Sunday, November 3, 2013

TSL Chapter 17 -- Gluttony

Summary

Another chapter where Wormwood has been asleep at the wheel, failing to exploit weakness for profitable damnation! Uncle Screwtape scolds Worms for being dismissive of the sin of gluttony. Screwtape acknowledges that yes -- humans have been diverted from it, but wants to ensure that demons don't forget its values.

He introduces the state-of-the-art thinking in Demonic gluttonization: the "gluttony of Delicacy" which has surpassed the more normally thought of "gluttony of Excess."

He then launches into several pages where he expounds on this using The Patient's prissy, demanding mother as an example. She is evidently quite particular about what she eats but in no way thinks of herself as a glutton since she eat very, very little.

Screwtape acknowledges that a guy is unlikely to go in for that kind of thing, and so suggests that Wormwood go after his Patient through his vanity -- have him be a connoisseur of food and drink and focus in an overt and ungodly way on those.

Screwtape ends with a segue into lust, which sets up the next chapter.

My Reaction

I'm old school. My gluttony is of the old-fashioned "excess" type. While I appreciate a good steak or a fine craft beer as much as the next guy, I've steadfastly avoided learning anything about wine despite years of Consulting (consultants take people out to drink all the time and tend to know a lot about wine), and I'm pretty much happy with common fare or the good stuff.

Reading the prolonged description of the irritating mother, I found myself wondering if that was someone CSL knew -- and if so, did she recognize herself ("All-I-Want") when the book came out?

If so: Ha-ha.

But I wonder where the line between appreciating fine, worldly things and being a glutton is. Clearly, it's when one's priorities shift so good food (fine food) comes ahead of God. But humans are justification-machines. How would I know?

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