The God Called Emotion

An Exercise in Screwtaping

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”  Isaiah 5:20

Sin, correctly identified, leads to repentance with alarming efficiency.

Fortunately, the Committee for Swaying the Public Mind killed off the word “sin” a generation ago, and with the word went the larger part of human discernment.

Unfortunately, you are tempting a Christian. She still sees the war between light and darkness for what it is. We are thus required to use more subversive methods.

What you’ll want to do is to disguise sin behind a torrent of justifiable emotions. A few thousand years ago, we had mankind worshipping gold and idols. Today we have given them the god of emotion. They consider human emotion the most legitimizing experience! Never mind that emotions are influenced by states of hunger, fear, and fatigue. To them it is the highest manifestation of truth.

So if she feels something (even lust, anger, annoyance, or envy), she will take it as truth. And if what she feels is contrary to the Enemy’s will—ha! Her confusion is your play thing.

What in the name of satire—? Confused by the devilish tone? Intrigued by the irony? This post is part of a Screwtaping series. Check out the full story (and more Tempts) here.

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Jenny Harris
Jenny is a star-gazing, book-clubbing mother of two. She has a Master’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies, which is mildly comical (but also a boon in parenting and relationships). Her kids will attest that she’s crazy about reading aloud, time out of doors, and creative play. Her family’s goal is the “abundant life,” as prescribed by Jesus. You can read more posts by Jenny here.

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