Throughout history, there has been no shortage of Western Christian writers. In such a competitive field, only those who have created theologically influential work are remembered by the masses. Martin Luther is remembered for writing the 95 Theses, a simple list of demands that sparked a division between Protestantism and Catholicism. Dante Alighieri is remembered for producing The Divine Comedy, a literary work that, while not necessarily theologically accurate, was so original and influential that more than 700 years later it is still studied. CS Lewis, never one to be left behind by history, wrote The Screwtape Letters, a work so rich in theological content and so refreshing and original that to call it a classic would be a disservice; he deserves a much greater title. By describing the devil's view of humanity, Lewis was able to provide critiques of the Church, Christianity, and culture that have become so influential in modern theology. The writing of this novel was executed in epistolary form, a compositional risk which gave the work its originality. The content of the book is also original, centering around a correspondence between two demons, Screwtape and his nephew Wormwood. In the midst of this originality, Lewis highlights a very original perspective: Lewis's own vision of the weakness of man. By exploring several human drives such as sex, gluttony, and fear, Lewis exposes the raw weaknesses of humanity while also including how these drives can be overcome through virtue and faith. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Screwtape advises Wormwood to use sex to drive man away from God by preying on his natural urges and suppressing his other tendencies. The question of the virtues of sex is often a source of confusion for those in the Church because of the seemingly retrograde logic that discourages this act. Sex is, after all, the reason humans are able to reproduce, so to demonize this act would be to demonize a human need. On the other hand, sex in almost all major religions is discouraged unless the party is in a committed monogamous relationship, which leaves many people confused as to how to approach this topic. Lewis, through Screwtape, is able to express his own opinion on the matter, defending the idea that sex was reserved for monogamous committed relationships. This idea is not original; this corresponds well to the official position of the Church. However, Lewis provides a logical explanation for his belief, allowing it to appeal to both theists and atheists. the fact that humans derive “pleasure from this action” (Lewis 102). However, he points out that by changing the nature of sex, one can use sex to lead man away from God. Screwtape advises engaging in sex when the man is in his least energetic state; this paradoxical suggestion is explained in a later quotation. Screwtape explains that “the attack has a much better chance of success when the whole inner world of the man is dull, cold and empty. And it’s also worth noting that the quality of sexuality at the trough is subtly different from that at the peak—much less likely to lead to the milk-and-water phenomenon that humans call “being in love”” (Lewis 43). The aim of this attack is to view sex as a remedy for pain rather than an act of love – in essence, to corrupt the original meaning. Lewis is careful not to demonize sex, since hecontinually understands it as the physical manifestation of the metaphysical idea of ​​love. However, he warns against the loss of the sense of sex, which could lead to the sin that man could commit. Lewis takes no such liberties to endorse premarital sex or sex with multiple partners; he even has Screwtape talking about the normalization of casual sex as a great victory, saying "...in persuading humans that a curious and usually short-lived experience, which they call 'being in love,' is the only respectable motive for marriage;...a marriage which does not is no more binding" (Lewis 93). The phenomenon that Screwtape calls "being in love" is implicitly the thrill of casual sex or romance. sexual experiences with multiple people, producing a fleeting feeling that does not hold up in the long term. At the same time, Lewis is careful not to demonize sex, continually speaking about how it is a pleasurable act created by God. and explaining that sin lies not in sex but rather in the way it leads man down a dangerous path of self-medication. By exploiting man's natural need for sex, Lewis exposes a weakness in man. , the temptation of sex and how it can be misused to lead man down a negative path. Although Lewis's remarks on sex are original, attacking sex as a sin is a common motif. in theological writing. Ironically, casual sex was never mentioned as one of the seven deadly sins (unlike gluttony), but Church doctrine opposes sex far more than gluttony. Lewis, seeing the opportunity, spearheaded a temperance movement in The Screwtape Letters, arguing the harms of gluttony and the expansive nature of gluttony. The first of these is the oft-familiar version of gluttony, dubbed by Screwtape