Reddit reviews The Screwtape Letters
We found 12 Reddit comments about The Screwtape Letters. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
The Screwtape Letters
We found 12 Reddit comments about The Screwtape Letters. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Cool. Bit of advice though: in about a week or two you're probably going to come down off the emotional high and start to question it and then be tempted to conclude you were just being emotional.
Don't give it in to it. Pick up some religious books with substance in them. Just offhand, since it's sitting nearby, I would suggest The Screwtape Letters.
I enjoyed reading The Screwtape Letters
I would say no. There is no Biblical support for the fact that he can (or can't) listen to prayers. However, even if he can hear your prayers, there isn't really much that he could do about it as God is infinitely more powerful than Satan.
If you want an interesting take on the subject, you should check out the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It's been a while since I've read them, and I don't remember if Lewis asserts demons can hear prayers or not, but it is a fascinating and wonderful look at demons and what they do.
Kudos to you for wanting to diversify your reading list. Reading or listening to only one person is always a dangerous thing, no matter who that might be. I've made a bunch of book recommendations on this sub in the past. Here are a few I think are a good fit for you specifically. In general, I'd also highly recommend all of the works by the authors listed.
Lastly, I'd encourage you to read through some of the Reformed Confessions. Begin with the Heidelberg Catechim and the Belgic Confession. If you want a more modern approach, I'd encourage you to also read the Christian Reformed Church's Contemporary Testimony Our World Belongs To God, too.
We all have doubts. It's part of being human and being a Christian. As you mentioned you are still looking for truth and are open to the idea of theism. I would just recommend a few books for reading that are great intellectual reading about the subject. That being: The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism and The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
as well as anything by CS Lewis notably [Mere Christianity] (http://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christianity-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652926/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425281260&sr=1-1&keywords=mere+christianity+cs+lewis) and Screwtape Letters.
All the best in finding truth friend, and although you may doubt Him (even as Apostles, greatest evangelists, martyrs, missionaries also did) I would not advise ruling out Christ just yet.
Ever read The Screwtape Letters?
> I feel as if half of me wants these things and the other half despises them.
Join the club. It includes Paul, me and every other believer: "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” (Romans 7:15)
The fact remains: we are in the world (material/carnal/flesh) but not of the world (immaterial/divine/souls).
> I am afraid my actions (sinning a lot) speak louder than my words.
Fear (e.g. “I am afraid”) is a product of too much emphasis on the Law and not enough on the Gospel. You’re stuck on keeping Commandments and earning good boy merits (grace) with God. That's exactly where the devil wants you. Our adversary (devil, Satan, Lucifer or whatever) would love nothing more than for every blood bought child of God to be scared, afraid and unsure of their salvation.
I recommend The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Your local library should have it if you don’t want to buy it. It’s a short read. It’s fictional satire about two demons and how they try to sabotage the faith of believers.
First of all,
Props to you velogirl. Announcing that you found God on reddit is an open invitation for ridicule. So gtz on your interwebds gonads.
Secondly, I'm happy that you found something that is working for you, and has allowed you to get to a healthier place in your life. People often criticize the lack of God's presence in the world, but fail to consider that perhaps they're their own problem. I'm sure the whole experience feels like a light switch has turned on; I know it did for me.
Finally, good luck with your SO. I dated a solid Atheist for 3 years and I know that's far from easy. The conflicting views, lack of respect, and waves of condensation can (and will) cause serious wear. Personally, I recommend reinforcing your knowledge of God and the bible, as well as your ever growing relationship with him as much as you can.
No one has all the answers. This debate is as old as time, there will never ever be cold proof to trump either side.
Some recommended "God Stuff":
And on reddit, a user named " seeing_the_light " usually leaves his debaters cold in their tracks. His orthodox education is inspiring. Good luck!
I was interested to find that LCMS churches where I live in the Southern US seem to be as well attended as ELCA churches. This is anecdotal from an acquaintance of mine who is a LCMS pastor, but I have no reason to doubt from my limited visits to Lutheran churches.
I would encourage you as a "nomad" to seek out other traditional churches that may exist in your area. I am Orthodox Christian and while I am happy to proclaim that Orthodoxy in many ways is an ideal home for those fleeing atheism/marxism, there are several other churches (Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, etc) where one can find a meaningful expression of "Mere Christianity" as defined by the Nicene Creed.
There are two sayings that I'd like to point out.
The first is a paraphrase of what I am remembering as a Tertullian quote, "One Christian is no Christian" and speaks that Christianity is in essence not a collection of dogmas to which one assents but a gathering of Christian believers to form the body of Christ (Church) by way of mutual participation in liturgical worship (the definition of liturgy is "the common work"). We are not saved in isolation, and this applies even if you believe that you are being saved from the hell of nihilism rather than from literal flames of hellfire.
The second is a latin phrase, Lex orandi, lex credendi which means "what we pray, we believe". If people find that the concept of Christianity appeals to them on an intellectual level but they don't want to associate themselves with common Christians, I would say that might be a case of intellectual snobbery about the type of people who regularly attend churches.
If someone thinks there is something worthwhile in the teachings of Christianity, I would challenge that person to go pick out a church and go there every Sunday for a month. You will learn valuable things about that church and about yourself. Go read the tiny book The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and see what the peril and the privilege that comes with taking a mental construct and turning it into a living thing that interacts with other human beings who can be petty, annoying, and ultimately instructive.
Has anyone read The Screwtape Letters ? Ben Shapiro has been talking about it for a while.
Here are some books I recommend. Some are free on kindle. Check out a library. They will have these books.
Read the 4 Gospels and Acts of the Apostles. Just read them.
http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-St-Augustine-Saint-ebook/dp/B00AQM75SC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1408113491&sr=8-2&keywords=st+augustine+confessions
http://www.amazon.com/Aquinass-Shorter-Summa-Thomass-Theologica/dp/1928832431/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408113525&sr=8-1&keywords=st+thomas+aquinas
http://www.amazon.com/When-Church-Was-Young-Fathers-ebook/dp/B00LWIU1EE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-2&keywords=early+church
http://www.amazon.com/Orthodoxy-Moody-Classics-Gilbert-Chesterton-ebook/dp/B00DEUQ9GW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408113746&sr=8-1&keywords=gk+chesterton
http://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christianity-Lewis-Signature-Classics-ebook/dp/B002BD2UR0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1408113766&sr=8-3&keywords=cs+lewis
http://www.amazon.com/The-Screwtape-Letters-C-Lewis/dp/0060652934/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1408113766&sr=8-4&keywords=cs+lewis
I'm not sure if this is quite what you're looking for, but I would highly recommend The Screwtape Letters, by CS Lewis... it provides some of the most profound insight into the nature of sin, temptation, and the struggle for human souls that I know of. John Cleese does an astounding reading of it as well, which makes for even more enjoyable and engaging experience.