There has been no shortage of Western Christian writers throughout history. In such a competitive field, only those who have created theologically influential work are remembered by the masses. Martin Luther is remembered for developing 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 over 700 years later it is still being studied. C.S. Lewis, who was no exception to the story, wrote The Screwtape Letters, a work so rich in theological content and so refreshingly original that to call it a classic would be a disservice; it deserves a much bigger title. By describing the devil's perspective on humanity, Lewis was able to provide critiques of the Church, Christianity, and the culture that has become so influential in modern theology. The writing of this novel was carried out in epistolary form, a compositional risk that gave originality to the work. The content of the book is also original, focusing on a correspondence between two demons, Screwtape and his nephew Wormwood. In the midst of this originality, Lewis brings to light a very original perspective: Lewis's vision of the weakness of man. Through the exploration of different human impulses such as sex, gluttony, and fear, Lewis exposes humanity's glaring weaknesses, while also explaining how these impulses can be overcome through virtue and faith. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Screwtape advises Wormwood to use sex to lead man away from God by exploiting his natural impulses and suppressing his other tendencies. The question of the virtues of sex is often a source of confusion for those involved in the church due to the seemingly backward logic that discourages such an act. After all, sex is the reason humans are able to reproduce, so to demonize the act would be to demonize a human need. On the other hand, sex in nearly all major religions is discouraged unless the party is in a committed monogamous relationship, leaving many confused about how to approach this topic. Lewis, through Screwtape, is able to express his opinion on the matter, supporting the idea that sex was only meant for committed monogamous relationships. This idea is not original; aligns well with the official position of the Church. However, Lewis provides a logical explanation for his belief, allowing him to appeal to both the theist and the atheist. Discovery makes it clear that sex itself is not a bad thing, he also goes out of his way to describe how he hates the fact that humans derive “pleasure from this action” (Lewis 102). However, he points out that by changing the nature of sex, it is possible to use it to distance man from God. Screwtape advises indulging in sex when man is in his least energetic state; this paradoxical suggestion is explained in a later quote. Screwtape explains that “The attack has a much better chance of success when the entire inner world of man is sad, cold and empty. And it is also notable that valley sexuality is subtly different in quality from peak sexuality – it is much less likely to lead to the milk-and-water phenomenon that humans call 'being in love'” (Lewis 43). The goal of this attack is to interpret sex as a remedy for pain rather than an act of love, essentially corrupting its original meaning. Lewis is committed to not demonizing sex, as he continually understands it as thephysical manifestation of the metaphysical idea of ​​love. However, he warns against losing the meaning of sex, leading to the sin that man might commit. Lewis takes no such liberties in endorsing premarital sex or sex with multiple partners; even had Screwtape talk about normalizing casual sex as a major victory, saying: "...By persuading humans that a curious, and usually short-lived, experience they call 'being in love' is the only respectable reason for marriage;…a marriage that does not is no longer binding” (Lewis 93). The phenomenon Screwtape refers to as “being in love” is implied to be the thrill of casual sex or sexual experiences with multiple people, that produce a fleeting sensation that cannot sustain in the long term. At the same time, Lewis makes sure not to demonize sex, continually talking about how it is a pleasurable act created by God and explaining that the sin lies not in the 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 used to lead man down a path. negative. Although Lewis's observations about sex were original, attacking sex as a sin is a common motif in theological writing. Ironically enough, casual sex was never mentioned as one of the seven deadly sins (while gluttony was), yet church doctrine opposes sex much more than it opposes gluttony. Lewis, seeing the opportunity, led a temperance movement in The Screwtape Letters, advocating the evils of gluttony and the expansive nature of gluttony. The first of these is the oft-remembered version of gluttony, dubbed by Screwtape the “Gluttony of Excess” (Lewis 87). An extension of this gluttony, commonly known as materialism, is first used by Wormwood himself early in the novel. Wormwood attempts to keep his man rooted in materialism in an attempt to keep him from God (Lewis 1). Materialism is a problem found in both the spiritual and secular worlds, with many writers driving home the themes of remembering what truly matters and realizing that possessions have no value. Lewis, however, points out that to indulge in materialism is to indulge in one of the seven deadly sins. The gluttony of excess is the best known type of gluttony, but it is certainly not the only type. Screwtape tells of a separate greed that he advises Wormwood to use. This “gluttony for delicacy” is then mentioned as more powerful than the gluttony for excess due to its deceptive nature. Screwtape offers an anecdote in which a woman who neither eats nor drinks to excess is still a slave to her gluttony, as she is so fussy about her food that she refuses to eat except when it is prepared the way she requests (Lewis 87). This type of gluttony is extremely difficult to identify because it is often encountered when trying to counteract the gluttony of excess. Screwtape points out that the woman would surely be found in shock once she realized that the sin she had worked so hard to avoid (as well as made others suffer) was actually indulged during these attempts (Lewis 88 ). Although it may sometimes be questionable to the reader whether this "gluttony" actually constitutes a sin, Screwtape continues to praise the effort due to its difficulty to detect. As he explains, "The true value of the silent and unobtrusive work that [the demon] has done for years on this old woman can be measured by the way her belly now dominates her entire life. This woman is in whatcould be called the “all I want” state of mind. All he wants is a well-brewed cup of tea, or a properly boiled egg, or a properly toasted slice of bread. But she never finds any servant or friend who can do these simple things 'properly' - because she 'properly' hides an insatiable demand for the exact, and almost impossible, palatal 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 every form imaginable. However, while gluttony appears to be difficult to avoid, Lewis highlights a weakness that is truly inevitable. Fear is mentioned several times in the novel as a weapon to distance man from God. Unlike the other two vices, addressed specifically in some letters, fear is present throughout the novel due to its versatility. 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 become enveloped in sin. The first example comes from the fear of the unknown, particularly when talking about the fear of the unknown in relation to the sciences. Many people who study science would claim that there is a vast amount of information that science cannot yet explain. Because of this reality, Screwtape advises discouraging in-depth studies of the sciences, arguing that they will “positively encourage [a man] to think about realities he cannot touch or see” (Lewis 4). If the patient studied sciences such as biology or physics in depth, he would affirm the enormous amount of knowledge he does not know and will not know in his lifetime. This would shatter the illusion that science can explain everything, forcing man to confront the fear of the unknown and possibly putting him in a situation where he would accept that some things are beyond mortal knowledge, making him receptive to God. This would, however, itself generates a new argument in which science is not used to disprove God, but rather is affirmed by faith. This is a relatively new argument, not yet fully accepted by some theologians, but revolutionary for Lewis's time. Screwtape's advice to Wormwood reminds the second devil that learning too much science would thwart their goals; instead, they must maintain the patient with only a surface-level understanding. In this way, fear of the unknown can be manipulated to keep man away from God. Other examples of fear manipulation can be found throughout the novel. Screwtape advises Wormwood to repeatedly use fear of judgment to lead his patient astray. Early on, when 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). Fearing how people would react to his joining the church, the patient would be discouraged and potentially not join the church, instead of facing his fear. While facing the fear would allow the man to shatter this fear quite easily, the path of least resistance would be to not attend church at all and continue to worry about facing the fear. The fear of judgment appears again when the patient meets friends who lived against his customs, such as drinking to excess: in fact, the fear of being judged by them for not having taken part in these customs and the fear of being judged by them if he rejected them as friends possibly provoked the patient to break his customs and live.