Chapters V-VIII Questions

Chapter V 
What is Screwtape’s idea on the best way for humans to die? Why?
 Screwtape mentions that it would be so much better if all humans died in nursing homes among lying doctors, nurses, and friends who promise life. In Screwtape’s mind, it would be best if everyone died when they least expected it. When a person thinks about death, one of the most important questions he thinks about is where he is going to go after he dies. If a person were to die whilst still believing that he had a long life ahead of him, he would probably never have had a reason for thinking about his destination after death.

Chapter VI 
How does “...malice thus becomes wholly real and the benevolence largely imaginary” (28)? How does this apply to your life?
Screwtape wants the malice inside of us to be shown to the people we have direct contact with; however, he wants any benevolence within us to be used in a way that can’t be seen by the people around us. One example is when I pray for and participate in events to support disasters such as the earthquake in Japan. I can seemingly be actively participating and sending out my heartfelt prayers and messages to all of those people I do not even know; however, the same night, I may backtalk to my parents or complain about dinner. Screwtape wants me to use any good will I have on people that I do not personally know, and then reveal the malice inside of me to those I do know in real life.

Chapter VII 
How do you picture the devil? What does this chapter challenge you about regarding the spiritual warfare over your soul?
When I truly think about the devil, I picture a fallen angel. He is still beautiful as an angel, but he is tainted with sin; however, unconsciously, I know that I can think of him as a yet untainted angel. If I truly thought of him as a sinful creature all of the time, I would not be able to fall into his temptations as easily. I would realize how sinful he really is, and how I need to always be on my guard. This chapter challenges me to always remember Satan and his goal to cause me to fall into sin. I truly need to always think on whether an action is sinful or not. There are certain sins such as complaining that can already be subconscious that I also need to remember. Satan is a master tempter and I can get often caught off guard.

Chapter VIII 
What is the “law of Undulation” (37)? Give an example of this in your life.
The law of Undulation says that human life will constantly be changing and going through periods of ups and downs. It says that human life will never be just one continuous peak of good or bad times. An example in my life would be when I am having a great day at school, only to realize that I forgot a piece of homework at home. Something small like that can make me forget the wonderful day I was having and put me into a bad mood for the rest of the day.

“Our cause is never more in danger, than when a human, no longer desiring, but intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys” (40). What are your thoughts on this?
I believe that this quote is very accurate. Once a Christian reaches the point where he or she wants to fully trust and obey God in the hardest of times or the lowest of peaks, he or she has reached a point in his faith where it would be very difficult for Satan to cause him or her to fall into temptation. I believe that once a Christian reaches the point where he strives to fully follow God during the hardest of times, he should be able to easily follow Him during the high peaks as well. Satan realizes this, and he strives to entangle new and growing Christians before they can reach this point; however, I think that reaching this point in a Christian walk is extremely challenging. Especially in today's society, it can be easy to forget God's presence during the high peaks in our lives-- only to remember Him once he places us through a trial. Even during trials, it is easy to complain and wonder why these things are happening to me. Overall, I believe that this quote displays a point that all Christians should be striving to reach in their walk with God; although, reaching that point is definitely not an easy feat.