chapter one... and two.

WORMWOOD:

My patient (whom I would refer to as P from this point on) has become a Christian!

It's been a year now since I've been doing my secret research, trying to hide from the other devils, lest they mock me of the penalties for my "incompetence." Uncle (or rather, Master) Screwtape was gravely displeased but has assured me, nonetheless, that there is still hope because P's new habits are still "in progress."

I am still learning the art of temptation and I have failed miserably in teaching/persuading P. He thinks he's giving the Enemy a favor through repentance and accepting the Enemy's lordship in his life. He's still skeptical and he still avoids some of his neighbors as if they were lepers but the funny thing is, he now goes to their church!

P's singing their songs, not really minding when he goes a little out of tune, and he's convinced it's the Enemy (whom he calls Father God) who is most pleased with the changes he's currently doing (which, he considers sacrifices.)

I'm seriously thinking whether an apprentice devil such as myself can possibly be converted - considering the circumstances. P's church says the Enemy makes all things possible, even quoting words from what Uncle Screwtape calls the "shiny little book" of letter G which I think stands for "God." But it's actually spelled l-i-t-u-r-g-y. Anyhow, Uncle doesn't know that my thoughts of conversion were what caused me to be lax in polishing my tactics of temptation on P.

Several months before P's conversion, I was taking good care that he saw a good deal of his materialist friend. P's quite accustomed to a dozen of incompatible philosophies and it didn't bother him whether or not materialism was true. He knew it to be practical and Master Screwtape advised me - as much as possible - not to stir arguments in his mind which would divert him from the tyrrany of the urgent or the 'stream' and make him turn to more universal issues.

I am a 'pure' spirit and this is what Master Screwtape calls as the Enemy's advantage for He has been human. Now, that boggled me. The Enemy, whom humans call God the Father has the advantage of having been human, whereas our father below hasn't, and that gives this God advantage?

I've been understanding that humans find it impossible to believe the unfamiliar when they are beset with the ordinariness of things. I tried to use economics and sociology - the 'safer' sciences - to discredit Christianity but Master Screwtape said it was best to keep science away from P as much as possible because the real sciences will only positively encourage him to think about realities he can't touch and see.

Anyhow, with my own confusion and curiosity, I continued my little research and was starting to be convinced that conversion might also be possible for me. That diverted me from P and before I knew it, he became a Christian.

My apprenticeship is ongoing and it is my forsaken duty to keep P in the thought that the Enemy owes him something for his conversion; that he is actually entitled to rewards for all the present "dying to self" that he's been doing. His pride would lead him to fall back to his old ways sooner than later.

But why am I not convinced?