a grievous tax that portion of this property which he has to make over to his employers, and as a
generous donation that further portion which he allows to religious duties.
The Enemy relishes the moments in which we cling to our time and our schedules, and are unwilling to pour
ourselves out for the sake of Christ. I think, perhaps, that we have become accustomed to the mindset that it is absurd
for any aspect of serving to demand any time or investment of us that we are not comfortably willing to give.
Yet the truth of Scripture says that the gospel shatters comfortable.
How unfortunate are the days that we spend solely on ourselves when we have been purposed to spend and be spent for
Christ? Jesus calls us to a life of uncomfortable. And joy is found in the uncomfortable when we are being who the Lord
has created and called us to be.
In specific regards to student ministry, students need consistent leaders. Many or most of our students are surrounded
by chaos and inconsistency. Students need leaders who will be there weekly, speaking truth over them and pointing them
to Jesus. Students need leaders who will give them their phone number, meet them at Chipotle, and go to their volleyball
games. Students need leaders who are committed to love them even when their lives get messy. What a joy it is for us to
take part in modeling for them just a sliver of who Christ is, in his constancy and faithfulness.
STL123 A spoiled saint, a Pharisee, an inquisitor, or a magician, makes better sport in Hell than a mere common
tyrant or debauchee.
Although we dont know if its even possible to lose salvation, Screwtape says one who has lost it makes better
sport. Why would this be the case especially considering that he tells Wormwood to pretend to be an angel
of light?

Without getting too deep into the question of whether its possible to lose salvation, heres a few verses on the topic
Eze 18:20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share
the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness
of the wicked will be charged against him.
Eze 18:21 But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is
just and right, he will surely live; he will not die.
Eze 18:22 None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him.
Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live.
Eze 18:23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased
when they turn from their ways and live? 24 But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and
commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the
righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and
because of the sins he has committed, he will die.
Eze 18:25 Yet you say, The way of the Lord is not just. Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways
that are unjust?
Eze 18:26 If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has
committed he will die.
Eze 18:27 But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will
save his life.
Eze 18:28 Because he considers all the offenses he has committed and turns away from them, he will surely live; he will
not die.
Eze 18:29 Yet the house of Israel says, The way of the Lord is not just. Are my ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not
 your ways that are unjust?
Eze 18:30 Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.
Eze 18:31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die,
O house of Israel?
Eze 18:32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

Repent & live. That would be the same message as Jesus.

If then, its not possible to lose salvation what is Screwtapes goal here?
Could be one of two things
Its possible that salvation was never obtained to begin with.
What comes out in words may not be whats in our hearts.
Maybe we really never truly accepted Jesus.
Its also possible to be saved, but not enjoy what comes from salvation while on this earth
Ps 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Ps 51:11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Ps 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

So maybe Screwtape is trying to keep someone from being truly saved maybe hes trying to make this life miserable for
someone who has been saved and maybe hes trying to convert others to his father below by using this person as an
example.

STL167 In this, as in the problem of cowardice, the thing to avoid is the total commitment.
When things get tough - who will the patient rely on?
- open discussion here. Read the rope and talk about what you think the patient would do - and why.
All of these things that Screwtape is proposing to Wormwood depend on the patient not relying on God but instead
being influenced by Wormwood.
Talk about this in relation to the story below
THE ROPEThe story tells about a mountain climber, who wanted to climb the highest mountain. He began his adventure
after many years of preparation, but since he wanted the glory just for himself, he decided to climb the
mountain alone.
The night felt heavy in the heights of the mountain, and the man could not see anything. All was black. Zero visibility, and
the moon and the stars were covered by the clouds.
As he was climbing, only a few feet away from the top of the mountain, he slipped and fell into the air, falling at a great
speed. The climber could only see black spots as he went down, and the terrible sensation of being sucked by
gravity. He kept falling... and in those moments of great fear, it came to his mind all the good and bad episodes
of his life.
He was thinking now about how close death was getting, when all of a sudden he felt the rope tied to his waist pull him
very hard.
His body was still hanging in the air...Only the rope was holding him, and in that moment of stillness he had no other
choice but to scream:
HELP ME GOD!
All of a sudden, a deep voice coming from the sky answered:
What do you want me to do?
-Save me God!
Do you really think I can save you?
- Of course I believe you can.
THEN CUT THE ROPE TIED TO YOUR WAIST...
There was a moment of silence: the man decided to hold on to the rope with all his strength.
The rescue team tells, that the next day a climber was found dead and frozen... his body hanging from a rope. His hands
holding tight to it...ONLY TEN FEET FROM THE GROUND.
and you? how attached are you to your rope?Will you let go?Don't ever doubt things from God. You never should say
that He has forgotten or abandoned you. Don't ever think that he does not take care of you. Remember that He is always
holding you with His right hand. Is 41:13

