Doctrines of Demons, from C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters

The following points are from notes I took while reading C. S. Lewis’ book, The Screwtape Letters. The book is a compilation of thirty-one letters from a demon named Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood. In it Screwtape gives instructions to his nephew on how to seduce and take down certain humans, mostly new Christians. I think it is an excellent manual on the doctrine of demons (but of course, it is according to one human’s perspective, C. S. Lewis; hence, we can’t be sure it is perfectly accurate).  The following points, in three parts, are ways the demons will draw a person over to the evil path.

• They (the demons) want us to stay clear of arguments (or debates) because they will awaken reason; they prefer jargon.
• They prefer we read about and speak of experiences over teaching—that is, the demons will try to draw a person into stories rather than sound teaching in order to convince a person to go the wrong way.
• They prefer casual talking over science.
• (p 11) They want to keep our mind hazy, not to have a clear mind, esp. for the new converts.
• They want to keep us disappointed in ourselves.
• They want us to depend on our emotions, so we will be easier to tempt.
• They want us to be wondering what other people in our church are like, and what they do secretly.
• They want us to think of ourselves as very religious and humble, better than most.
• They will try to produce in people mutual annoyances.
• (p 16) They want us to pray not about bodily pain but over sins—so to remind us of our sins.
• They work on things that irritate—tone of voice, twitches, things that the other dislikes.
• (p 20) They want to keep us from serious prayer.
• They would rather we pray our childhood, parrot-like prayers.
• They would rather we not pray directly to God but to our soul to have a “spirit of love.”
• Instead of true prayer, they would rather we try to produce in ourselves certain desired feelings—that we try to feel forgiven.
• Instead of praying to God in heaven, they would rather we pray to a picture of Christ or to a cross.
• (p 24) The goal for them is to secure the soul of humans to the devil.
• Their business is to undermine faith and to prevent the formation of virtues.
• Their refreshment is to produce any fear and suffering, but in the end it must also bring their soul to the devil.
• They may reason that it is better (for the dark side) for humans to die in costly nursing homes that to die in wars.
• (p 28) They want us to be filled with uncertainty and contradictory pictures of the future.
• They want our prayers to be drawn away from the Father and unto ourselves.
• They want our mind to go toward itself and to insults, or to a woman’s body (to lust).
• (p 32) Their policy for now is to conceal themselves.
• They say that they are helped when they are perceived as comic figures.
• They want religious meetings, pamphlets, movements, causes, to matter more for us than our prayers.