the gentle slope

"It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."

I discovered this quote on the myspace page of Scott Callisch, one of the students I hang out with. Not sure of its origin, but it certainly caught my attention.

I appreciated the idea that sin moves us towards Nothing. I had written Darkness before in a previous post, and was feeling the tension that God seems to lead me into the Darkness of myself. Now it makes more sense to me as Darkness and Nothing. They both have similar qualities and can be equally as frightening. Nothing, however, is void of substance and can not be illuminated. While Darkness waits for the Light to come.

I will certainly return to this thought for gentle slopes are more easily travelled. Without looking I would find myself far along the path to Nothing.

This will certainly require more prayer.

*Scott let me know he found this quote from The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Go figure it is a Lewis quote!