Isa 41:13 For I am the LORD, your God,

who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
STL12 his attention will be kept on what he regards as her sins, by which, with a little guidance from you, he
can be induced to mean any of her actions which are inconvenient or irritating to himself.
Can prayers really be rendered "innocuous (harmless)?
For some insight to this, one need look no further than Jesus' own words.
For instance - in Matthew 6:5-8 - Jesus says -
Mt 6:5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the
street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But
when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then
your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on
babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like
them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

BTW - Jesus doesn't tell us what not to do without also providing the answer as to what we should do. The next
verses in Matthew continue with -
Mt 6:9 This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
Mt 6:10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Mt 6:11 Give us today our daily bread.
Mt 6:12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Mt 6:13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

OK - that's not so bad.Shouldn't be too hard to do that, right?

But - there's more.
Earlier in Matthew, Jesus also said -
Mt 5:43 You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes
his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you
love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And
if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

So - maybe what Screwtape says is more subtle that what Jesus says in these passages.But -those subtle little
things that Screwtape is urging his nephew to push the patient towards -if he is successful -they will lead to
the very things that Jesus warns us about.And that's why listening to the words Jesus has for us on how we
should pray are so important.
Think not?Consider Screwtape's closing remark in this paragraph -
I have had patients of my own so well in hand that they could be turned at a moments notice from impassioned prayer for
a wifes or sons soul to beating or insulting the real wife or son without a qualm.
STL168 keep the two going at once so that the emotional value of the word real can be placed now on one side
of the account, now on the other, as it happens to suit us.
Can real life be a problem for the patient?

Talk about this in light of Matthew 4:1-11 and Hebrews 2:14-18 (part of a section in the NIV titles Jesus Made Like
His Brothers)

Mt 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty
nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to
become bread.
Mt 4:4 Jesus answered, It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of
God.
Mt 4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 If you are the Son
of God, he said, throw yourself down. For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Mt 4:7 Jesus answered him, It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
Mt 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their
splendor. 9 All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me.
Mt 4:10 Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.
Mt 4:11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Heb 2:14 And again he says,

Here am I, and the children God has given me.
Heb 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death
he might destroy him who holds the power of deaththat is, the devil 15 and free those who all their lives
were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abrahams
descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might
become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of
the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being
tempted.

Real could be a problem - depending on whos definition of real the patient is using.
If he looks at life as Screwtape hopes - yes, theres definitely a cause for concern.
If - however - the patient can keep most of reality being the present moment with God and the future tied to our hope of
a future with God - things are looking much better for him.
For instance -
Peace and Joy
Ro 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2
through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in
the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that
suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not
disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has
given us.
Ro 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone
die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Ro 5:9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from Gods wrath through
him! 10 For if, when we were Gods enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son,
how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but
we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received
reconciliation.

STL94 "The whole philosophy of Hell rests on recognition of the axiom that one thing is not another thing, and,
specially, that one self is not another self. My good is my good and your good is yours. What one gains another
loses. Even an inanimate object is what it is by excluding all other objects from the space it occupies; if it
expands, it does so by thrusting other objects aside or by absorbing them. A self does the same. With beasts the
absorption takes the form of eating; for us, it means the sucking of will and freedom out of a weaker self into a
stronger. To be means to be in competition."
Screwtapes philosophy in this letter comes down to believing that a person is the same as an inanimate object.
What is the contradiction between (a) love and the difference between cooperation & competition and (b) the belief
that humans share characteristics with inanimate objects?
How can we use this conflict to begin to show non-Christians the fallacy of Screwtapes twisted logic?

What is the contradiction between (a) love and the difference between cooperation & competition and (b) the belief that
humans share characteristics with inanimate objects?
How can we use this conflict to begin to show non-Christians the fallacy of Screwtapes twisted logic?

