Letter 29: Despair

Review:
Letter 28 talked about growing old and loosing an enthusiasm for doing God's will. Are we relying on our experience rather than the Lord?

 Outline:
  • Screwtape discusses with Wormwood how to make the patient react to the fact that the Germans will bomb his home town. He bring up three choices: Courage, Cowardice, or Hatred.
  • Courage won't work because the demons have never been successful in producing a virtue. Though if a man has a virtue they can use it against him via pride.
  • Hatred they can produce especially with conditions present (noise, danger, and fatigue). They can use deception in making him feel hatred, not for himself, but for the women and children. (though he doesn't see their enemies as his own)
  • Hatred is great when mixed with Fear (cowardice). It is a painful emotion and offsets the "pleasure" of Hatred. However, fear is one vice of which the Enemy has never been able to make proud.
  • Have to be careful of fear/cowardice because this can end up showing the patient that he really does need the Lord. It brings the harsh reality of life to bear. Screwtape warns that "by making your man a coward; he may learn too much about himself!"
  • There is the chance that this could lead to despair, in that he doesn't feel he deserves to be forgiven when he really sees who he is. "Despair is a greater sin than any of the sins which provoke it."
  • To drive this fear, make the patient think he must do or not do a series of things in order for good to happen. That will take his mind off of the Lord.

Terminology:


  • Attila - Attila the Hun.
  • Shy lock - money lender in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice who was a hardhearted, greedy person.
  • Susceptibility - nature as to permit, or without much resistance
  • Anodyne - something that relieves pain, soothing


Questions/Discussions:
Small Group Exercise:
  1. Screwtape discusses three directions as to how to make the patient feel about the Germans and their bombing of his town. List them.
  2. Discuss how fear and hatred can work together.
  3. Why has God created a "dangerous world-a world in which moral issues really come to the point." ?
  4. Is fear a sin? What does the Bible have to say about fear?
  5. How is despair tied to fear and why does Screwtape describe it as such a victory for his side?
Scripture:
Two instances of Abraham (Abram at the time) being a coward and putting his wife at risk. His son Isaac would do the same later on.
Homework:
Think about what you are afraid of and take that to the Lord.

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