Omega Hurts
His eyes ran down his throat…
They told his ears that Born called him a foreigner…
His face turned with thee flushing toilet water…
Costing Moses…
Looking removed…
He smelled like 20 men moved in him…
Mohammed set thee bush on fire…
His mother was not here or there…
His words left with thee rising of thee sun…
His colours fall limp…
His muse screams rape…
His dance was forced…
His time came.
Screwtape
Is it true what they say? That fact is stranger than fiction. After reading both A Modest Proposal and The Screwtape Letters I can honestly say that it is true. Both installments contain their share of sarcasm and ridicule yet the light they shed on their subject matters are painfully accurate. Whether the writers intended offense to be taken by a reader guilty of such deeds or the systems set in place to create the underling tragedy is not clear but that is part of the genius of the text.
In A Modest Proposal readers would find it hard to not feel ill after reading the graphic acts of cannibalism prescribed by the author as the remedy for poverty. We are slowly fostered into this new solution with us as the explanatory tone by the character. Lewis’ view of this method of luring humanity away from God and into to depravity referenced in the Screwtape Letters is similar and guilty of being a tried and proven way to achieve the theft of the faith in a Christian. By slowly attacking the social state of men, women and children, making references to the positive outcomes pending and scoffing at any other recommended solution the Proposal to kill, cook and eat humans slid from socio-economic coffee shop talk to spiritual perversion and wickedness. The careful placements of religious ridicule, though intended to be humorous was actually the nail in the coffin.
Humor laced within the sadistic tail also caused me to recall Lewis’ ideology on the types of people and their laughter and what it is that really causes them to laugh. Laughter of joy and fun could never be a product of A Modest Proposal. The humor more so tugs at Joke Proper and Flippancy. The Joke Proper has the ability to destroy shame and hide the cruelty of the situation and there was no shortage of either in the Proposal. Lewis strongest weapon against spiritual virtue is last but surely not least as it is the most fitting source of laughter for the occasion. The entire Proposal hints that all parties involved: writer, characters and readers have already lost respect for life and so the joke is implied within the entire text, even the portions that are educational, such as the demographics and social habits of the victims and victimizers. Flippancy, Lewis states “ …is thousands of miles away from joy: deadens, instead of sharpening, the intellect; and it excites no affection between those who practice it.”
It is my firm belief that the author used satire to relate the story in a manner that was sure to disgust the reader, as it should. On several levels I found myself wondering about the deplorable conditions of mankind. The Proposal addresses domestic violence but only as it relates to the selling of the wives unborn baby for food later down the line. It addresses child labor, animal cruelty and teenage pregnancy but again only in contrast to food consumption. The pitch for the new project to save the poor and needy sounds like something Screwtape himself would pitch to a believer in a weakened state. It was done with such care to detail, the research of birth per season, the cross-references with colleges in other countries, he left no room for the mind to retaliate for such a gross reasoning. Wormwood would be so proud to head that project up.
Satire is truly a form of psychological humor and the topic is surely a product of psychological illness. The shock value of the writing style made the read easy and memorable but in was the infusion of “not so funny” that caused the uproar within my spirit, perhaps more so than if it had been written as an informative article. Another benefit I see in this form of delivery is it can, in some people cushion the blow of horrible news as with many other forms of humor. Many comedians joke about the ills of their society as away to earn a living. But if we look deeper into it we can see the irony of comedy, the jokes are funniest when they are true and besides, laughter is the best medicine.
The Holy Bible reads that:
Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession. [Prov.28:10] The writings of C.S. Lewis show the struggles of Christianity from many vantage points. As a collection my Spring 2010 semester’s readings led to the divine re-education on the concept[s] of evil. What is evil? And more importantly how should we deal with it?
The Screwtape Letters where Lewis’ creative way of showcasing a series of letters between demonic forces who sort to pull man away from his belief in G_d. In this case, Lewis’ take on evil is that evil is spiritual and deliberate. The evil forces in The Screwtape Letters planned attacks on the faithful and refined their strategies to a science, all this due to their need for man to worship the devil instead of G_d. This type of evil was methodical, it had a purpose and a goal and dear I say the demons had a mission equivalent to that if a Christian missionary. They sort an end product for their toil and that was the loss of a soul and even a life.