(a) Cooperation versus competition consider Paul in Romans 12:1-8

Living Sacrifices
Ro 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing
to Godthis is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve
what Gods will ishis good, pleasing and perfect will.
Ro 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but
 rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given
you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have
the same function,
Ro 12:5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Ro 12:6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a mans gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion
to his faith.
Ro 12:7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
Ro 12:8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is
leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

It is common today to take the theme of created equally to mean something far different than what was originally
intended in the Constitution
The opening of the United States Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, states as follows:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to
secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed;
However
The contradiction between the claim that "all men are created equal" and the existence of American slavery attracted
comment when the Declaration of Independence was first published. Congress, having made a few
changes in wording, deleted nearly a fourth of the draft before publication, removing a passage
critical of the slave trade, and many members of Congress, Jefferson included, owned slaves. In
1776, abolitionist Thomas Day responding to the hypocrisy in the Declaration wrote:
If there be an object truly ridiculous in nature, it is an American patriot, signing resolutions of independency with the one
hand, and with the other brandishing a whip over his affrighted slaves.
And what may be far closer to the truth at least the implied / intended truth
Thomas Hobbes also proposed an early variant of equality among men in his treatise Leviathan:
Nature hath made men so equal in the faculties of body and mind as that, though there be found one man sometimes
manifestly stronger in body or of quicker mind than another, yet when all is reckoned together the
difference between man and man is not so considerable as that one man can thereupon claim to
himself any benefit to which another may not pretend as well as he. For as to the strength of body,
the weakest has strength enough to kill the strongest, either by secret machination or by
confederacy with others that are in the same danger with himself. And as to the faculties of the
mind, setting aside the arts grounded upon words, and especially that skill of proceeding upon
general and infallible rules, called science, which very few have and but in few things, as being not
a native faculty born with us, nor attained, as prudence, while we look after somewhat else, I find
yet a greater equality amongst men than that of strength. For prudence is but experience, which
equal time equally bestows on all men in those things they equally apply themselves unto.
Once we get away from the concept that we are supposedly all equal and come to realize that there are differences
and those differences exist for a reason Gods reason as laid out by Paul cooperation is the only
logical choice.
Synergy - Synergy may be defined as two or more things functioning together to produce a result not independently
obtainable.
The term synergy comes from the Greek word synergia from synergos, , meaning "working together".

(b) As far as the inanimate object problem we need only look as far as creation

The Beginning
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Ge 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was
hovering over the waters.

Ge 1:3 And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.
Ge 1:4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
Ge 1:5 God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And there was evening, and there was morning
the first day.
Ge 1:6 And God said, Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.
Ge 1:7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.
Ge 1:8 God called the expanse sky. And there was evening, and there was morningthe second day.
Ge 1:9 And God said, Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear. And it was so.
Ge 1:10 God called the dry ground land, and the gathered waters he called seas. And God saw that it was good.
Ge 1:11 Then God said, Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with
 seed in it, according to their various kinds. And it was so.
Ge 1:12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it
according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Ge 1:13 And there was evening, and there was morningthe third day.
Ge 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them
serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,
Ge 1:15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth. And it was so.
Ge 1:16 God made two great lightsthe greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also
made the stars.
Ge 1:17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to
separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
Ge 1:19 And there was evening, and there was morningthe fourth day. 20 And God said, Let the water teem with
living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.
Ge 1:21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems,
according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was
good.
Ge 1:22 God blessed them and said, Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds
increase on the earth. 23 And there was evening, and there was morningthe fifth day. 24 And
God said, Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that
move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind. And it was so.
Ge 1:25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures
that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Ge 1:26 Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the
birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the
ground. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and
female he created them.
Ge 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over
the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the
ground.
Ge 1:29 Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit
with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
Ge 1:30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground
everything that has the breath of life in itI give every green plant for food. And it was so.
Ge 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morningthe sixth
day.

Ge 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

Things were good until man was created. Then things were very good.
Do Not Worry
Lk 12:22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about
your body, what you will wear.
Lk 12:23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
Lk 12:24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how
much more valuable you are than birds!
Lk 12:25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?
Lk 12:26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider how the lilies grow.
They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one
of these.
Lk 12:28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how
much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
Lk 12:29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.
Lk 12:30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Lk 12:31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your
Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
Lk 12:33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in
heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
Lk 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

STL5 There is no need to despair; hundreds of these adult converts have been reclaimed after a brief sojourn in
the Enemys camp and are now with us. All the habits of the patient, both mental and bodily, are still in our
favour.

