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