Lewis’ works covered evil as a fleeting spirit that manipulates the mind of humanity, evil as a careless relationship between two than ends in suffering and evil that slips with us threw the door to the other side. In totality the works of Lewis , when read in relation to the things that we have some control of in life can serve as a map to navigate thru the many twist and turns we encounter as we fellowship. Yes evil is a hidden foe but as Christians learn and grow towards perfecting their love for each other such literature on the subject matters that plague our congregation can only add to more testimonies as to the grace of Christ.
In the Spring of 2010, while a student at Washington Bible College in Lanham, Maryland I was an assignment to write a letter to Screwtape or Wormwood as if I were one of the characters. The letter read like this:
To: Mr.Screwtape
cc: Mr.Wormwood
For years now I have sat quietly and listened as the two of you aimlessly search for the best route to set me on the wrong path in order to destroy my faith and even my life. It is only myself respect that allowed me to hold my thoughts and tongue till now.
You both know full well the G_d is real and all powerful yet your joy is found only in the spreading of lies and confusion about there being another worthy of praise while hiding yourselves in the shadows of doubt found in humanity. I am sure you both know the scripture has addressed there is no hiding place from Him. No fig leaf or mind game can render a believer of non believer safe from the guidance or judgments of G_d.
With all your plots and plans you conspire in vain. You are as much at the mercy of G_d as a new born who is unaccustomed to the light of the world. Perhaps, even more now than as a child I have learned to keep the ways of G_d close to my heart. You two are still lost in your own web of lies and deceit waiting for me to believe that up is down.
I pray you find time to reevaluate the word of G_d once more and see that your hatred of Him has set you under His feet when you could have been at his feet. Even with all the false wisdom of your devilish father I am still in love with G_d and able to pray that you some day see the reason why.
Patient
C.S. Lewis writes about The Gradual Road to Hell
Screwtape explains to Wormwood that G_d favors followers who serve Him due to and/or during their lowest point. As Screwtape sees it G_d loves that His servants seek Him in order to recover and when the troughs have turned to peaks he delights when they attempt to walk on their own two feet. Screwtape expresses concern with the process and is clearly intimidated by G_ds’ special favorites who have endured especially long and hard down periods. They pray better, survive on the faintest of communication and due to periods when they grew reliant on G_d, they tend to resemble Him and continue to do His works regardless of the obstacles placed in their way.
I have had the experience(s) Wormwood explained to Screwtape. During stages of depression I have had to rely totally on spiritual substances from G_d in order to replenish myself. Once that down period of my life is passed it is impossible to tempt me away from G_d. It is a choice, I am not made to stay at His feet but I stay because He is the source of life and love and consistently there. The feeling of being forsaken comes and goes; still, each time I have forgotten that He is with me always He corrects the thought. My bouts with depression use to last for months, now the bouts are much shorter and I no longer accept the thought that G_d has left me.
C.S. Lewis writes about Pleasurable Manipulations
Pleasure came as an invitation from God writes Screwtape. He continues by adding that the devil is unable to provide pleasure for man but that he can encourage humans to over indulge in the pleasures provided to them. Screwtape writes that moderation in a patient is only desired by the devil as it pertains to religion. Screwtape explains the amusement that comes with a patient having that type of mind set and how Wormwood can manipulate the Bible verse to make a patient feel content with not being fulfilled.
C.S. Lewis writes about Treacherous Friends
Screwtape assures Wormwood that the patient’s new friends are going to be a great tool for controlling the mind of the patient. He continues by stating that the patient’s friends will expose him to elements of life that contradict his faith and create internal conflict on some level. The patient will eventually develop two parallel lives and grow treacherous to both sets of friends, all the while feeling as if he is blessing the people he has deceived.
