Dr. Jim's WebLog

All of my girls are home for the Christmas holiday. It's so much fun to see them growing up into fine young women. Soon the two older ones will be heading back to school and I will miss them.

Katie gave me a signed C. S. Lewis book of letters to Malcolm. I love C. S. Lewis' writing. I think I've said before that it is at least partially responsible for my being able to be a Christian. So my plan is to work my way through some of his works and post some thoughts here. Since my first exposure was to The Screwtape Letters, that's where I'll start.

This is a short book of 31 or so letters from Screwtape, the undersecretary of a department in the Lowerarchy of Hell, to his young nephew Wormwood. Screwtape is tutoring Wormwood on the fine points of tempting a particular young man ("his patient") toward hell and away from the enemy. We find out that the Enemy is actually God.

With amazing insight, Lewis explores human foibles from the point of view of someone who wants to exploit them. From talking with some acquaintances who have read the book, it doesn't much matter if you are christian or not. One ex-christian Buddhist, one ex-Jewish Buddhist, and a currently Jewish friend have all praised this book for its look into human nature.

But for now, it's time to wrap up the Pathology department and go home to my family.