Evil is the privation of goodness; in other words, evil is goodness spoiled. You can have good without evil, but you cannot have evil without good. There are forces of good and evil constantly working against each other in this world. Although it may seem as if evil has won sometimes, good will always prevail in the end. In Genesis 1-2, we can read that God created all things and called them “good.” Evil, or sin, is inescapable for humanity. We were born with a sin nature, and God loves us and has given everyone a chance for redemption anyways. God has and always will conquer sin in the end, but for now, it is our choice to side with either evil or good. God created us in his image, but he does not want to hold absolute control over us. Part of his promise to us is our power of free will. Of course, God only wants what is best for his children, but he cannot live our lives for us. Just like an earthly mother or father loves their child with all their heart and only wants the best for them all their lives. But, there always comes a day when they must let their child go and experience life on their own and make their own decisions. And that is exactly what God has done for us; he has let us go, only in hopes that we will make the right decisions and return to him. God’s love for us is unconditional and unwavering, no matter what we may do to disappoint and betray him.
There are two types of evil; natural and moral. Moral evil is what people do to people, whereas natural evil
Evil in this context is regarding to all suffering, pain and horror. Evil can be categorized as natural evil and moral evil. Natural evil is that which occurs by natural means e.g. earthquakes, tsunamis etc. Moral evil is that which is imposed on humans by humans e.g.
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,
Evil people are found throughout the entire world. Young or old, small or large, evil people exist all around the world. Rather hurting other people or animals, these acts are inhumane and abnormal. Any act of violence is wrong, but actually harming or killing other people or animals is over the line. Evil has been studied for thousands of years, and the root question is always, is evil born or made? Children can be completely normal and be a great child, and as they reach middle adulthood they could fall off the deep end.
Evil is something that exists in many forms. From big evils like Hitler’s Holocaust and slavery, to small evils like getting a papercut and getting stuck in the rain (perhaps to some this might be a big evil), evil is basically anything that is not good. For theologians, evil poses several problems, most notably when it comes to the existence of God.
In the book of Genesis in the Bible, God created the heavens and the Earth and all was good. God told Adam and Eve that they can eat from all the trees in the Garden of Eden except for one, The Tree of Knowledge and Good and Evil. God was and is compassionate enough to give the beings he created freedom of choice. Nobody wants someone who is forced into love. God also does not want us to be made to love Him but wants us to do so out of our own free will. That free will that God gives us is the source of evil. Just as Adam and Eve used the free will God gave them to be disobedient and sin, human beings evil because of their freedom to do so. In addition to free will God allows evil to exist because without it, the beings he created could not develop ethically. The Problem of Evil states that God cannot be all loving, all good, all powerful and everywhere because evil exists. Philosopher, John Hicks states that evil is necessary for soul and moral development. How would humans know that is good without it counterpart for comparison? In situations like the Charleston church shooting, where loved ones lives are violently taken by evil, the families of the victims are made to develop morally. When confronted with evil, violence, and grief, they either exhibit patience, love, courage, forgiveness, acceptance, and/or faith. Otherwise they conform or give into evil and become timid, weak, angry, or even become violent themselves. Without evil our world would be blissful.
Evil can take different forms in different context. How evil is responded to depend on which form it takes. God responds to evil by overcoming it, and turning it into something virtuous. Why or when he chooses to overcome it, is something that is unknown. Humans can be agents or victims of evil. They can be the reason evil takes place, or they can affected by someone else’s evil. Evil done by humans is not malicious, but it has a negative effect on humanity. The world is a victim because it’s inability to choose between right and wrong, good and evil. The world is a victim of humankind’s evil actions. Evil is responded to in different ways, because evil has not one definite shape, but an infinite amount.
To help everyone understand this, evil is classified into four different categories. These would include moral evil, natural evil, gratuitous evil and horrendous evil. Moral evil is the evil, which results from a moral agent misusing his or her freewill such that the agent is blameworthy for it. This includes human actions as well as character traits. An example of a moral evil is someone choosing to smoke and then being diagnosed with lung cancer.
To understand evil we must first understand the concept that good and evil are term or words referring to what one given individuals believes to be the right and wrong thing to do. Good, many times
According to theism, God is: “that being which no greater is possible, and he is omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent. By having a God who only desires good, and us living in a world where evil exists, it is logically impossible and that is what created the problem of evil.
Evil doesn 't necessarily have to be an action by a human; it can also be a result of a natural disaster such as: hurricanes, earthquakes, illness, etc. A hurricane can take away everything from thousands of humans. This causes the people to have no home, clothes, or food. This is also a form of evil, due to the suffering it causes. This is called natural evil. People can bring about moral evil upon themselves, although, they rarely can bring natural evil upon themselves. There is a distinct difference between the two, and one evil does not cause the other. The reason I point 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”.
Its impossible to reflect on the origins of evil without bringing up the concept of free will. God created man with this idea of choice; the choice to believe and obey, or the choice to disobey. It was this free will that allowed Adam and Eve to fall from their initial glory and introduce evil and suffering into the world. We can justify a large amount of sustained suffering by acknowledging that it actually benefits us and is not incompatible with God's loving nature. We learn lessons both physically and spiritually that allows us to grow and mature according to God. Some suffering is used to spark revival or for a great advancement in his kingdom, cause after all we're
What is considered evil depends upon each individual’s view of morality, which constantly changes through the course of that person’s life. Roy Perrett’s “Evil and Human Nature” explains this by elaborating on the customary interpretation of moral evil. This evil, caused by an intentional bad action or harm, opposes another type of evil, natural evil, which occurs without
What makes a person good or evil? Why are some people labeled as good and some evil? Why do some people have traits or characteristics of both good and evil? Are people truly evil or do they just make bad choices? Throughout our lives we are faced with making decisions about our lives and often the choices we make can determine the path we follow. Depending on our life choices we can be labeled as either good or evil. Good and evil are relative; one person can be good while another evil. Some people can possess a combination of both good and bad traits. But even those who are considered bad can be rehabilitated to display good qualities such as empathy or kindness.