C.S. Lewis writes about The Devils Laughter
Screwtape describes the types of laughter as those caused by joy, fun, joke proper and flippancy. The preference of the devil, however, is flippancy. Screwtape suggest that persons who use this type of humor tend to be without joy and affection. He continues to explain that the flippancy joke is usually a sign that person finds the subject manner ridiculous.
C.S. Lewis writes about Dead Drops -vs- The Gradual Decline
Screwtape provides verbal illustration on how to coax a man away from G_d. Screwtape reasoned with Wormwood that the gradual slop would do the trick verses the dead drop which would cause the patient to snap back to reality and send then hurdling back to G_d.
As far as this theory is concerned, I can only speak for myself. I believe all individuals have a personal relationship with G_d and so I would not be the one to say what road another being is on.
I can see where I was before and where I am now and only testify as to how G_d took me out of certain situations. The way a smoker sees smoking and a drinker sees drinking reminds me of the way my mind had the ability to convince me that I was not addicted. I never confessed to being an alcoholic or drug addict. No matter the amount I consumed it was always in moderation. Gradually the time and money I would spend doing things that proved productive turned into social hour. I am not sure when I heard G_d explain what the issue was, but it seemed to come clear one day that I was self medicating. I believe the Word of G_d is the equivalent to the dead drop and the coax of the devil is the gradual decline.
C.S. Lewis writes about Last Rights
Screwtape sees death as a pleasing and refreshing opportunity to lead a soul to hell due to the periods of suffering prior to their death.
It is my belief that all humans across the globe have different views of death. I myself do not think about death except in a Biblical context.
Screwtape fells it best for all humans to die in costly nursing homes among doctors, nurses and friends who lie and do not make a priest available until the last minute.
C.S. Lewis writes about Dead Drops -vs- The Gradual Decline
I seldom give the devil any thought as my life is God centered.
I believe that it could be possible that there are demons assigned to ruin the lives of certain individuals. All threw out history we have seen that the great leaders of a society have had to overcome great tribulations in order to testify to G_d’s greatness. Many have lost their lives prematurely, leaving the earth to strive towards good. It is my theory that had those same people been less concerned with Go_ and more in love with man the devil would have never noticed them and their lives would have been easier.
C.S. Lewis writes about Temptation
Lewis sees man as food for the tempters. Man is called a patient in the Screwtape letters but I believe the term patient is used in contradiction to the medical term. It seems as though Wormwood has been couching Screwtape on how to weaken the patient instead of making them stronger. Once in the weakened state the patient becomes a tempter as well.
Lewis describes Christ’s goal for man as a sort of evolution from convert to converter. The process by which the patient learns to rely on G_d is in complete opposition to the coaxing of the tempter yet the two worked to validate the love and power of G_d. In the end, it seemed that the fears that Screwtape suffered from stemmed from were due to man who chose to serve G_d after being exposed to the Devil.
C.S. Lewis writes about Fish and Onions
Screwtape explains to Wormwood that the patient should be led to abandon the many things that give him pleasure and be molded to cultivate a finer selection in order to limit the pleasures available. Screwtape’s concern with the patient having to many pleasures stem from his knowledge that the patient is more likely to maintain innocence and humility, virtues which are loved by G_d and distrusted by the devil. Screwtape referenced a patient being pulled away from temptation by having a love of fish and onions.
The patient’s repentance makes Screwtape nervous because it could be pressures to action. The patients repetitive actions could cause the creation of new habits, those new habits could cause the patient to be strengthened. In any case the devil would prefer the patients to do nothing but wallow.
C.S. Lewis writes about Corruption of Patients
Wormwood mentors Screwtape to corrupt the patient’s definition of humility in order to promote self hatred. Wormwood says the benefits of the patients false sense of humility is that in many cases it will cause them to believe many types of lies that causes the mind to spin endlessly it aims to achieve the impossible.
Wormwood states that the goal of G_d is to restore mans self love, charity and gratitude.
