Evil
We encounter it every day…….all day…….. everywhere. And yet we don’t talk about it very much. We rarely call it by its name. The only time we mention it in passing is when someone we don’t like does something we don’t like. It has become one of the taboos of our modern society. No matter what the other guy is doing…….no matter what you are doing…….you never look them in the eye and say, “that is wrong…….that is evil”.
You never tell yourself, “that was wrong……that was evil”.
Evil, is arguably one of the two most important forces in our world. Good would be the other.
We talk a lot about good……and the people who do it. This makes us feel hopeful. But I think it’s time we looked under the rock and studied evil for a bit.
Evil comes in three flavors. Evil in the people around us. Evil in ourselves. And, ultimately, evil that exists independent of mankind. As you can see evil permeates every aspect of life.
I could have a field day discussing the evil in the people around me. It would be a lot of fun. But there are plenty of people in the various media platforms that have that base pretty well covered. Besides, the evil in my fellow man is highly resistant to my efforts to defeat it. So……I don’t spend a lot of effort on things that I cannot change.
I could delve into the evil that lives inside of me……and you too. But, I think I’ll put that off for another day.
Today, the topic is the evil that exists independent of mankind.
We live in a physical world, limited by space and time. But there is also another realm that exists alongside the physical world. It is governed by an entirely different set of rules…….space and time are not nearly so important there. We know relatively little about this other realm. It is largely hidden from us. It is occupied by beings who are not physical. These beings are spiritual. They are not constrained by space and time. Because of this, we can’t see or measure them. Because they don’t operate by the “rules” of our physical world many of us deny them or ignore them. That doesn’t make them any less real. Yahweh……..God……is one of them…….but there are others.
This spiritual realm can be divided into good and evil. We talk a lot about God because he runs the good part of the spiritual realm. He loves us and wants us to succeed. His ultimate goal for you and for me is relationship……a relationship based on love…….very much like a parent-child relationship. His goal for us is joy. Sometimes God does send pain into our lives. But pain isn’t his ultimate goal. The pain that God sometimes sends is a side effect…..a necessary intermediate step in his plan for our well being…….for our long term joy. Sort of like a flue shot.
But what about the others……..the spiritual beings on the evil side……… demons…….evil spirits. We don’t like to talk about them. Many of us deny their very existence. People will make fun of you if you bring them up. You are considered immature, naive, if you believe in the “Boogeyman”. But, these evil spiritual beings are real……and there are many of them. They may be independent operators or they may be organized. They operate beneath the surface in our world…..all day……every day.
The key feature of these evil spiritual beings is this:
Just like God……..they have a plan…….a long term goal.
And the plan is simple……..they want you in pain. They can do this by sending pain directly into your life as they did with Job. But, it seems to be far more entertaining for them if they can set it up so that you cause the pain yourself. As with God, they can send you joy. But, the joy that they send is a temporary side effect on the path to their ultimate goal for you……pain. Any cigarette smoker can tell you that they really enjoy that first cigarette in the morning. But, the long term result is pain.
Joy and pain……. Good and evil……health and illness.
You cannot deny their existence though you can ignore them……for a little while.
So…..how do you deal with them……in concrete terms?
You have to choose……you have to decide what side of the joy/pain spectrum you want to live on.
As you go about your life……in every thing you do, even the tiny seemingly inconsequential things………you can either create long term joy…..or long term pain………for yourself…….and for others. And that is how you decide whether you want to operate on the good side or the evil side of the cosmos.
So……..try to grow joy in every thing that you do. If you mess up, take a deep breath, relax, and start all over.
Know this.
The surest path to joy is to grow your relationship with the ultimate source of joy……God…….Abba…….. Father.
And that includes trusting him and accepting the temporary painful side effects that sometimes come our way.
This is the best description of evil and pain that I have ever run across. It is in “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis. It is a letter from an old demon counselling an apprentice demon whose job is to lead a man…….. his client……. to hell.
“You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy (God). 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 will 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.”
C.S. Lewis