the “gluttony of excess” (Lewis 87). An extension of this gluttony, commonly called materialism, is first used by Wormwood himself at the beginning of the novel. Wormwood attempts to keep his man rooted in materialism in an attempt to distance him from God (Lewis 1). Materialism is a problem found in both the spiritual and secular world, with many writers emphasizing the theme of remembering what truly matters and realizing that possessions are worthless. Lewis, however, points out that indulging in materialism is tantamount to indulging in one of the seven deadliest sins. The gluttony of excess is the best known type of gluttony, but it is not the only one. Screwtape recounts a distinct treat that he advises Wormwood to use. This “gluttony of delicacy” is then mentioned as being more powerful than the gluttony of excess because of its deceptive nature. Screwtape offers an anecdote in which a woman who does not eat or drink to excess is always a slave to gluttony, because she is so fastidious about her food that she refuses to eat except when it is prepared in the way that she asks (Lewis 87). . This type of gluttony is extremely difficult to identify because it is often found when trying to oppose the gluttony of excess. Screwtape points out that the woman would certainly be in for a shock once she realized that the sin she took such pains (and caused others to suffer) to avoid was in fact committed during these attempts (Lewis 88). Although the reader may sometimes wonder whether this "gluttony" truly constitutes a sin, Screwtape continues to applaud this effort because of its difficulty in detecting.As he explains: “The real value of the quiet and discreet work that [the demon] has been doing for years on this old woman can be assessed by the way in which her belly now dominates her entire life. be called the “Whatever I Want” mindset. All she wants is a well-made cup of tea, or a well-boiled egg, or a well-toasted slice of bread. But she never finds a servant or friend who can do it. these simple things “correctly” – because her “correctly” hides an insatiable demand for the exact, almost impossible taste pleasures she imagines she remembers from the past” (Lewis 88). Through these two paradoxical versions of gluttony, Lewis emphasizes that this is not a weakness that man can easily avoid. It can be exploited in almost any form imaginable. Yet even though gluttony seems difficult to avoid, Lewis then points out a weakness that is truly unavoidable. Fear is mentioned several times in the novel as a weapon to keep man away from God. Unlike the other two vices, specifically addressed in certain letters, fear is present throughout the novel due to its versatility. The old adage “there is nothing to fear but fear itself” rings true here; actual fear does not cause sin, but the fear of facing the various fears mentioned causes man to wrap himself in sin. The first example comes from the fear of the unknown, especially when we talk about the fear of the unknown as it relates to science. Many science students would argue that there is a large amount of information that science cannot yet explain. Because of this reality, Screwtape advises discouraging in-depth study of science, stating "that it will positively encourage [a man] to think about realities which he cannot touch or see" (Lewis 4). If the patient studied sciences such as biology or physics in detail, he would assert a large amount of knowledge that he does not know and will not know during his lifetime. This would shatter the illusion that science could explain everything, forcing man to confront the fear of the unknown and eventually putting him in a situation where he would accept that some things are beyond mortal knowledge, making man receptive to God . This in itself begets a new argument in which science is not used to disprove God, but rather is affirmed by faith. This is a relatively new argument, still not completely accepted by some theologians, but it was revolutionary in Lewis's time. Screwtape's advice to Wormwood reminds the second devil that learning too much science would defeat his goals; instead, they must keep the patient with only superficial understanding. In this way, the fear of the unknown can be manipulated to push man away from God. Other examples of fear manipulation can be found throughout the novel. Screwtape advises Wormwood to use fear of judgment repeatedly in order to lead his patient astray. Once the patient converts to Christianity, Wormwood is told to take advantage of man's natural fear of judgment by exploiting the judgment of Christians (Lewis 10). By fearing how people would react to his joining the church, the patient would be put off and potentially not join the church, rather than facing his fear. Although facing fear would allow man to break through that fear quite easily, the path of least resistance would be to not go to church at all and continue to worry about facing fear. The fear of judgment appears again when the patient encounters friends who were living contrary to his customs, such as by drinking..