C.S. Lewis writes about The Future of Humans
Screwtape writes that G_d wants humans to attend to the future. As Screwtape explains, a human who is convinced that there hope will become manifest in the future does not ever take into consideration what G_d has already done. Also Screwtape writes that said state of mind of that patient leaves them in a constant state of disappointment.
I think that my inability to accept what G_d has done for me keeps me from becoming complacent, yet I rarely think that way. For the most part my faith that G_d has kept me and my household is consistently my frame of reference towards life.
Thee Birth of Pain
Thee Problem of Pain states that “when pain is to be borne, a little courage helps more than much knowledge, a little sympathy more than much courage, and the least tincture of the love of God more than all.”
I agree with the statement made by Lewis in the preface of The Problem of Pain at first glance. After analyzing what it was he was actually suggesting I began to think that knowledge perhaps should have come first instead of last on the list of attributes needed to cope with pain. It is my belief that knowledge of the source of pain and the knowledge of why it was inflicted upon a person can aid the person[s] involved to heal from a painful situation. For example it is easier to help a friend when they explain why they need help verses the friend demanding help of you. Yet the way Lewis states it has revealed that it is the smallest inclination to love that opens your mind to hear any such explanation. After hearing the reasons one can feel anger and/or sympathy, either way courage is needed to assist. So I do agree with the ingredients, it is my formula that would be a little different.
Lewis states that there are 4 “strands or elements” found in the Christian religion:
Strand 1:Thee Numinous Presence
Lewis describes numinous as the feeling that overtakes a person when they are in a supernatural presence. It is little different from fear and/or dread and usually causes the believer to prostrate due to the disturbance it causes.
I believe the numinous presence referred to in The Problem of Pain writings are the equivalent to a Christians’ conviction in the spirit. No one tells you that you are convicted it simply is. It is the presence that knows what you have done or what you are doing, not the congregation or the pastor. The Christian is then to serve their time rectifying the situation that leads to the conviction in order for the dread to become calming, as I believe it is always present it is only our thoughts of the numinous presence that changes but from it there is nowhere to hide.
Strand 2:The Numinous Morality
Lewis continues to explain the four strands of Christian religion by touching on numinous morality. This form of morality comes from a believer’s knowledge of the law and continued disobedience of it.
Due to Lewis explanation of morality I have come to believe that once the law is known it is always known even if not heeded. I believe guilt is the offspring of morality. If we do not have a wrong and right way to do things then we would never feel guilt once it was done.
Strand 3:The Numinous Power
Lewis states that the numinous power feels like protection for a person who is obligated to their own morality.
My interpretation of the numinous power is based on my belief that only God can control the universe. Therefore if I am in fear of something I attribute it to my relationship to God and nothing else.
Strand 4: The Numinous Event
The final strand found in Christian religion, Lewis states, is birth of Christ and the revelation to mankind that He would conquer the vices of the world and reign as King.
The numinous event of the birth of Christ has never been presented to me in the form Lewis did within the introduction of this book. From what I was able to absorb from this new perspective of Christianity, Christ birth shifted the realms in the earth from absolute to perceived, from knowing to believing. Christians are able to put faith in God instead of man and see the result manifest because Christ proved Himself and His teachings true. This makes the birth of Christ not only an event but a opening to a separate reality, set apart from pre-Christian civilization and able to operate above the restraints known to the non-believers.
C.S. Lewis on thee creation of pain:
Lewis explains the creation of “the problem of pain” by addressing the unhappiness of mankind. Lewis supports his opinion by pointing out that God either has no desire to make man happy either He cannot because He is limited. Regardless to both causes of the human unhappiness the effect is still the problem of pain.
C.S. Lewis on thee omnipotence of G_d:
What does it mean to say that God is omnipotent?
Omnipotence is the power God has to do all things known to Him.
Lewis writes that the Omnipotence of God is contingent on formal and informal definitions and the human frame of reference which I completely disagree with. Lewis’ constant comparison of God to man seemed to me to belittle the truth of Gods infinite power and creativity. Lewis seems to feel that if man cannot then God could not and so he based his explanation of Gods omnipotence on his own abilities and faith or lack thereof.
