Screwtape Letter

Dear Wormwood,
Your most recent letter to me was written with much fear and anxiety. I read your predicament and as your overseer I must strongly disagree with your prognosis. The current methods of consumerism and narcissism may not be applicable to your assignee but there is a time old method that has been used since the beginning of this horrid species that will be too sweet for him to withstand. Don't forget our Book of Order chapter 1, there is a story in there which both we and they share, how they still foolishly believe this story will ever end in victory for our enemy still astounds me. The story talks of the first victory by our Master. He is depicted as a snake in their book but our more accurate account shows Him to have taken on the form of a unicorn, the most beautiful of all the orginal species which no longer exists because of this very event. The two snakes called Adam and Eve have already at this point been told by their Warden not to eat of two trees. Our Master was delighted to know that elohim had given them this one command. As with every law given, we must see this as an opportunity for rebellion and not fear the possibility of further affection. This is why we still celebrate the Feast of the Commandments to this day, it was the first opening for us to truly wreak havoc in the relationship between elohim and the abjects. For some reason most of the abjects think of the golden calf to be something we created, or a victory for us, when we had nothing to do with it, that was something they came up with all on their own. It's the law that we were focused on, without it we had nothing to show the true imprisoning nature of our enemy, it was one of the greatest victories for our Master still to this day. It is by this standard we are able to show far more appealing options to the abjects.

Moving on away from the history lesson and back on to topic, the story goes on about how our Master revealed the truth to these snakes and gave them life to become "human". Elohim, in his ignorance, played into the Master's hand and gave them over to us in the form we now see them. It is this very method that I want to share with you wormwood. Our Master skillfully showed the wretched's that they do not need elohim and that they can become their own gods. The snakes were hesitant at first but eventually realized the truth and ate of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You may be asking what this has to do with your predicament. Well, the fruit is still available to give to all those who do not fall to the simplier methods described in earlier letters. There are still a few who can "see" beyond the emptyness of their lives and seek out our enemy, it seems you may have been assigned to one. Some even try to become leaders against us by enlisting into what they call the ministry. This is where you have described to me your assignee is at. Do not look at this as a failure, this is the place where the fruit tastes the most sweet, and the deception is the hardest for them to see. In their effort to crusade for the enemy we simply make them believe they are strong enough to be elohim himself thus negating the presence of the feared spirit. Some of our most significant victories have been achieved through those in the ministry. Remember the "Christian Crusade" we initiated a few centuries back? This was the very method used for that revival.

Allow your assignee to have success at first, do not try to make him fail, failure seems to cause these odd creatures to return to elohim, why they do not try harder I will never understand. In his success wisper in his ear, softly at first but louder the more he believes you, "elohim should be grateful to have you working for him, without you these people might be lost". Every once in a while remind your asignee that he needn't work on his own relationship to elohim, because he would be neglecting the people he is serving, adding in sometimes that the work he is doing daily is improving the relationship already. After a good amount of time your asignee should be more susceptible to the methods you are more familiar with such as lust, which also turns out to also be extra sweet for those in "ministry". Do not attempt to push your asignee too hard and/or too fast, be patient and allow him to gain confidence in his own power to resist the truth. It is in this very confidence that brings his guard down thus causing him to become the most susceptible. With him in this state of mind it should also allow you some time away from the feared warrior, nothing keeps him away more than confidence in self.

Finally, remember at all costs to keep him away from other's that "see" like him, this is something that must be prevented at all costs. You already know the effect of the weapon they label fellowship! We have made great strides in his culture dulling it down to a butter knife with the use of coffee and doughnuts. If he does happen to use this weapon correctly try to remind him that he must look like elohim, lest the people he is leading find out he is a fake. Keep up your hard work wormwood.

In the name of our Master,
Shadowalker