Letter #5

Fidi,

I am most distressed by the recent news, and most disappointed. You cannot even imagine how much it hurts me to hear that your subject is considering Christianity. I have heard reports from observations scouts that he has become aware of his sin. You have allowed the angels to surround him and persistently influence him. This is a most profound failure, and do not expect that your punishment will be anything less than severe.

The situation is salvageable. While he is indeed troubled by his sin, he has found that it is a part of him that cannot be abandoned. It is an intrinsic part of his nature. Now is a key. Never let him come to the knowledge that it isn't his responsibility to jettison his nature, but his responsibility to is call out to God in repentance and for mercy. In this is his victory, and our defeat. But you must never allow him to see this.

Of course, it is easy, for another natural element in humanity is pride, which causes them to shirk the help of another until they reach a point of desperation. This point of desperation is where you do not want him. Let him find some resolution for this new cognizance of his malevolence in philosophy or intellectualism. Rationalization is the prescription. If he thinks his evil is normalcy, then we have won. And the fact that it is the typical state of affairs among the human race will quickly aid you in promoting this idea. We have been successful in our desensitization of humanity to the point that consensus has removed any stigma or cause for alarm for nearly every form of malevolence. The question, "How is it abnormal if it is so common?" is the question you press on him.

We began this campaign over a hundred years ago, testing the waters with some smaller, more insignificant sins. We moved forward with adultery, taking away its stigma, and now we have over 50% divorce rates even among professing Christians! Now we are using entertainment and the media to desensitize them to sins it is very difficult to remove the stigma from. It has taken several decades, but even homosexuality is considered normal, and again, our victory in this area has overflowed into the realm of confessing believers. In many cases, producing the social acceptance of any sin is as simple as maneuvering it into the political arena, where we have a 100% success rate. It is increasingly difficult to distinguish Hell from any human political system. They are alike in every conceivable way imaginable.

But such sins of the flesh will be of no use to your subject. Indeed he is more susceptible to smaller, preceptive sins. Appeal to his rationale. Throw him the Hors d'œuvres of Biblical contradiction and the historical and present behavior of moral elitist Christians. Why stricken someone with Cancer when Influenza will do?

Never worry. He will take the bait. Keep Christianity in the realm of simply another worldview or philosophy to ascribe to, and keep from the idea of a person. Never permit it to enter his mind that he is the lowly peasant girl being proposed to by kingdom's prince, and that her only means of affluence is the acceptance of this proposal.

You have suffered a defeat, Fidi, but be aware that it can be turned into an even greater victory if you play your hand correctly. Be vigilant.

Your belligerent host,
Count Apateó̱n

Letter #4

Fidi, my dearest Fidi,

We have been over this before. You are a sesquipedalian, and I am not impressed by it. It makes your letters a laborious read. Cease this infernal practice at once or I will no longer mentor you.

Now, onto the matter at hand, my young protege. You have failed. The seed has been sown.

True enough, the Church hardly convicted him of anything. But your success pales in comparison to your failure. I told you he is looking for profound truth, and some of what the minister said struck a cord with him. In your report you explicitly said you were familiar with his reading habits. Have you not noticed that his reading, mythology, classic literature, and the like, is rife with truth hidden in story and allegory? How dare you make such a fundamental mistake!

Now, it is in the back of his mind that there are truths to be gleaned in Christianity. His curiosity is piqued. Of course, to our benefit, it hasn't even entered his mind to become a Christian and to look for Him. At present, he is only interested in cliches, maxims, and precepts that ring of truth and that stimulate his intellect. He does not realize that truth is a person yet.

This is what you must avoid.

Now for most people, this is easily accomplished. Keep him occupied and full of anxiety from life, school, and work. Teach him that material acquisition and security is priority one. The stress from his job will assist more than anything else, for your patient is of the mind where he cannot leave work at work. He carries the stress of it with him even in his time off. This will be of a tremendous benefit, for it will leave him weary, and it will leave his relations who desire his attention and companionship frustrated, thus compounding the stress. This will paralyze his ability to think about truth at all, and he will only imagine that if there is a person behind our reality, he must be cruel and malevolent indeed. If the day ever comes where Christian business owners realize that a stress free environment accommodates their "Gospel", the inflow of souls into Hell will diminish, and we fallen ones will no longer be able to slake our lusts. Until that day, employers, Christian or not, remain one of our greatest allies.