This is the second installment of Lewis’ that caused me to question his reasoning on the subject of God. His years of unbelief taint his words and hint at God being limited by the thoughts and actions of man.
That is not an issue if one has already developed a one on one relationship with God but I would not recommend his writings to ones who have recently come into the knowledge of Christ.
C.S. Lewis on thee intrinsic possibilities:
What is the difference between something that is intrinsically possible and something that is intrinsically impossible?
Lewis explains what he believes to be the intrinsic possibilities of God by again limiting what God is able to do as he compares it with what man is able to do.
Gods intrinsic impossibilities, according to Lewis are dictated by the laws of nature that apply to man.
C.S. Lewis on freedom:
What is the ultimate choice that God has given man by giving him freedom? Why might that choice contribute to the problem of pain?
By giving man freedom he is able to practice the right to free will. The use of free will can be beneficial but unfortunately man generally does the wrong thing which leads to the problem of pain.
C.S. Lewis on thee fear of G_d:
Lewis states that if it were at all possible that God was not good that we humans would also lose that need for goodness and would have to serve God because they are afraid of Him.
The issue with serving a God who is not good but threatening is that a person could soon realize that they have been worshiping something other than God all together.
C.S. Lewis on thee heavenly grandfather:
Lewis explains the love a father to a son in order to create a perspective of God’s love for mankind. The Father in Heaven, Lewis writes is in love with mankind to an authoritative extent. Mankind is to obey the Father as His wisdom is forever superior to ours.
Lewis further elaborates by reminding readers that God is not in any way senile or drowsy but He is the all consuming fire.
C.S. Lewis on love within our own families:
Lewis writes that many believe that love and kindness are interchangeable. This reasoning he claims is incorrect. Kindness, Lewis explains, is void of wrong or right. Kindness is indifferent. Love requires maintenance and is far from impartial.
Within my own family I see that I am guilty of switching out love for kindness when my loved one[s] have upset me with their words and/or actions. In hopes that I can salvage the situation I tend to remove the judgments from my words in order to be kind. The way that Lewis explains it is that Love contains a level of law and mankind is rebuked because of the love God has for us.
C.S. Lewis on preaching about human wickedness:
The first reason Lewis provides for preaching on human wickedness is to clarify what virtues are needed to replace the ills on a wicked man. Lewis provides explanation of what true virtue is and how it is practiced currently and how it can stand to be improved upon.
The second reason provided by Lewis for the need to preach on human wickedness is to address the role that Psychoanalysis has ha d on mankind. Lewis warns that any doctrine that wishes to rid man of all shame should be seen as a hazard to human development.
C.S. Lewis on the “olde sense of sin”:
The old sense of sin that Lewis addressed referenced that audience that Christ spoke with initially. Christ teachings are meant to penetrate the heart, minds and souls of sinners who feel guilty and want to change. If mankind has become guilt free and still calls themselves follows of Christ then the results of that faith will look more like hatred of God than love.
C.S. Lewis on Monism and Dualism:
Monism is a theory used to simplify life for those who are not able and/or willing to recognize the depth of Gods’ creation. It makes the earth flat so that the sector of mankind that believes in it does not have to think to hard about the realms of God that they cannot grasp.
Dualism on the other hand acknowledges that there is good and evil in life but it too seeks to keep this theory simple. I read in history that the most pagan civilizations of the earth also took heed to the rights and wrongs in their cultures but it was not until the rise of Judeo-Christian civilization that this knowledge of good and evil was placed at the feet of one God without waver.
C.S. Lewis on the Fall of Man:
The biblical fall of man is written to be the spiritual death of Adam and subsequently Eve and the reason Christ had to die and conquer death to redeem humanity. Adam or man was entrusted with Eve his bride to care for and protect. God gave them free reign over all living things with one stipulation. They could not indulge in the fruits of one tree. Due to deceit, either on the part of the Devil in guise of a serpent or on the part of Adams trusted companion, Eve, Adam fell from grace and lost the trust of God. Eve blamed the serpent and Adam then blamed the Eve and God blamed and punished all three for their irresponsibility and attempted plot to deceive Him.