We see a bit about how the workers in Hell are treated when they make mistakes - and the expectations about desired
punishments for mistakes. Contrast that with how God treats his followers when we make mistakes.
First - a word about mistakes, from Charles Stanley's Walking wisely: Real guidance for life's journey.
Most of us make mistakes because we do not know the right choice or decision to make. We do not consciously say, I
am now going to make a mistake. Rather, we tend to make mistakes by being careless regarding
the needs or desires of others, by not asking the right questions, or by not taking into consideration
all the factors that are important to consider.
Most of the time our mistakes do not affect us alone. Others are nearly always involved. In fact, we tend to know we have
made a mistake because somebody else tells us so! When we seek Gods wisdom, He leads us to
decisions that are right, just, equitable, and good not only for us personally, but for everybody
involved. Gods Word says,
He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path. (Prov. 2:89)

So we see one thing right off - Wormwood's mistake may very well have been related to following the advice of his
mentor - Screwtape.Whereas - with us - if we follow the path that God has set for us - the mistake won't be
there. He won't lead us to someplace we shouldn't be - or into results that should not have happened.
But when we don't follow Him - when we make the mistake of not listening to Him - or hearing but ignoring - then
what?
There are so many examples of forgiveness in the Bible - I could put a bunch of them here - but I leave it for you to
do that - I am only going to choose one. It's from Luke 23:34. The scene is Jesus hanging on the cross -
waiting to die - with those responsible for His death gathered around watching. And Jesus says -
Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
A little later - still on the cross - between two criminals - one of them insulted Jesus while the other asks Jesus to
remember him when He goes to His kingdom. And Jesus says -
I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.
Even when we mess up - don't follow the way God sets for us - we still have that path back. God isn't asking us to
pay the price - He's already done that for us through Jesus.All we have to do is ask.
Screwtape - he's expecting that his own nephew will want to be punished - even though it's quite possible the only
thing Wormwood did was listen to his uncle Screwtape.
STL2 The trouble about argument is that it moves the whole struggle on to the Enemys own ground. He can
argue too; whereas in really practical propaganda of the kind I am suggesting He [God] has been shown for
centuries to be greatly the inferior of Our Father Below. By the very act of arguing, you awake the patients
reason; and once it is awake, who can foresee the result? Even if a particular train of thought can be twisted so
as to end in our favour, you will find that you have been strengthening in your patient the fatal habit of attending
to universal issues and withdrawing his attention from the stream of immediate sense experiences. Your
business is to fix his attention on the stream. Teach him to call it real life and dont let him ask what he means
by real.
What does Screwtape mean by "real life"?

Screwtape is referring to the ordinary, everyday existence that serves to distract humans.

For a very good like at "real life" - Ecclesiastes is a great book.

It starts off with -

Ecc 1:1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
Ecc 1:2 Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher. Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.
Ecc 1:3 What does man gain from all his laborat which he toils under the sun?
Ecc 1:4 Generations come and generations go,but the earth remains forever.
Ecc 1:5 The sun rises and the sun sets,and hurries back to where it rises.
Ecc 1:6 The wind blows to the southand turns to the north;round and round it goes,ever returning on its course. which
sounds pretty pointless. Actually - in some places it seems to get even worse!
And yet - the author ends with this great conclusion about "real life" -
Ecc 12:1 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach
when you will say, I find no pleasure in them
Ecc 12:2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain;
Ecc 12:3 when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are
few, and those looking through the windows grow dim;
Ecc 12:4 when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when men rise up at the sound of
birds, but all their songs grow faint;
Ecc 12:5 when men are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire no longer is stirred.
Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets. As bad as it may sound - and as bad as things
may seem Remember your Creator Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets.

"Real life" may be kind of not so good -

but if we remember our creator -
then when this life is done -
the mourners will still be in the streets mourning -
but we'll be spending the rest of eternity with our Creator (not mourning!)

