Screwtape Proposes a Toast

"Screwtape Proposes a Toast" was alot different than the letter just because I felt it to be less humorous. I really found it interesting that he talked about the quality of of sinners that are going to hell. I think that is so true. People need to really realized that even though we do little sins, we are still sinning. Sin is sin and it is wrong to committ sin. We should try to work on sinning in general. Just because we arent committing murder and adultery doesnt mean that we are in God's good graces. I think that we need to work on ourselves as a whole and not judge others based on our and their sins.

Letter 25

I thought this blog was very interesting and easy to relate to. In this letter, Screwtape was upset because the patients friend is a Christian. Of course he doesn't want this. He refers to Christianity as a trend and doesn't want the patient to be friends with him because he believes that he will be influenced by his religion. A lot of people believe this as well. They don't want people's spiritual beliefs to rub off on them because they don't want to be "brainwashed" and I think that is wrong. We are given free will. If you want believe something believe it. If not, don't believe it. People who are Christians though should not force their beliefs on others though. It is up to a person to determine what they believe in. It seems like a lot of people like to force ideas on others and this is not what God wants.

Screwtape Letter 20

I really believe that letter twenty tells a lot about our society and men these days. When men are looking for mates, they are easily attracted to a women that looks how society has framed out someone should look. In our society today, we are told that women who are attractive are skinny, don’t wear a lot of clothes, have long hair, who are flirtatious and give the guy a lot of attention. Guys are no longer looking for women who have substance. They are always looking at the physical appearance first and then try to find something inside. I think this is why we have a lot of failed marriages in our society. People should look for mates not just based on the outside and what they can get based on the outside, but look in the inside. If we can really look at someone from the inside out, they will be a truly beautiful person in and out and that’s the best relationship to have.

Letter 14

I think letter 14 says a lot about our society and many people today. It is so easy today for people to get hard on themselves when they do not succeed in something or someone puts them down. This leads to a lot of internal conflict. I think that the devil’s aim is really to tear down people and their self-esteem. Once he is able to do that, we turn to some of the temporary joys that I talked about in my last letter such as alcohol, sex, and drugs. Even though we are happy when we are experiencing these joys, we find out that they are not long-lasting. Our problems are long-lasting until we find the appropriate guidance. A lot of people have difficult times asking people for help when they have self-esteem issues, but that is such an important time to ask people for help. It is important also to mention that the people you talk to should be positive and not also struggling with self-esteem issues and wanting to tear you down. Like people say “misery enjoys company”. I think that really in order to really find an inner strength, we need to pray and talk to the Lord for his guidance.

Screwtapes 7-9

The letter that I chose to focus on is letter 9. I believe that letter 9 is very fitting to how society is today. Many people get a temporary joy when they go out and drink, do drugs and have random sex. We are a culture that basically says, “Have a bad day? Go to Happy Hour.” This is such a problem today. When we are out trying to feel better about our day and situation, we are only receiving joy temporarily. Our joy quickly fades the next morning when we are hung over and still facing the same troubles we were before. The devil gets excited when we do this. God didn’t intend for us to have meaningless sex with multiple partners just for pleasure. It is intended to happen with a spouse to reproduce and to enjoy with that person as well. Drugs can be categorized just like alcohol. We can get an easy high with drugs and experience immense pleasure but once that high is over, we are still the same person with the same problems. I am not perfect and have myself fallen for some of these temporary pleasures, but I do know that God’s love along with love from loved one’s is a joy and pleasure that is natural, unconditional, and not temporary.

Screwtapes 4-6

I really felt that letter 4 talked about something we take for granted, prayer. I think that the comment about Prayer was very true and I agreed with it fully. Many people think that prayer is something that we can do without too much structure, and at some point I agree with it, but in many ways I dont. I remember when I was little I would always pray while in bed because I was too lazy and tired to get outta bed. I always used to get so frustrated when my mom made us get out of bed and kneel on the side of it. Now it is easy to see why. God wants us to pray, but as Christians, we cant get used to praying sloppy, like the letter from Wormwood says. In my opinion when we pray we should be in total meditation about God and what we are praying for. We should avoid any outside interuptions that aren't of God. Like letter 4 stated, the devil gets excited when we have the television or radio with non-things on during prayer. If the devil can compromise us when we are praying, what else can he have us do? This is when we lose sight on making a connection with God. When I was a child, I didnt understand the importance of being in total meditiation, but as an adult, see this as being important.

Chapters 1-3

I found the Screwtapes Letters to be very humorous and engaging. At first, it took me a while to really get into the reading, I found myself re-reading a lot of sections. But after I really understood that it was a satire about Christianity from the Devil’s point of view, I laughed. I really found it interesting that he made comment about people how we tend to judge others, but yet keep our true identities hidden from others. Many times, people do this so that they cant experience hurt for various reasons. On the opposite end, many people keep thoughts and feelings to themselves that could be important. What would have happened if Einstein kept to himself? These days, we are in a society where people aren’t allowed to show others who they really are because it may force them to constantly be on guard about the person they are. My question is who are we to judge anyone? We all have different attributes that make us different. It is not anyone’s responsibility to judge what is inside of us. In class, we were talking about the NIU tragedy and it just makes me wonder if it would have occurred if the suspect was able to talk out to someone and not hide his true self. Maybe he just needed someone to take the time and listen. We all do.