C.S. Lewis on St.Augustine:
Pride was the cause of the original sin as thought by St. Augustine. I do not agree. I believe the reasons I do things to get myself in tight situations is because I have poor communication skills with both God and mankind. I do not believe myself to be so proud as to not feel ashamed or humbled by a good teacher or priest etc. It is when I am threatened, teased or just fall in to remembrance of hard lessons I’ve learned over time I stop trying to build my relationship with God and the people around me. This looks like anger sometimes or sadness.
Silly as my point may be, life would have been much simpler if Adam and Eve could communicated their curiosity to God and/or told God that they felt tempted. It is easy for me to say in hind sight however, I was not the one under pressure that day.
C.S. Lewis on thee symptoms of thee spiritual fall:
Lewis explains the decline of mankind due to the fall of Adam by referencing the gifts of the spirit and the weaknesses of the flesh. Man went from having power second only to God to relying on natures biological functions to maintain its vessel. Thought patterns were also changed as mankind had to learn to rationalize their deterioration. Animals were soon to follow.
C.S. Lewis on thee 3 good results of pain:
Pain can, when heeded give way to improvement in mankind’s behavior. A man who has fallen upon remembering the pain cause by his previous decision may have thoughts of repercutions for his future actions and change his behavior.
Secondly pain can serve as a warning before we are hurt irreversibly. Lewis writes that there is a less intense pain that acures before anguish that alerts us to trouble in a particular situation.
Finally, pain can unmask evil. Pain is a sign that the behavior we engage in that causes the pain is wrong.
C.S. Lewis on retributive punishment:
Retributive punishment is when mankind is punished in accordance with the crime committed
After doing some reflecting, what has been meaningful to you in this learning experience? Record some thoughts on what you have learned in this section of assignments. As a reminder, here are some probing questions to guide your response: What new thoughts or perspectives have come to you? What positions have you been forced to defend, if any? What attitudes do you have now compared to what you had before you studied this course content and learned this information? How can you apply some things you learned to your life, work and ministry?
The Problem of Pain seeks to aid the reader in thinking deeply about their actions and even their thought processes. Many of the reasoning written by Lewis in the book never even stood out to me. Having read The Problem of Pain I will no doubt pay closer attention to the situations that I place myself in that cause me to suffer.
I think the best way to apply what I learn from the section is to address the root of the problems and not the effect the problem has had. Lewis shows that pain is a result of have done something prior to the pain. If we heed the first inclination of mild discomfort we can avoid further anguish by making better decisions or we can stick our hand right into the flame and later think about what we could have done differently
I have friends in my life now that contribute to my suffering. Not to the point that I can sit with them and say that it is a particular behavior that bothers me about them. It is a general pain and since I could not pin point the cause or root I would always push it aside and still try to be a friend. From what I read from Lewis I think I need to correct my behavior before I find out the hard way what my pain sensor is trying to say about some of my friends and or environments.
C.S. Lewis on G_d’s ability to forgive:
Lewis struggles between scripture and mans perception of God’s forgiveness within the chapter on Hell. He states that mankind is confused by the knowledge of a retributive punishment that comes from a merciful God and seeks to help the reader distinguish between the forgiveness of sin and the condoning of it.
From the points Lewis has raised, it is a combination of lack of faith and inability to comprehend the purpose of Christ death that confounds man on the topic of hell. If the man doubts that Christ has the power to wash away sins then he is in essence in hell already and mans lack of ability to admit to his sin can be the cause him to life in hell indefinitely.
C.S. Lewis on thee birth of physical pain:
Lewis believes that pain entered the animal world threw Satan. He writes that there is reason to believe that animals were in the earth before man and had already been corrupted by the forces of darkness and that is why man was tempted to evil.
C.S. Lewis on G_d’s outstanding gift:
Lewis implies that heaven is the most outstanding gift promised to mankind. He questions the depth of longing man has as pertains to the experience of heaven and if, with all out faults, we even have desire for anything else.