The Screwtape Letters: An Exploration of Christianity.

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The Screwtape Letters: An Exploration of Christianity

        C.S. Lewis has written many books on Christianity but none of them compare to The Screwtape Letters, written 1942. He has a great advantage for writing these books on Christianity. Being a former atheist he has two views on Christianity; one as an outsider, and secondly as an insider, a Christian. The Screwtape Letters is not only a book exposing the view of devils on Christianity but in a way an indirect autobiography of C.S. Lewis. In his book, Lewis is not contemplating the existence of God, but the whole of Christianity. In The Screwtape Letters, Lewis claims to have found these letters, somewhere, somehow, he does not explain. Throughout the book, Screwtape is advising his nephew, Wormwood, on how to convert his patient over to the Devil’s side. There are many methods to doing this but that is not the most important point in The Screwtape Letters. What is truly important is that the novel explores the good and the bad of Christianity. The main issues addressed in The Screwtape Letters are: the church as an institution; the question of love, and the theory of time. All these issues can be looked at as either optimistic or pessimistic. And indeed, in reality, they are both good and bad.

        

        Christianity is broken down into two main denominations; Catholicism and Protestantism. Both denominations are centered around churches. Churches can be seen in two lights, as evil or as virtuous. Lewis seems to have many different opinions on churches. In The Screwtape Letters he addresses the negative and positive elements of churches in general.

        Generally the visible church is a building, perhaps with a steeple or with a large altar at the front. But it is always a place where people congregate to listen to a priest, reverend, minister, or whoever the church leader may be, tell them about the Bible. It may seem innocent enough, but this is where the church falls apart. Churches, in this sense, are a contradiction to Christianity. Christianity is about unity and love. Dividing the Christian faith into denominations creates a sense of competition and distinction, maybe even a sort of prejudice from one church to another. Sure, not everybody believes in the same thing and there are many interpretations of the Bible but they still should have the base at which they can identify with one another. They all believe that a great man walked on this earth and changed the way we think. They all believe that this man was Jesus. All Christians should be able to connect on the basis of mere Christianity.

        This is only one of the problems of the physical/visible church. The visible church also encourages the personification of God. Screwtape, in The Screwtape Letters, encourages his young nephew, Wormwood, to ensure that the patient directs his prayer towards some object or some vision of God. “But whatever the nature of the composite object, you must keep him praying to it—the thing that he has made not to the Person who has made him. You may even encourage him to attach a great importance to the correction and improvement of his composite object…” (Lewis 24-25). This object may be a crucifix, or a picture of the white Jesus, maybe even an imagined man, or a church. Despite popular belief, God is not an old man with a long white beard sitting on a throne in the clouds. God is something that humans cannot put into a form of any sort. God has no characteristics that humans can paint or sculpt or materialize in any shape. When the patient is praying to an idol he was breaking on the commandments: You shall not make for yourself any carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above. God is omnipresent. One does not have to go to a church to pray to God, nor does he/she have to say his/her prayers in front of an object, and most certainly prayers should not be directed towards an imaginary man in the clouds. By having the patient direct his prayers towards an object or idea Wormwood would be taking the patient’s mind off of the real importance of prayer, communication with God. Praying in a church or to a crucifix not only personifies God but it also creates a sense of materialism. There seems to be an attachment to that particular item to which is prayed to. A sense of duty to keep it in a particular state develops and thus materialism also takes a form. The dangers of praying to something, somewhere, other than God are atrocious and Lewis identifies that in his book.

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        Since the patient is an adult convert he already has one way set in his mind. When he goes to the church he will not see the concept behind it right away. Instead he will see the physical aspects of the church. The books are badly written, none of the services make sense, and the people look ridiculous. “Provided that any of those neighbours sing out of tune or have boots that squeak, or double-chins, or odd clothes, the patient will quite easily believe that their religion must therefore be somehow ridiculous” (Lewis 15). Screwtape later goes on to talk ...

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