Demons or Depravity?

I've been intrigued by this idea ever since hearing it brought up the first day we discussed Screwtape, because it can completely change your perspective on the book and on life depending on how you choose to see Wormwood and Screwtape. It's a curious thought: did Lewis write this book about demons or as a commentary on the complete depravity of our human condition? The first question must be whether or not you believe in literal demons that mess with our minds and are out to capture our souls. Maybe you believe in a literal Satan and demons, but don't think they really work this way. Maybe you think this story is totally possible. I could honestly make a case for either way of looking at it as I'm not certain where I stand just yet. My one concern about joining the intense and literal spiritual warfare camp is that I think circumstances in life can be over-spiritualized. If my car didn't start today and it made me so mad that I said a nasty word, is this the work of Satan? If my stomach growls during church and I'm just a tad distracted for the rest of the sermon, is this the work of Satan? However, there may also be the danger of under-spiritualizing things. We talk about being the hands and feet of Christ to the world. An unbeliever may look at someone serving in a soup kitchen and say they are a good person, but that is all. Whereas I'm more inclined to say that the "fruit" of our lives is the product of God's work in us, not our natural "goodness" as a person.

Lewis notes in the preface that it is a grave mistake to disbelieve in the existence of demons/the devil, but he also has a very "unliteral" view of hell. I think that both ways of looking at this book are useful and incredibly interesting, even if they are very different. Many of the weaknesses preyed upon by Wormwood in the story exist in our lives, quite probably without the help of demons. The story can be as much an account of our fallen humanity as it is a mocking portrait of evil spirits. Either way you choose to see it, there has to be at least a few situations in the book that make you pause, consider, and then evaluate the many ways we are so very human and so very in need of Christ.