Does Evil Exist?

"So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth." -Jesus in Revelation

Some Thoughts

Evil denotes malicious, pernicious intent. Evil hates and has no respect for basic human worth. Evil profits from other’s loss without remorse or conscience. Evil cares nothing for the right, good, or best. Evil is unjustifiable. But does evil exist? Are non-dualists correct in stating that there is no true "good" and "evil"?

It has been noted among ethicists, anthropologists, and philosophers alike that there is a universal “ethic” of sorts among people at all times and places. We find that no culture, no group, absolutely no one values or justifies “evil for the sake of evil.” For example, some people may (theoretically) justify kicking a disabled, elderly woman in the shins… to steal her purse…. or because she’s wronged someone…. or because a person has a disorder that causes them to do so….but no one upholds kicking a disabled elderly woman in the shins for no reason as a value or ethic! In other words, no one upholds the value of committing a cruelty for cruelty’s sake. If nothing else, this appears to be the starting point for believers and skeptics alike to discuss the concept of "evil."

With all of our physiological and psychological insights we are able to understand and excuse, with very good reason, much behavior that at other times in history would have been termed “evil.” We are sophisticated enough to realize that every person, every act, everything that happens is a complex mixture of motives and causes. People commit acts with evil intentions that bring about good results. People commit acts with good intentions that bring about evil results. Perhaps those who argue so ardently against any dualistic notions of “right and wrong” or “good and evil” are correct. Perhaps these are false distinctions, a false dichotomy…perhaps everything merely “is” and all judgments to the contrary are erroneous.

A good example of this is the September 11th terrorist attacks on the USA. As I examine this tragedy, despite the horrors of it, I find that it is quite complex. The terrorists who committed these acts had some of the “highest” goals and hopes in mind. Some of the things they accused America and the western world of are, in fact, true. Their motives seem to be based in their own sense of good and evil and I am hard pressed to say, in black and white terms, that this act was purely evil, or at least, only evil. People have also acknowledged that a “greater good” may come of it and that is has brought people together in significant ways. What can we say about such an act? I personally find it very complex and while I believe it is a product of evil, I realize there’s more to it than that. So, what of evil? Is this concept no longer useful? Does evil even exist?

How we answer the question of whether evil and good exist has enormous, if not the farthest reaching implications of almost any question facing us today.

The warm and fuzzy concepts that excuse, defend, or dismiss "evil" as anything less seem misguided at best and sinister at worst. There is a strong urge in our society to rail against anything that seems "extreme"...and for many people, the concept and label of "evil" is itself too extreme. This stems in part from a society that idolizes political correctness. I myself am one of the most sensitive people to this because I believe strongly that people, not ideology. are most important. I hold to the motto that "no idea is worth more than a person" no matter how "sacred" it has become. However, we're throwing the baby out with the bathwater when we deny evil and, in the end, we're hurting people by diminishing the reality of true, objective evil. We diminish their pain, suffering, and lives of those affected by it. The solution is not to dismiss the concept altogether, but to hold it with care and responsibility.

When a woman comes to me for counseling to discuss the severe abuse and rape she experienced as a child, I do not console her by telling her it was a natural part of life, a biological misfortune, or an act void of moral implications. No. I stand with her and declare it as evil. She suffered true evil that should never be tolerated or embraced.

One important qualification needs to be reiterated as we move towards embracing the concept of evil: the idea of evil should never be applied to people. It is a concept to describe the reality and substance of evil that can be observed in other's actions or events. A person is never evil, but their actions or motives may be. Again, evil denotes malicious, pernicious intent. Evil hates and has no respect for basic human worth. Evil profits from other’s loss without remorse or conscience. Evil cares nothing for the right, good, or best. Evil is unjustifiable.

When it is said that "loss, death, and destruction" are to be equally celebrated and appreciated as "abundance, life, and renewal" we are not taking the concepts themselves seriously, and, in the end, they lose their meaning. We end up in an oatmeal world in which everything is "par for the course" and people lack the clarity to make good decisions.

I believe it is the superlative deception to convince people that evil and good are false dichotamies. Not only do we lose our sense of clarity and judgment, we lose our sense of hope and outrage in place of a perpetual apathy. We diminish the inherent dignity of ourselves and all people.

See The Problem of Evil Part I

Also see:The Open View of God

December 20, 2001

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