When I think of the concept of “evil,” I think of The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. In The Consolation of Philosophy, Lady Philosophy stated:
How does one characterize good and evil? Throughout time, people have asked this question and only received opinions based on references from
By definition, evil is an act or feeling that is “profoundly immoral and malevolent”. The problem is that evil is a subjective term. Each person sees evil differently.
One of the oldest dilemmas in philosophy is also one of the greatest threats to Christian theology. The problem of evil simultaneously perplexes the world’s greatest minds and yet remains palpably close to the hearts of the most common people. If God is good, then why is there evil? The following essay describes the problem of evil in relation to God, examines Christian responses to the problem, and concludes the existence of God and the existence of evil are fully compatible.
The distinction between good and evil is a very abstract one and can change with the passing of time. According to Ian A. McFarland from the Faculty of Divinity of University of Cambridge, evil is: “that which is against the good”, while good is “identified with God’s will”. Most people would define good and evil in a very subjective way according to their own likes and dislikes. Nobody likes pain, arrogance, hatred, or the unknown, therefore they are all considered evil. On the other hand, good is anything that is beneficial to us, or something we like. We all like comfort, empathy, love, and wisdom thus these are all considered good things. However, it is evident that one cannot exist without the other. Without pain we wouldn’t know
Evil can be categorized into two forms, moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil is brought about by bad choices that stem from our free will. Natural evil is bad things that happen to people, whether they deserve them or not. The problem with evil is,
According to the current definition from Webster, good is defined as morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious; where as evil is defined as morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked. One could
Throughout history we have seen different kind of battles and duels, but all of this confrontations have always represented the good vs. the evil. There has been demons, monster, and even the mind of a human itself, but good has always found a way to keep the world balanced. There has always been different ways in which evil has been presented, but I believe that the most awful and dreadful one is the devil. The devil controls every other dreadful creature in the world, he is the reason why evil exists. Even though we always picture monster and demons as the representation of evil, humans can also be evil, and we can be even worse.
The reason that we even have an experience of a perceived evil is because for the soul to experience itself as any particular thing, the exact opposite of that thing must come into the realm of existence. In other words, in this relative existence, hot cannot be hot without cold, darkness cannot be without light, and you cannot be you without that which is not you. So I believe that what we call evil is just the opposite end of the spectrum of good, not something separate.
Evil, as mentioned before, is commonly referred to the act or actions that go directly against what is to be considered good. Good, or a set or morals and believes, have differed between the many generation that have existed over time. One must properly understand that what they believe to be pure evil could be seen as doing the right thing in the eyes of others. Evil has a very bias perception to its definition, but is always measured by the same means no matter where what and when it is describes. Evil is the
How we view the presence of God and evil depends on why we believe the world was created. If man is a fully created creature then the world was created for him to live in, a comfortable, pleasant place. Our world is obviously filled with suffering, danger, hardship of all kinds, so an all-powerful God could not have created it. To Christians the world is not a paradise where one can experience the maximum of pleasure and a minimum of pain. The world is a place of “soul making” or person making. As we try and understand the challenges of our lives, and our environment we may become “Children Of God”.
I stared in horror – that wall was stained with gruesome blood stains. What the smell was became all too obvious and I felt the need to vomit… that motion put away and forgotten in an instant when the shuffling of feet rustled behind me. Panic. I turned around in a blur, my eyes huge and watering. My stomach stirred in the slightest. A lamp? Indeed, a tall standing lamp radiated a warm light only a few metres in front of me. Was it real or a figment of my abused mind? Curiosity would get the best of me, lending me a tiny spurt of energy to boost me on my feet. Teetering footsteps led me forward cautiously, random tremors reminding me of my weakness. The lamp was close enough to touch, its friendly warmth the only hope in the world to me. Basking in it for some slow seconds, I wondered, maybe there were more things in the room that hadn’t been revealed to the naked eye? Turning sharp on my heel, I let out a blood curdling screech as I came face to face with the most horrific thing I had ever seen. Huge fly-like eyes took in my paling complexion, and a lopsided smile of stinking razor sharp teeth mocked me. Rancid skin that looked like the algae layer that sat upon a swamp bubbled and oozed, trickling down a sharply shaped ‘face’. Flight or fight reaction chose the obvious option and I turned back again to run. Where, I did not
In other words, some people refer to evil as sin and suffering; others think of it as a separation from God while still more people personify it in the form of satan. My purpose here is not to discuss what form evil may take in an individual's life even though it may come up periodically. The central fact remains that evil, in one form or another, does exist and anyone not willing to believe in this reality quite frankly lives in a different dimension. Either that, or they simply live in a total state of denial! Keeping all this in mind, what I want to accomplish in this paper is to first explore the idea that evil is a relative term that exists within the context of each situation. Ah, yes! Even as I wrote that last sentence, I could see the wheels turning in your head. But not to worry. I will clarify soon. From this point, I will seek the wisdom of people who have tried to answer these tough questions proposed on the first page, come to some more conclusions through personal interviews and then end on a more personal note, using the help of my life experience as a Christian. This topic hits me hard at times. I often find myself in reflection, trying to formulate an answer to the evil that I see, and yes, the evil that I do. This evil will sometimes leave me feeling totally powerless and at its mercy. Yet I never give up hope for I know that just through the process of writing this paper, some new insights will be
By nature, humankind tends to be more evil than good. Even though, some people are born with kinder temperament than others, everyone is conceived and birth in sin (Psalm 58.3). For this, in many traditions, once a woman gives birth, the baby is either baptized or blessed by his community to welcome him into the world, and to remove him from sin. People are naturally self-centered, jealous, mean individuals who want to gain, but not work hard. They crave violence, and would instantly cut corners wherever possible to get whatever they want, even if it means to be consciously good from time to time.
“Dark and light, dark and light, dark and light. That was how I had been taught to view the world” (Brooks 55). Good and evil, but there is no in-between. Good representing God our divine lord, and evil representing the Devil a malignant force responsible for everything bad in the world. If you were raised during the Medieval era you would have been brought up knowing only two things; our Lord is real, he wants you to work, have a family, and spread the word of God. The second is that the Devil is inside of all of us and is responsible for our sinful thoughts, actions, and everything bad that happens to us. However, you can be rescued by God (discussion). He will protect you from the malevolent ways of the Devil if you worship him. With Christianity, you were not given a choice, you were scared into worshipping God and forced into a life of Christianity. If you were caught practicing anything that wasn’t Christianity, you would then be religiously persecuted and either burned alive or sentenced to death by hanging. During these times, the Church controlled