Preview
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Summarize the letter's argument, then identify the central tension Lewis develops — between an idea of God and the real, unmanageable God — and evaluate whether he handles it honestly.
Discussion Questions
- Screwtape's deepest weapon, set out to Wormwood, is that humans pray to a 'composite object' — images, sensations, even their own reverence 'objectified' — rather than to the real Person. What account of idolatry does this offer, and why might even the devout, orthodox believer be more vulnerable to it than the open atheist? Point to the passage and weigh the claim.
- Screwtape distinguishes producing 'charitable feelings for themselves' from actually asking the Enemy for charity. What theory of the will does this distinction assume, and why might it be defensible that one can possess the emotion of a virtue while wholly lacking the virtue itself? Use Screwtape's words to Wormwood to develop both sides.
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Critical Thinking
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