What is evil?

[PurpleRabbit187]

I just wanted to have some insight into what the bible classifies as evil. Who is considered evil? How would this relate to the concept that man is innately a sinner?

 

[Harry3142]

Agulhas-

The word 'evil' has many meanings in Scripture, especially in the KJV Bible. However, it often is intended to mean 'falling short of what God wants of us'. This is not necessarily to mean that we deliberately reject what God wants of us; it means that we have the tendency to 'screw up' even as we try to follow the path that God wants us to take. And since we all fall short of what God wants of us, we must all see ourselves as evil in the strict sense of the word. When Jesus taught his fellow Jews that they were to forgive evil (Matthew 5:38-48), it was this tendency we have to 'fall short of the mark' even as we try to do what God wants of us that he was referring to.

However, it can also be used to identify those who have deliberately chosen to follow the path which leads to their destruction. In this case it is not seen as simply 'screwing up' while desiring to do as God wants, but instead is seen as being synonymous with the word 'abomination'. And those who commit such abominations are seen as the very real enemies of God.

 

[granpa]

I just wanted to have some insight into what the bible classifies as evil. Who is considered evil? How would this relate to the concept that man is innately a sinner?

the difference between a curse word and a noncurse word having the exact same meaning is how we think about that word. When we label something with a curse word we are viewing that object as "all bad". No good in it whatsoever. Entirely bad all the way through. Not even a tiny sliver of good. Fit only for destruction.

"Evil" is violent behavior that we view as being "all bad".

In reality nothing is "all bad"

As for why we fall:
http://www.christianforums.com/t7708175/

 

[granpa]

A rich man once asked Jesus what the difference between "good and evil" and "right and wrong" was. Jesus told him that "good" would be like selling all your belongings and giving them to the poor. He didnt tell him that he should sell all his belongings and give them to the poor. He was just telling him the definition. We should be right not good. Only God is good.

 

[juvenissun]

Agulhas-

The word 'evil' has many meanings in Scripture, especially in the KJV Bible. However, it often is intended to mean 'falling short of what God wants of us'. This is not necessarily to mean that we deliberately reject what God wants of us; it means that we have the tendency to 'screw up' even as we try to follow the path that God wants us to take. And since we all fall short of what God wants of us, we must all see ourselves as evil in the strict sense of the word. When Jesus taught his fellow Jews that they were to forgive evil (Matthew 5:38-48), it was this tendency we have to 'fall short of the mark' even as we try to do what God wants of us that he was referring to.

However, it can also be used to identify those who have deliberately chosen to follow the path which leads to their destruction. In this case it is not seen as simply 'screwing up' while desiring to do as God wants, but instead is seen as being synonymous with the word 'abomination'. And those who commit such abominations are seen as the very real enemies of God.

Practically, this line of definition (of evil) does not make the result any different. But theoretically, I think it goes too far.

If I tried to do one thing for God whole heartily, would I (or the consequence) be evil if I screwed up, but not evil if I succeeded?

God is looking at our heart, not our ability.

 

[juvenissun]

I just wanted to have some insight into what the bible classifies as evil. Who is considered evil? How would this relate to the concept that man is innately a sinner?

Evil is the action, thought or consequence of disobeying God.
No God, no evil.

 

[granpa]

Practically, this line of definition (of evil) does not make the result any different. But theoretically, I think it goes too far.

If I tried to do one thing for God whole heartily, would I (or the consequence) be evil if I screwed up, but not evil if I succeeded?

God is looking at our heart, not our ability.

If you catch a fatal disease is God judging you for not having a perfect immune system?
No.
If your crops die because it doesnt rain is God judging you?
No.
Its simply the weather.
God doesnt judge us for being imperfect any more that he would judge us for catching a fatal disease. Its not your fault but you are going to die anyway. Fortunately there is a cure (according to the bible)

 

[Emmy]

Dear Agulhas. God is Love, and Satan is evil. Everything Satan is capable of
is Evil, and everything God would Never do, is evil. I say this with love.
Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[dumpsterdiver45]

I just wanted to have some insight into what the bible classifies as evil. Who is considered evil? How would this relate to the concept that man is innately a sinner?

