Screwtape Letter #1. Discussion Guide. “What is Real Life”

And so it begins. The first of the Screwtape Letters. Screwtape tells Wormwood to "Teach him to call it ‘real life’ and don’t let him ask what he means by ‘real’."

But notice that it's not at the beginning. Screwtape is responding to a letter that Wormwood wrote - but we don't get to read.

In fact - we never get to read what Wormwood writes - much as we never really get to "hear" what Satan "says" to us. 

Our world has really changed since I wrote the first version of this guide.  And yet, as much as it's changed, C. S. Lewis does have those things included in the letters from Screwtape to Wormwood.  It goes to show, the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Including us, as people.

As such, the question for the guide are likely to change more than I expected.  It'll be interesting to see how this ends up. 

Screwtape Letter #1. Discussion Guide. "What is Real Life" is article #4 in the series: Screwtape Letters. Click this button to view the titles for the entire series

We are going to jump right in - so pay close attention to the characters!

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Screwtape, Wormwood, and the patient

My dear Wormwood,

I note what you say about guiding your patient’s reading and taking care that he sees a good deal of his materialist friend. But are you not being a trifle naïve? It sounds as if you supposed that argument was the way to keep him out of the Enemy’s clutches.
...
Don’t waste time trying to make him think that materialism is true! Make him think it is strong, or stark, or courageous—that it is the philosophy of the future. That’s the sort of thing he cares about.

1.1) What is the relationship between Screwtape and Wormwood?

Just one example of Jesus as teacher is in

The Parable of the Sower - Matthew

13:1-15 pp — Mk 4:1-12; Lk 8:4-10
13:16, 17 pp — Lk 10:23, 24
13:18-23 pp — Mk 4:13-20; Lk 8:11-15

Mt 13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

Mt 13:10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

Mt 13:11 He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

Mt 13:14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

Mt 13:15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.