School will also be of use. The subject at hand will ultimately prove useless, worry yourself not about that. But his school friends will boggle his mind with conflicting ideas about life's ethical behavior. Matters not what the ethic is. The more, the better. Confusion is the prescription.

I have pressing matters, so I must go now, Fidi, but I will offer one last piece of advice. If he reads the Bible at all in search for truth, let him associate what he reads with the stories he heard in church as a child. Never let him see the real story. Let them ring of a pedantic nostalgia of a bygone stage in his life. Let him think of these as children's stories, and let him not think of the Scriptures as words written for thinking adults. Tell him to file it away as fantasy, and nothing more. Never let it enter his mind that all these scenes of God crashing into the world, are designed to point to Him, that they testify of Him, and that their purpose is to lead him closer to the Him, and ultimately into His embrace.

Remember Fidi, the further the sheep is from the shepherd, the easier it is to prey upon. Every step toward the shepherd multiplies our difficulty.

I hope your next letter is accompanied by an hors d'oeuvre. I am longing to have a taste of your patient to whet my appetite. Just a morsel will do, at present.

Your emaciated guest,
Count Apateó̱n

Letter #3

Dearest Fidi,

I must admit, you surprise me. You stand idle as he accepts an invitation to Church. Not that I think there is much danger of his conversion based on this isolated event, but still... why give up any conquered ground? He will now be aware and cognizant of the Name in its true context, even if this church is too materialistic and political to accurately express the purpose of it. But cognizance, even maligned cognizance, of the Name can come to fruition and be fatal to us.

Fidi, your assignment is clear. Jumble up his mind. Have his professors assign so much homework, and have his debt collectors descend upon them with all the capitalist voracity you can instill, and have his near relations and friendships become strained and an intolerable nuisance. It does not matter if none of these impediments yield any real result or reward. What you want is him distracted and not mentally present in the Church service. It matters not to me how this is accomplished. If you can distract him with a cold, give it to him.

Your task is all the harder, Fidi, for your patient is a human given to profound truth wherever he may find it. If you have any pull with the pastor's tempter, now would be the time to urge him to preach a "feelgood" message void of any substance. This should be easy enough. The problem is the church is still a "Christian" church by name. In order for that to be so, the pastor will inevitably incorporate the Name into his sermon on more than one occasion. Taken out of context as it most certainly will be, the use of the Name may seem innocuous enough, but beware. The more your patient hears that name, even in this gloriously perverse context, the more likely he will come to the knowledge that will bring life to him, and death to us.

But I do not fear for you yet. According to our records, this church teaches that people inherit their religion by virtue of being there. No repentance required. Never has it entered into the minds of any who attend that Church that, in order to ascend to Zion, they must attempt to ascend Sinai. Because it is only when they fail that they see that even ascending Sinai would not be enough. It must be transcended. And then, true recognition of needing him comes to them with vivid clarity. That is the circumstance you want to avoid at all costs. Do not tell him he can be good enough, which is the cardinal sin of all inexperienced tempters. Tell him he is already good enough. Keep God vague and non-specific. Implant the opinion in his mind that Christianity is an idealistic view of God, and has no real meaning in the real, objective world.

The more he rolls Christ around in his mind, the more likely he will concede in the end. The sooner he dismisses the whole thing as a fatuity, the better off you will be. This is easiest done when you convince him that he is a good, moral, person. Get the Name out of his mind at all costs. Distraction, distractions, distractions. Television, the internet, video games, sports, literature, even his friendships, can all prove useful.

You will succeed.

Your "soon-to-be" father.
Count Apateó̱n

Letter #2

Little Imp,

I have reviewed your profile, and it seems that I have changed my mind. I will mentor you. Surprisingly, you show some real promise. Not like most of the new demons posted to supervised temptorships. You exhibit a refreshing degree of intuition in regards the humans.