The Bible provides instances of acts and thoughts that we understand to be "evil". But I think evil is an effect, just like sin is an effect. Descriptions of sin and evil seem to always be lacking description...everyone knows it when they see it, but have trouble actually defining it.

I see things metaphysically. At the top of the heap of properties is truth. (Remember, Jesus told us He is Truth, [Jn 14:6]) All goods are effects of this greatest quality or property God wove into everything that exists (Gen 1:31, from whence came the idea that creation was originally wholly true or perfect). Evils, correspondingly, are effects of the false. Evil can inertly pertain to factual existing....as Aquinas says, blindness is an evil (or privation) of the good we call sight. But elements of human consciousness which contain falsity gives rise to moral or dynamic evil. Man is innately (potentially) sinful because fragmental falsity in spirit and mind produce tensions and resistances in opposition to proper (good) choice. When we give in to the urge to embrace the false in our intellectual operation (often but not always a free choice), we sin.

So to my thinking, we aren't accurately innately sinful per se, we are heavily influenced (or have a potential to choose badly) by innate forces antithetical to the true, which we often give in to. This is sin and is evil. My two pesos, anyway.

 

[fhansen]

God created everything good, so all of creation is good inherently, by its nature. Evil is that which opposes or negates good, which lessens or takes away from a thing's integrity or perfection. Moral evil-sin-is, by an act of free will, to oppose the impeccable will of God.

 

[Yadid]

Just as darkness is the absence of light and cold is the absence of heat, evil is the absence of God. In our Universe, cold and dark are natural states unless another agent acts upon them. Evil is our default setting unless we come into relationship with Christ. The Word tells us that our own hearts are wicked above all things. The good we see in the Godless, secular world around us is pure mimicry. It's like a mirror reflection of actual God inspired goodness. Being created in His image, we lost that natural state in the Fall. We're born spiritually dead and remain so until we accept Christ as our Savior. The spiritually dead are walking all around us and evil is much easier for them to perpetrate. God tells us that He has given these types over to the hardness of their hearts and I believe they are good only because they know down deep that they must comply with mans laws so that their time here on earth can last as long as possible. Their life in the flesh is the total of all they have.

 

[HisSparkPlug]

Evil is the absence of good, just as darkness is simply the absence of light.
When we remove God from the equation, we have godlessness and chaos.
I do think however that many believers confuse what "good" is at times. Quite often God uses 'bad' to bring good changes to our lives. I believe we have been brainwashed to think that things always must go our way in order to be "good".
Confused yet? lol

 

[bricklayer]

I just wanted to have some insight into what the bible classifies as evil. Who is considered evil? How would this relate to the concept that man is innately a sinner?

Evil is not an actual thing; evil has no being.
Evil is a privation of good; evil is the absence of good where good could be.

God's purpose for God's creation is the revelation of God's glory.
God's creation is God's definition of God's glory.

A thing is defined just as much by what it is not as it is by what it is.
Evil serves the very good purpose of revealing what God is not.

 

[PaladinValer]

I just wanted to have some insight into what the bible classifies as evil. Who is considered evil? How would this relate to the concept that man is innately a sinner?

Officially, evil is the lack of that which is good; evil is corruption or nothingness.

Those that make it somehow of substance of equal in any way to good depart from Christian theology and embrace the heretical theology of Gnosticism and Manicheanism. Avoid such like the Plague.

 

[dumpsterdiver45]

Evil is not an actual thing; evil has no being.
Evil is a privation of good; evil is the absence of good where good could be.

