I guess here is as good a place to start as any. I had not noticed this new Reading Group until today. So here goes.

What is Screwtape saying when he says that the Present Moment is the only time when we have freedom and actuality?

The Past is fixed and unchangeable, and is a source of joy and regret. The Future is changeable and is thus a source of hope and worry. Only in the Present do we have the ability to actually make a difference one way or the other.

Screwtape is interested in keeping the patient focused on the Future. He admits that to a certain degree "the Enemy" wants people to think of the future too ex. "just so much as is necessary for now planning the acts of justice or charity which will probably be their duty tomorrow" What are some example of thoughts about the future would fall under what God wants people have? What are some that Screwtape would want people to have?

God: Plan and prepare so that you can be some good to others, but not to the point you spend all your time preparing and don't actually do anything. Consider what effect your actions might have on others, before doing something.
Screwtape: Fret and worry about how best you can take care of your own needs. Always ask "what's in it for me" and see if you can contrive some way of getting more, because you never know if your investments will pay off or if the market might crash. Procrastinate and put things off if you can't see all the way through to getting the job done perfectly (this one personally has caused me a lot of grief and getting fired a couple of times).

Do you think Screwtape's definition of what the Enemy wants is correct? Why or why not?

It's as accurate as it can be, from his perspective. Living in the Present, "obeying...bearing...receiving...giving thanks" or as 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

This talk of worrying about the future reminds me of something I've heard David Jeremiah say many times, "The opposite of faith is not unbelief - it is fear. That's because both faith and fear are focused on the futures, the realm of the unknown."

1. I suppose it might have something to do with the fact that we really only live in the present, and it's where we can act---it's the only time we can actually be doing anything.

2. I would say some thoughts about the future that we should have involve schooling and work and provision---we rely on God for our day-to-day needs, but that doesn't mean we just sit around and wait for it to drop into our hands. Going through school and getting a job and working, for example, mean that you're looking into the future enough that you're not wasting the talents God has given you.
Screwtape, however, would prefer people either get so caught up in the future they fail to think about what they're doing now except as a means to get to that future, or else to not think about it at all and to simply live in the moment, only thinking about what they are doing at that second.

3. I'm not entirely sure which point of Screwtape defining what the Enemy wants is referred to, but I'd say Screwtape does have a pretty good definition. As for why, we are called not to worry about the future, but we are also called to work and make provision for the future. Just because God provides our daily bread doesn't mean we're supposed to sit around and wait for it to fall out of the sky.

What is Screwtape saying when he says that the Present Moment is the only time when we have freedom and actuality?
The present is the only time we can do anything. (As Valia said. ) The future we never really reach and the past we cannot change.

Screwtape is interested in keeping the patient focused on the Future. He admits that to a certain degree "the Enemy" wants people to think of the future too ex. "just so much as is necessary for now planning the acts of justice or charity which will probably be their duty tomorrow" What are some example of thoughts about the future would fall under what God wants people have? What are some that Screwtape would want people to have? This one is a bit tricky for me. The questions etc make me think of this passage Valia and Pepper had some good points on this one. I guess one difference is whether you think of the future with God and God's plan in mind or without really think of him at all. For example, a person opens a savings account in the hopes of buying a house one day but with the realization that God might have another plan for the money vs. a person opening a savings account expecting to be able to buy a house and putting hope in that desirable future and not in God. Screwtape wants people to worry about the future or see the future as a prize to be reached without any consideration to the present except to make the future happen.

Do you think Screwtape's definition of what the Enemy wants is correct? Why or why not?

3. I'm not entirely sure which point of Screwtape defining what the Enemy wants is referred to,

I think I was thinking of the paragraph that includes the quote: "just so much as is necessary for now planning the acts of justice or charity which will probably be their duty tomorrow" but I don't remember now. I found that part a little difficult to understand. I guess words like "acts of justice or charity" and "good of prosperity" to be too grand off a future for / present for most people. If I take that paragraph to mean that God wants us to plan our duties so that we can use our talents and bring him glory then it makes sense.

What is Screwtape saying when he says that the Present Moment is the only time when we have freedom and actuality?
This is the time we are making decisions in and living in. We can not change the past and we can't go into the future so, it is the only time we can really make choices in.

Screwtape is interested in keeping the patient focused on the Future. He admits that to a certain degree "the Enemy" wants people to think of the future too ex. "just so much as is necessary for now planning the acts of justice or charity which will probably be their duty tomorrow" What are some example of thoughts about the future would fall under what God wants people have? What are some that Screwtape would want people to have?

Think about all the futures of the people who are non-Christians in the world. Make a legacy for your children so they can live. Screwtape on the other hand would want something like, thinking about the future in terms of getting too involved with making a future for yourself and not caring about anyone else.

1. Others have said it well: the past is gone and the future is indeterminate; the present is the only time we have the freedom to choose and the chance to carry it out.

(Though even Screwtape says there's some value in distracting humans with the past, for it can bring regret for lost opportunities. Still that doesn't work for long as people discover gratitude for things in the past. And he notes that in one sense the past is a determined, fixed thing, and in that it's to be avoided since it resembles Eternity).

2. Similarly, the future can bring worry - "what will I eat, what will I drink, what will I wear?" (Matthew 6:31). These are the things that would fill our thoughts about the future if Screwtape had his way. But the big picture is to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and these things will follow (6:33) - and maybe this starts with those acts of virtue and charity Screwtape mentions. Or, as others have said, using our talents, gifts, and possessions to help others and glorify God.

3. Do you think Screwtape's definition of what the Enemy wants is correct? Why or why not?

This quote caught my attention, and I think it sums things up pretty well, at least from Screwtape's limited perspective (and perhaps from ours):

[The Enemy] would therefore have them continually concerned either with eternity (which means being concerned with Him) or with the Present - either meditating on their eternal union with, or separation from, Himself, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure.

The more I think about that, the more I like it.

What is Screwtape saying when he says that the Present Moment is the only time when we have freedom and actuality?

Because the present moment is the only place where we actually are. We are not, at this moment, in the past; nor are we in the future. The past is over, and the future is something we can't determine. The present is the only place in time where things are actually happening.

Screwtape is interested in keeping the patient focused on the Future. He admits that to a certain degree "the Enemy" wants people to think of the future too ex. "just so much as is necessary for now planning the acts of justice or charity which will probably be their duty tomorrow" What are some example of thoughts about the future would fall under what God wants people have? What are some that Screwtape would want people to have?

Consequences is what comes to my mind first. Also, responsibilities. If we want our futures to turn out well, we have to do some preparations for things in the present.

Do you think Screwtape's definition of what the Enemy wants is correct? Why or why not?

It seemed to ring pretty true in this letter. I can recall two different parts of the Bible - one which said it isn't wise to dwell on ideas about past days being better than the present, and another which said not to worry about tomorrow.

~Riella

I don't have any question in particular to comment on, so I'll just riff a bit here:

I find this chapter to be very inspirational. It puts things into perspective. It makes us reevaluate what we are putting our hope into, or what we are allowing to make us fret.

The principles learned here also can help in goal setting and achieving. As someone once said: "Plan your work, then work your plan." If you have a plan but don't do it, you're neglecting the present work. If you are working all the time but don't have a plan, you won't know where you are going.

Make it simple. Ask God what He wants you to do, then go about doing it. Once you know God's plan for your life, there is little reason to dwell on the future, and no reason to fear it, even if things aren't guaranteed to go perfectly well. We will have opposition, but that's why we will need God's grace in that future "present moment." We might as well start practicing asking for God's help in this present moment.