Reader Reviews for Screwtape Letters:
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: A Pharisee's Fake Letters
Comment: I was going to give this book 1 star, but decided that really wouldn't be fair since the book is actually fairly well written, fun to read, and the logial shortcomings are at least partly excusable when you realize that he's a "born again" lapsed Christian turned atheist, turned back to Christianity. That kind of person almost always turns out to be the staunchest and most annoying type of True Believer. I have the same basic problem with this book that I had with Richard Dawkin's "The God Delusion". Both books were written in a way that was likely to titillate readers who share the authors beliefs and annoy people who disagree. I found it interesting that they were both products of Oxford. I wonder if that means anything. My biggest problem with this book comes from a Christian point of view, not an atheist or agnostic one. In Lewis's cosmology not only do you have to believe in Christ the Redeemer but you have to live an uncompromisingly saintly life or your going to end up as dinner for some demon, which Lewis obviously believes in literally. Lewis is just the Pharisees he condemns to Hell. He can see the speck in everybody else's eye but he can't see the log in his own. He swallows a camel and chokes on a gnat. If there is a Hell I wouldn't say he deserves to go there, but if there is a Hell there is a Purgatory and he deserves to spend at least a few decades there.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The demon haunted world of CS Lewis
Comment: The Screwtape Letters is a clever imagined dialogue between a senior demon and his nephew (also a demon). The demons are trying to tempt an English man away from God (who they refer to as `The Enemy'). Athough Lewis often falls prey to excessive pomp and wordiness, the book is witty and well organized. The letter format makes for easy reading.
As an atheist, my enjoyment of this book really hinges on how literally I choose to read it. On the one hand, I find the theme of this life as a divine God-sanctioned test complete with demonic supernatural opponents as unfounded, superstitious, and resultant in unnecessary fear and stress. If I instead choose to read the book metaphorically, Lewis makes some brilliant observations about human vices and virtue (and how the latter too often lead to the former) amongst the religious clutter.
If you're going to be a Christian, you could certainly do far worse than the Christianity of CS Lewis.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This is a Great Book!
Comment:
"The Screwtape Letters"
"The Screwtape Letters" by C. S. Lewis is a series of letters from a senior experienced demon, Screwtape, to a minor inexperienced demon, his nephew Wormwood. In these letters, Screwtape is trying to help his nephew by giving him advice on how to better tempt those people that Wormwood is trying to bring damnation upon. The letters mainly discuss a range of human behavior and how Wormwood can exploit it. To demonstrate this, here is an excerpt that I found very interesting:
To keep this game up you and Glubose must see to it that each of these two fools has a sort of double standard. Your patient must demand that all his own utterances are to be taken at their face value and judged simply on the actual words, while at the same time judging all his mother's utterances with the fullest and most over-sensitive interpretation of the tone and the context and the suspected intention. She must be encouraged to do the same to him. Hence from every quarrel they can both go away convinced, or very nearly convinced, that they are quite innocent. You know the kind of thing: `I simply ask her what time dinner will be and she flies into a temper.' Once this habit is well established you have the delightful situation of a human saying things with the express purpose of offending and yet having a grievance when offense is taken. (p14)
This excerpt is a perfect example of how Lewis describes human behavior and the book is full of them. This is why I suggest that this book could be considered religious or secular. Lewis does such a wonderful job on explaining in detail the "progress" Wormwood is making and the things that he can improve upon. As I read, I could relate to some of the things that Screwtape was explaining to Wormwood, as I have experienced similar situations.
I have throughly enjoyed reading "The Screwtape Letter" because it has helped me see and understand some of the things that I struggle with. Especially at the angle that Lewis comes from, demons trying to bring damnation upon us, really makes me want to change and try harder. I think this is a book that everyone can learn something from. Whether religious or not, this book is for everyone.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Bought as a Gift
Comment: This book was given as a gift, however, I didn't expect the book to be so beautiful! The cover and the page edges were very distinctive. I always appreciate the good bargains I receive from Amazon, however bargain books are sometimes just softcover and might not be like a beautiful first edition. I haven't heard that the book has been read, up to this time.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Reviewing The Screwtape Letters
Comment: "The Screwtape Letters" written by C.S. Lewis made me really think about Christianity from a different perspective. That's actually what the book is doing for us-showing the other side of Christianity. In this book Screwtape is one of the many devils whose purpose is to ensnare humans in the ways of evil. Screwtape writes several letters to his nephew Wormwood, who is also one of the tempting devils, and gives him advice on tempting humans. Wormwood is specifically working with one human that Screwtape calls his "patient."
Throughout the book Screwtape writes in response to Wormwood's explanations of what transpires between him and his patient. The patient is a man who is trying to make it through the trials and tribulations of life amidst war-torn England in the 1940's. Screwtape and Wormwood work together to manipulate this man by their evil scheming. They discuss several themes that are significant in Christian belief and life in general.
One example that Screwtape uses is the principle of prayer. He explains that when humans receive answers to their prayers, they think to themselves that it was just coincidence, whereas when they don't receive any answer they claim that God isn't there. Screwtape advises his nephew to use that as one way to confuse his patient. Some other weaknesses that Screwtape addresses are humans worshipping idols, thinking it is God (Screwtape is happy when that happens), human sexuality, and war. Screwtape and Wormwood use these to target this man, but in the midst of all their attacks, this man finds one thing that they despise. Love. They are not able to achieve their designs because of the power of love. I think that this is one of C.S. Lewis's reasons for writing and he does a good job with it.
Overall I think the book was enjoyable. Lewis helps us to see the strength we can find when it gets hard. He gives us an idea of what we should be looking out for. Lewis shows us that things are not always as they seem; it is not always black and white. On the other hand I think that for a non-Christian audience this book might be a bit difficult to understand, so it would not be one that I recommend for the entire world.
One line that I enjoyed from Screwtape was "It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out."
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