1.5) Even as he tells Wormwood to keep the patient focused on "real life" - he is worried that "argument" - thinking &
reasoning - will move the struggle to The Enemy's ground. By the very act of arguing, you awake the patients reason;
Why would Screwtape be worried about this?

Rational argument would awaken the patients reason, and once it is awake, who can see the result? Screwtape is
afraid that rational argument may lead to Gods truth.
This is reminiscent of Isaiah 1:18-20 -
Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together,
Says the LORD,
Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
Isa 1:19 If you consent and obey,
You will eat the best of the land;
Isa 1:20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be devoured by the sword.
Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Can you even imagine being able to "reason together" with God?No wonder Screwtape is afraid of that.If we
even start to do that - to reason with God and get even a little bit from Him - / Wormwood / Satan are going to
lose that battle every time.
For example - here is one instance of Paul's reasoning and the outcome from it -
Ac 17:1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish
synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he
reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise
from the dead. This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ, he said. Some of the Jews were
persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few
prominent women.

STL16B Keep them watching their own minds and trying to produce feelings there by the action of their own
wills.
Screwtape says Teach them to estimate the value of each prayer by their success in producing the desired feeling; and
never let them suspect how much success or failure of that kind depends on whether they are well or ill, fresh or tired,
at the moment. Looking at 1 Kings 18 and 19, consider how being emotionally drained and tired impacted Elijah.

In Chapter 18 of 1 Kings, Elijah challenges the prophets of Ball to set an offering on fire - to show whether or not
Baal is "a god". They called out for the fire from morning until evening - and nothing happened. At the end of
the chapter verses 30-38, we see what Elijah did -
1Ki 18:30 Then Elijah said to all the people, Come here to me. They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the
LORD, which was in ruins. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from
Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, Your name shall be Israel. With the
stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to
hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood.
Then he said to them, Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.
1Ki 18:34 Do it again, he said, and they did it again.
Do it a third time, he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the
trench.
1Ki 18:36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and
Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all
these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that
you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.
1Ki 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up
the water in the trench.
That was amazing. One would expect Elijah to be on an emotional high after that.
And yet - in chapter 19:1-5 we see -
1Ki 19:1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So
Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by
this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.
1Ki 19:3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he
himself went a days journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and
prayed that he might die. I have had enough, LORD, he said. Take my life; I am no better than my
ancestors. Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
So Elijah's tired - and ready to lay down and die.
It's really hard to do much with that kind of attitude.
But - God did send Elijah back - and he went - and God was with Him.
And there's the key - to realize that even when we are exhausted and drained - God will give us the power to do
what He wants us to do.
That Elijah felt the way he did is something for us to note. First - that it does happen - even to someone like him.
Second - that he continued anyway - drawing his strength from God - is also an example for us to follow.
It's like Paul wrote in Philippians 3:12-14 -
Phil 3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of
it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on
toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
When God has something for us to do - He will give us the ability / strength to do it - with His help.
STL28-29 All sorts of virtues painted in the fantasy or approved by the intellect or even, in some measure, loved
and admired, will not keep a man from Our Fathers house: indeed they may make him more amusing when he
gets there
What does Screwtape mean when he says
All sorts of virtues painted in the fantasy or approved by the intellect or even, in some measure, loved and admired,
will not keep a man from Our Fathers house: indeed they may make him more amusing when he gets there.
While thinking about your response - remember - although he may not understand it - Satan (and Screwtape) know
Scripture.
In the end - there will be many surprised people. There will be many who expect to be in Heaven - bit won't be.
For instance - see Matthew 23:13-15 -
Mt 23:13 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in mens
faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
Mt 23:15 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single
convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
Clearly - as the leaders of the Jews - the Pharisees expect to be in a good place in Heaven. Here - Jesus is plainly telling
them exactly the opposite could happen.

And in Matthew 25:41-46 we read -

Mt 25:41 Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the
devil and his angels.
Mt 25:42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
Mt 25:43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in
prison and you did not look after me.
Mt 25:44 They also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or
in prison, and did not help you?
Mt 25:45 He will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.
Mt 25:46 Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
Here we have ordinary people - some who don't expect to be in Heaven - but they are. But we also have another case of
those who feel that where they should be - but won't be.
What Screwtape is saying is that the group who fully expect to be in Heaven - and especially those who feel entitled to be
in Heaven - are the most fun for the devils when they finally realize that they are in the house of the "father below".