Dear Apprentice Morphister,

I am delighted to hear that your patient’s mother was taken to hospital this last weekend. We want him to be in completely in doubt of his prayers for her, so make sure with Lomister, your colleague, that she gets worse somehow so his faith may be shaken.

There’s nothing like suspense and anxiety in a human’s mind. It’s a huge break for you and therefore you should take advantage whilst all these anxieties towards the mother’s health condition are diminishing his faith. Although, I must emphasize that in case he resists these doubts, you’ll have to face the fact that his prayers will be answered sooner or later and that if that happens, his mother will also want to convert.

The Enemy wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them. Once your patient concentrates on what can or cannot happen to him, his family, and his mother in the future, his faith is inevitably shut off. It is funny how these earthlings get so deep into the things they can do nothing about such as their future or their past. They don’t realise that their past is gone and that their future depends on their present.

Some husbands lust after other women thinking only what could happen between them one day, not realising, of course, that what they’re actually doing is getting themselves in a big trap for the future. Their lust will eventually turn into reality and they will end up committing the adultery they have so much desired for only to find out they not only got a small percentage of what they thought they would get, but worst of all, they have destroyed their marriage and family altogether.

By distracting themselves of the present, these little worms fell right in our holes. In other words, their present builds up a problematic future for themselves with little influence from us. That is why I say to you, take the advantage of this whole situation – work together with Lomister in order to get your patient’s mother more ill so he may start doubting that his prayers will be answered one day.

The Enemy always work with the present, using faith in order for the present to make the future the expected blessing. He is aware of our continual manipulation of people’s faith and for this reason, He encourages through His useless servants to encourage people’s faith. And that is another way you can tackle your patient’s doubts. Keep him away from the church and servants of the Enemy. Get him distracted by the many problems in his life, making it difficult for him to take the time to go to church.

Besides, it is extremely important for us to keep our patients as far away from the light as possible. We all know that loneliness can trigger weakness therefore let it be his state of mind from now on.

Yours,

Chief Minthropis

(Based on the book ‘The Screwtape Letters’ by C. S. Lewis)