Ever since 2016, there’s been a quote circulating on social media attributed to C.S. Lewis in his satirical novel, The Screwtape Letters. Screwtape is a fictional senior demon, and he is talking to his nephew, Wormwood, a junior demon. The letters are Screwtape’s attempt to advise Wormwood on how to corrupt a “patient” — or a human soul — and turn him away from God.
The quote in question goes like this:
“My dear Wormwood,
Be sure that the patient remains completely fixated on politics. Arguments, political gossip, and obsessing on the faults of people they have never met serves as an excellent distraction from advancing in personal virtue, character, and the things the patient can control. Make sure to keep the patient in a constant state of angst, frustration, and general disdain towards the rest of the human race in order to avoid any kind of charity or inner peace from further developing. Ensure the patient continues to believe that the problem is “out there” in the “broken system” rather than recognizing there is a problem with himself.”
Allow us to be clear. The quote is wrongly attributed; it was never written by C.S. Lewis and is not included in the book. However, the point of the post is sadly, absolutely believable: politics serves the demon’s purpose to corrupt a human soul.
So dare we humbly ask today: how?
With summarizing assistance from AI, how politics helps serve the demon’s purpose in corrupting the human soul is soberly comprehendible…
Encouraging extremes: The demons’ goal is to push humans toward either blind, unquestioning loyalty to a political figure or extreme cynicism and disillusionment with the entire system. Screwtape notes that “all extremes, except extreme devotion to the Enemy [God], are to be encouraged.”
Mistaking the “cause” for faith: Screwtape advises Wormwood to make the patient treat their politics as part of their religion, then the most important part, and finally, to make religion merely a tool to serve their political “cause.” This inverts the proper order, turning a person’s faith into a means to a worldly end, and is a major victory for the demonic forces.
Fostering hatred and pride: When humans get caught up in political infighting, the emotional frenzy obscures rational thought and compassion. The demons encourage a sense of smug, self-righteous pride in a person’s own political correctness and a hatred for the opposing faction. This provides a justification to abandon charity and demonize political opponents.
Using distraction to hinder spiritual growth: By keeping a person obsessed with political gossip, outrage, and the faults of others, the demons distract the patient from their own spiritual and moral growth. An endless focus on problems “out there” prevents them from recognizing internal moral issues.
Debasing language and promoting ignorance: The demons corrupt language and reason so that a person judges ideas not on their truthfulness but on whether they align with their political tribe’s approved jargon, such as “progressive” or “conservative.” In a separate essay, Lewis also wrote that a demonic version of democracy, where everyone insists “I’m as good as you,” can lead to a populace that is “cocksure” in its ignorance and quick to attack.
Perverting the desire for heaven: Screwtape tells Wormwood to manipulate a human’s desire for a better world by convincing them that a political project can create “Heaven on Earth.” This shifts their hope away from God and places it in a human, earthly candidate or ideology.
This reflection makes me think…
The Screwtape Letters is a work of fiction.
I wish what we’re witnessing today was also a fictional work.
Respectfully…
AR
