Thursday in the 3rd Week of Lent: Letter 18 Notes
In Letter 18, Screwtape moves from the sin of gluttony into the topic of sexual temptation and love. Lewis is unapologetically traditional on the subject of sexual morality, calling for either abstinence or monogamy. For C. S. Lewis it is all about relationships. Screwtape on the other hand denies the possibility of love because for any good demon, all of life is competition and preying on the weak. Relationships for a demon are about using, consuming, or absorbing another. Remember, demons’ corrupt virtues. And of course, the virtue here is love. Ancient Greek philosophers identified six forms of love: 1. Familial love – storge 2. Friendly or platonic love – philia 3. Romantic Love – eros 4. Self-love – philautia 5. Guest love – xenia 6. Divine o...