CS Lewis: The ScrewTape Letters

[zootzootrs]

I think this woman needs a cup of COFFEE, bad!

[BrWarrior247]

Thats a wonderful review. Thanks! God loves you, and everybody.

:D

[jessepait111]

I think you are very charming!

[skutre]

Oh well

That's my favorite part about Magical Thinking. It takes things like biological urges, destructive behaviors and psychological archetypes, personifies them, thereby externalizing them, removing the responsibility from the actor.

That person is not a bad person, they are succumbing to their 'demons', which are some sort of supernatural external gremlin twhachamacallits.

Of course if the person behaves in a positive, creative or humane manner, then obviously

GODIDDIT .

[earth2k8]

My general impression of Lewis's thought is that he first took a philosophical/spiritual stance and then used his prodigious intellect to justify it. He would deny this - he says he was dragged kicking and screaming into Christianity, but I don't buy it. I think he liked to think he was, but what he was really doing was avoiding the insecurity of agnosticism. He always ends up taking refuge in fundamentalism. I would not call him a courageous thinker.

[deidzoeb]

2k8, you hit the nail on the head. I started reading "Miracles" by Lewis, gave up in ch 3 or 4 because his arguments tended to be "It seems inconceivable [to me] that this could have happened this way, therefore God did it." Maybe I'll watch a couple of TheoWarner's videos on the subject and just make video responses.

He spends chapter 2 defining "Naturalism" with strawman arguments so he can knock it down easily. Melinda said I'd probably like Screwtape tho, so I'll try that.

[earth2k8]

Hi! I had CS Lewis force fed to me as a young adult - and a steady diet of general born again bible believing evangelical I'm saved they're not dogma long before that! I never watch theowarner - don't know what he's about, have limied time for the Ytube. Nice to hear from you!

[earth2k8]

Also, he did write some really interesting stuff - Narnia, Till We Have Faces, Out of the Silent Planet - but his true creativity always becomes a platform for the rigidity of his religious/philosophical thought. He was friends with Tolkien, part of writing circle with him, and I think he competed with Tolkien in a literary way. But Tolkien, I always felt, dealt with truths, and Lewis with dogmas. Tolkiens literary worlds ring true, Lewis's worlds are always a little contrived.

[deidzoeb]

I'm looking forward to finally reading the rest of Narnia soon, but I hope I can put the logical fallacies out of mind that I read in Miracles. Sort of like trying to enjoy a movie with Tom Cruise in it by putting out of mind his claims that mental illness can be treated with just exercise and vitamins. ...or like enjoying a Woody Allen or Polanski movie, I suppose. It's not always easy, or possible.

[Loreleila]

I love the Screwtape Letters but it can tie your head in knots because it's all a mirror image. In a way thats the joy of it, it makes you question the validity of that type of thinking.

[pairunoyd]

careful mel.

[theowarner]

I'm glad you read this book... it's one of my favorites, truth be told.

[schoolmaster1945]

Hello Mel, Interesting as always....There is a little devil in all of us...."Evil" spelled backwards is "Live".....the devil made me do it.....a good excuse...well I must try to find that wormhole and locate Wormwood...regards...

[randyhelzerman]

I'm surprised the book was anti-liberal; "screwtape and wormwood" always seemed to me to have vaguely homoerotic overtones.

[melsbasketcase]

There is a video on here with a theatrical production of the book and Wormwood is played by a female. I can't remember if the book specified Wormwood's gender.

[jackandmeg2001]

@melsbasketcase

What production would that be? Sounds extremely interesting.

[Stardweller1]

@melsbasketcase It did. Wormwood was male.

[theowarner]

So true... "Uncle" and "Nephew." Yeah, right...

[popthekeen89]

@randyhelzerman , uhhh screwtape and wormwood are incomprehensible spiritual beings drunk on suffering, manipulation and spiritual degredation, i can only see an idiot as interpreting the undertone of their dialogue as "homo-erotic".

[randyhelzerman]

@popthekeen89 Calling me an idiot eh? *chuckle* dude it was a joke; rent a sense of humor.

[ReligionThink]

Glad you liked it Mel!  I thought the exchange in the book was humorous.