Thursday, May 1, 2008
Chap 28
I really found the concept of life and death that was presented in Chapter 28 to be quite thought-provoking. In the chapter, Screwtape acknowledges the fact that it is the Devil's work to make humans believe that life is the "greatest good" while death is the "prime evil". In the Christianity point of view, dying is not exceptionally detrimental and could even be considered beneficial in attaining unity with God. Further, time spent living on earth could be considered somewhat of a trial perioid and a chance for Christians to share with the people of the world the 'good news' of the gift of eternal life offered through Jesus. While Christians are to cherish their their lives that God has given them, dying is but gain. In contrast, a Christian dying is the worst thing that can happen for the Devil, as it forever prevents the Devil from corrupting that person. Yet, while a person is still living in their temporary life here on Earth, there is still the opportunity for that Christian to be corrupted and turned into a non-believer. Ultimately, I kind of thought this was an interesting viewpoint, as life is normally considered good, and death not so much. However, it makes logical sense to see how through the Christian perspective that death can be considered the ultimate good. Overall, the chapter contained some interesting material on the concept of life and death.
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3 comments:
I also found it interesting to see the perspective Screwtape took on death compared to those that are usually heard from everyone, regardless of whether they are religious or not. Bombings such as the WWII ones here are thought of as being so tragic and unfortunate. It's interesting to see that Screwtape is thinking the same thing as people, just for an entirely different reason. I have to say that this development really surprised me when I read it.
I found this really interesting. You make really good observations. I also commented on this chapter and I found you post to be very clarifying.
I agree with you. Christians look are to look for God's good in all things as well as in God's word, He states that He will turn all bad around for your good, providing that you remain obedient. Screwtape views life and death obscurely. He only wishes to avoid the patient's death so that he can have the credit of pulling him from God. Christians are a trophy for the devil, therefore, you are correct when you stated that dying is the worst thing that can happen for the Devil. Furthermore, the strength that is drawn and maintained through the "love" between the patient and the Christian woman can not be withstood by Screwtape because God operates through this "agape" love and it is strong! Prosperity does knit a person to this earth because it possesses the material things--money, land, houses, etc.--we need to function on earth. However, it can only tie you temporarily as a Christian in the context that you dwell with these things but do not become spiritually and emotionally attached to them to that point. The Christian perspective is logical because it contains the truth from God which is a higher, deeper level of logic (wisdom) that supercedes all other logic. Our bodies are temporal like the material things on earth, but our spirit continues to live on, hopefully in heaven.
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