I am hopeful we can be of mutual benefit. I shall train you on how to lead these unwary cattle to the slaughter, and you see to it the finer cuts of meat make it to my table.

But we must do something about your writing. Such logorrheic exhibitions of loquacity will no longer be tolerated. Keep your correspondence to the point. I have no time for the small talk you seem so fond of. And that name... Ug... We must shorten it immediately to facilitate this correspondence . I shall call you, Fidi.

So, in addition to your profile, I have read the dossier of your proposed patient. I think this person will be good for you. He is intellectual, elitist, and conservative. He self-educates beyond his professional means, and has no tolerance for dissension among his opinions. He is a challenge.

Which brings me to my first indictment against you, my young Fidi. You inexperience is showing through. Now is the time to take preliminary action. Sources tell me he is considering courses for an upcoming semester in college. His interests suggest he is on some sort of search for "truth". Be careful. Guide his choosing perfectly. Remember your training in propaganda. Have him reject the Truth before even hearing it expounded objectively. Watch his philosophy classes. If he reads a philosopher like Plato, all could be lost. The professors are everything. Subtle nuances and personal biases slipping into the curriculum will have lasting effects that will saturate the worldview he holds for the rest of his life. Even if he does extricate himself from our grasp, residue from the right professors will haunt him still, until the day he dies.

Any and all classes he takes where philosophical positions are addressed must be taught by one of our own. Keep him away from Plato. Only show him the secular meanings of myths. Control him, but he must think he is in firm control of himself. That is key.

Ah, I just read in your patient's dossier where his college of choice is entirely secular. This is good.

Fidi, update me when possible. And remember, Lord Polonius was profoundly correct, brevity is the soul of wit.

You undernourished superior,
Count Apateó̱n

Letter #1

Little Imp,

I have no idea how you acquired my contact information, but I ceased from the loathsome business of mentoring tempters a long time ago. I am afraid you must seek elsewhere for a mentor.

Whom gave you my contact information? The dean of your respective school of tempting is a long time acquaintance of mine, and knows I have no desire to take on young proteges. I need a name. Nothing would please me more than to see your source squirm when I turn him in to Andromalius, so that he can unleash his legions to feed upon his flesh for a decade or so.

Indeed, you are fortunate that your name is so long, and such an unorthodox combination of letters. I refuse to turn you in for following through with your source's advise. Why, even reading your name fatigues me, and I am wearied at the mere thought of attempting to write it down. Perhaps you should have chosen better. Such a long name warrants either high academic marks, or a pretentious disposition beyond compare. Which is it?

So, little imp, I see you have attached a copy of your profile to your letter. I shall peruse it while I wait for your reply. Be quick. Every nerve in my body tingles with the anticipation of getting to devour the one who thought my time and energy could be wasted on the likes of you.

Your voracious host,
Count Apateó̱n

Introduction and Purpose

For years, I have been impressed by C. S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, and have always wanted to write a Christian story from a similar angle. The idea of peering into Satan's schemes has always intrigued me. The problem is that I never could get a story together in its totality. Ideas for individual letters would come to me, but I never could get it into a cohesive text.

Blogging offers the opportunity to do just that. Write the letters as they come to me, without regard to what the next letter should contain, and how they all come together to make a cohesive story.

You will notice right away that this follows the same pattern as Lewis' book. A senior devil mentoring a junior devil. I will clear up a few facts at this time regarding the names of my characters. The main character, Apateó̱n, has a interesting name. It is the English - Roman transliteration of the Greek word for "Deceiver". His apprentice's name, Fidi, is the English - Roman transliteration for "serpent" or "snake". Other than this, their names have no correlation to their character. Indeed Apateó̱n is a deceiver, and Fidi is a snake, but not as a direct correlation to their names. I imagine that, in spite of their names, neither is more (or less) deceptive or serpentine that any other demon.

I will say this, Fidi's patient is very much like myself. Not exactly like myself, but in mind and reaction, he is quite close.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this correspondence. The first entry will hopefully be posted soon.