Being able to hear the fifth letter read aloud did not help me to understand any better nearly as much as I had hoped it would. However I can see the overall picture a little better. Also looking for some explanations on the book on line were some what useful.
In the fifth letter to Wormwood, Screwtape is commenting on the effects of war. Screwtape makes war out to not be as bad as most humans might think that it is. He says that some will find God when they are struggling to get through a tough time. Others who do not go as far to embrace or rather acknowledge God will at least believe in a something greater with Screwtape believes to be bad for his causes.
I think this is a very valid point that Screwtape makes, embracing God in a time of anguish. I can see how traumatic of an experience war is and believe it would take a great deal of strength to get through such an experience. If ever I had to go to war, I would definitely need the help of God.
When thinking about this topic I had not even thought about the people in the country of battle that are not a part of the war. I wonder what it would take to get through such an experience. I would say that 9/11 and attacks such as the NIU shooter are the closest I have come to such an encounter.
6 comments:
Yes i do believe that we all need God at any point during an depressing or hard time in life. He will always be there and for some or most people, it gives them hope and motivation for them to hopefully get better through rough times. I think if we didn't have God, who would be count on. What would be our motive in life?
I definitely agree that although Wormwood believes this war will be good for their causes, as stated in your comment, war is actually a time that people often turn to God. Although war is a time for death it is also a time for embracing life, especially for the individuals going into war. If they think that they might die soon, they are more likely to try to connect with God or a higher being to ensure happiness after death. Also, due to the guilt of killing and fighting others some soliders will turn to God for forgiveness and mercy.
This part of the book seemed a little more clear to me also, going in with with knowledge from class made it a lot easier for me. Looking online was a good strategy to help better understand the book, I think I might try that the next time I get confused. I agree that when I am in times of trauma or anguish I turn to God in hopes of receiving some guidance in how to get through the hard times.
Sorry that the audio didn't help much. Glad it at least helped some.
The thought of what happens to those who are not fighting the war but living it is a sobering one. Clearly, God is a comfort to people caught in the crossfire. Have you ever wondered how meritorious a faith is that is only embraced during these times of extreme anguish? People who are tortured are in great pain and will often say anything to get the pain to stop--even say things their hearts don't believe (e.g., john McCain read anti-American propaganda for the Vietcong in order to get them to stop torturing him). Do conversions that happen under pain of death matter to God, or does God accept people of faith regardless of their circumstance?
Definitely, the human being will look up to find the answer to their disgrace. Embracing a thought would make them strong in order to survive the anguish moment. When catastrophes happen around the word we can see how people turn toward God. Now we can see how vulnerable we are.
When you mention how you never even thought about people who battle horrible things that happen like going to war or going through a tragedy like NIU or 9/11, I think most of us are like that. Until something horrible does happen to us, we, to me, take God for granted sometimes. For people who are not very religious, they don't think twice about praying to God and giving him thanks. But when soemthing horrible happens, of course then they need and want him to make everything better. It's total hypocracy. But I too am that way sometimes. I do pray to God not just when there is a tragedy but I tend to pray to him when it seems to be in my best interest only typically. But my fiance and two of my best friends are in the military and one will be deploying to Iraq in September while my fiance will be going to Guam for 4 years at the end of this year. I feel for all the other spouses, children and other family members of other people in the military but I do not pray for them and their safety. But you can bet any amount of money I'll be thinking about it more when MY loved ones leave. Now that sounds rather selfish to me. But sadly, that's how a lot of the world works.
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