Letter IX

(In response to Letter IX of the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis)

This letter furthers the discussion between Wormwood and Screwtape as to how to manipulate humans within their trough periods. A part that I specifically found interesting is when Screwtape advises Wormwood to use pleasure withing trough periods. "I know we have won many a soul through pleasure. All the same, it is His invention, not ours. He made the pleasures: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one." This furthers the belief that God created everything, and it is only through the fall, mans first trough, and through the manipulation of the Devil that these perfect pleasures are perverted and misconstrued to deceive us into committing another sin.

I also thought interesting the point of trying to persuade the subject that his trough was permanent, even though he has experienced several troughs and crests. It was still imperative to make them believe that it was permanent, and because I believe we as humans are all susceptible to this it can only be by the grace of God that we are saved from this belief that our trough is permanent. It also suggests keeping the subject away from "experienced Christians" those who might be able to see through the deception and be able to pull one up out of a trough. I believe that this is represented by the church and is one of the main reasons that we feel a constant pull to not attend church. When we feel this persuasion we must know that it is the devil working against us to distract us.

We so commonly hear that "everything in moderation" is ok. However, it is true that everything in moderation is worse than nothing at all. Everything in moderation makes our faith void. Our faith is the opposite of everything in moderation and therefore should not fall victim to this common mantra.

Another tactic of the devil is to persuade people that what they are in is just a phase. By making the person think that it is just a phase means that the person has given up on trying to fix it and believes that it will work itself out. Something that most certainly will not happen if we are in a trough. Phases are things that cease to exist out of natural occurrence. Our troughs cease to exist because they are acted upon by the Holy Spirits intercession, by the Church, or by a realization through the word of God. Troughs are not phases and will not work themselves out. It is therefore imperative that we not treat our sins as phases and that we seek to remedy every sin that we commit against God and others.