I admire Aquinas greatly, but his position that good or true = being has never made sense to me. I think Avicenna's idea that truth is a property of things (I take this to mean literally all things, corporeal and incorporeal) makes the most sense to me. Truth is the property from which all goods derive, and I think the most coherent case to be made for evil is that those attributes of evil--like privation--arise when the fundamental underlying truth of existing things is falsified. Privation is not a sufficient explanation for evil; evil is a conscious act. Privation can never lead to evil. You can eternally subdivide good but this only leads to lesser and lesser good, never to evil in the moral sense; it seems a sufficient explanation for descriptive reality, however and I think the failure to make the distinction between prescriptive and descriptive [or moral and factual] truth leads some to suppose evil is only or primarily a privation.

Therefore, falsity, which in conscious beings is the raw material of evil; i.e. a conscious bad choice, is, like truth, a real thing and part of being.

Why is this wrong?

 

[bricklayer]

I admire Aquinas greatly, but his position that good or true = being has never made sense to me. I think Avicenna's idea that truth is a property of things (I take this to mean literally all things, corporeal and incorporeal) makes the most sense to me. Truth is the property from which all goods derive, and I think the most coherent case to be made for evil is that those attributes of evil--like privation--arise when the fundamental underlying truth of existing things is falsified. Privation is not a sufficient explanation for evil; evil is a conscious act. Privation can never lead to evil. You can eternally subdivide good but this only leads to lesser and lesser good, never to evil in the moral sense; it seems a sufficient explanation for descriptive reality, however and I think the failure to make the distinction between prescriptive and descriptive [or moral and factual] truth leads some to suppose evil is only or primarily a privation.

Therefore, falsity, which in conscious beings is the raw material of evil; i.e. a conscious bad choice, is, like truth, a real thing and part of being.

Why is this wrong?

I thank you for your contribution.

Evil is an act because it has intent, affect and effect. Evil is the privation of good in an act.

 

[dumpsterdiver45]

Hi Bricklayer,

Evil is an act because it has intent, affect and effect. Evil is the privation of good in an act.

You seem to be saying evil is only found in act, but then state that it has intent which is an intellectual power which precedes act. Do I misunderstand you?

Also, I agree that evil is, among other things, a privation of good. If you hold that privation is sufficient to explain evil, can you explain? As stated earlier, I see no coherent path from 'privation' to moral evil. What am I missing?

 

[bricklayer]

Hi Bricklayer,


You seem to be saying evil is only found in act, but then state that it has intent which is an intellectual power which precedes act. Do I misunderstand you?

Also, I agree that evil is, among other things, a privation of good. If you hold that privation is sufficient to explain evil, can you explain? As stated earlier, I see no coherent path from 'privation' to moral evil. What am I missing?

We must now better define 'good'.

Necessary-being is good. (non-being is not so good) I am left to believe that the God of the bible uniquely fulfills the omni implications of a necessary being. To date, I am left to believe that the God of the bible is necessary and everything else is contingent. To the extent a contingent thing is like a necessary thing, it is good. To the extent that a contingent thing is unlike a necessary thing, it is evil.

To skip even further ahead, I am left to believe that God's purpose for God's creation is the revelation of God's glory. God's creation is God's description of God's glory. A thing is described just as much by what it is not as it is by what it is. Evil serves the very good purpose of revealing what God is not.

In a sense, all created things exist for the primary purpose of either being an example of what God is or is not.

In the bible's old testament, the law was given to be a silhouette of God. It revealed His boundaries. Jesus Christ put a face of that silhouette.

But I seriously digress.

I'm left to believe that evil is a literay tactic used by the Author of creation for the purpose of revealing what He is not.

 

[dumpsterdiver45]

I agree with everything you said, except I'm not quite sure about evil as a literary tactic...interesting concept, though.

But the question is still unanswered; how is a mere privation able to induce a dynamic like moral evil?

 

[iambren]

I don't feel that evil is the absence of good or the absence of God. If God were totally absent there would be nothing here for all things proceed from Him. Evil IS something and we recognize it when we see it or sense it. We can't sense or see nothing.

I see evil that exists in an operative--a perversion,distortion,inversion of what God created things to be. The most pointed examples in man where a psychological term suffices for me--malignant narcissism.