always late

I wanted to say a few things about "The Screwtape Letters" before I moved on to "Curious...Dog...Night-time." Sorry we're all such slackers, Amber. I've learned that online long-distance book clubs aren't really the most successful. Am I right, ladies? But I guess our "moribund" club provides a to-read list, at least. (1,000 points for a Cullimore-like definition of the word moribund!)

Anyway....

"All mortals tend to turn into the thing they are pretending to be" (p. 50). LOVE this quote. It's like the scripture that goes something like, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Really makes you think twice about what you spend your energy striving to become. Our thoughts become our words and actions, right?

And a longer quote, but one I think is totally worth including verbatim:
"It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts" (p. 60-61).

That description gives me the chills. Creepy. Satan tricks us into stepping off a righteous path onto a very seemingly comfortable slide. I think the trick is getting us to a state of being "passed feeling"--it feels like the slope rocks sinners to sleep with its gentility, softness, slowness, and lack of awareness of one's surroundings. Just like rocking a baby to sleep.

C.S. Lewis has amazing insight. So glad his temple work has been done! I'm sure he makes the best Mormon. :)