Evil is defined as “moral rebellion against God”(Slick). Privatio Boni also suggests that evil is the absence of good(Reese 39). The concepts of evil and sin go hand in hand, and they are clearly seen in the modern day world. Shootings, slaughters, neglect, wars, theft, and rape are all occurrences that happen often, and they serve as constant reminders of evil’s presence in this world. One might wonder how evil came about, and why evil lives among us. One might also wonder if there is a way to defeat the presence of evil. Included in chapter three of William J. Reese’s Christian Theology: Scripture, Tradition, and Practice, is a homily that describes the beginnings of evil, its presence in present and future generations, and the ultimate …show more content…
He introduces the beginnings of evil and explains how it came about by telling the story of Adam and Eve, and how their perfect world in the Garden of Eden was turned upside down when the evil began to play its part. In other words, he describes the original sin; the birthday of evil into the world and the fall of mankind. He uses a verse from Genesis to explain the realization of this new concept of evil entering the world. “Then the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked”(Genesis 3:7a). At this moment, Adam and Eve both realized that what they had done was against the commands of their Creator, and they were ashamed. Their first instinct was to hide from God, because they were embarrassed. They covered themselves immediately, and their voices shook as God questioned them. Then, they put the blame on each other. Adam blamed Eve, while Eve blamed the serpent. At this very moment, evil showed its ugly face in what was a perfect world. It would now be changed …show more content…
Many generations later, one decision made by two people led to a huge change for the rest of humanity. The preacher asks the audience rhetorically when they have done something that they have been ashamed of. He explains that we too commit sins and hide them from God. “It’s the pain we want to run from. It is the judgment we feel we deserve but which we cannot bear”(Reese 41). He stresses that there is an inability of us, as imperfect humans, to confess and take the blame for our actions, and dictates how it seems as though blaming others is humankind’s favorite thing to do when answering to God regarding our sin. The same was true for Adam and Eve when they committed the first sin against God. Evil is the soil which nourishes the sin of the world, and this separated mankind eternally from God. The first instance of this was Adam and Eve’s original sin. The preacher continues to tell his audience how evil was defeated, and how we too can rejoice in the overcoming of
It is perhaps the most difficult intellectual challenge to a Christian how God and evil can both exist. Many of the greatest minds of the Christian church and intellects such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas spent their entire lives trying to solve this problem, and were unsuccessful (Erickson, 2009, p.439). However, this dilemma is not only an intellectual challenge, but it is emotional. Man feels it, lives it. Failing to identify the religious form of the problem of evil will appear insensitive; failure to address the theological form will seem intellectually insulting. This conundrum will never be completely met during our earthly life, but there are many biblical and philosophical resources that help mitigate it.
During the peaceful time in the garden God gives Adam and Eve a specific rule. God allows Adam and Eve to eat off any tree except nothing from the tree of good and evil. God explains that death would be the result of eating off this tree. This part of the story relates to the heroes journey’s step of the call to adventure or the problem. Now the decision of obeying or rebelling became upon them. Eve begins to wonder around in the garden, she discovers the tree of good and evil. She notices something different, Satan, in the form of a serpent. Satan tries to entice and persuade her to eat fruit from the tree. Satan begins to ask her, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree in the garden’? (Genesis 3:1).” She feels hesitant at first, not wanting to sin against God, but Satan begins to persuade her with all the right words. Eve feels reluctant and does not know what to do. Satan encourages Eve in a negative way to disobey God. As
Emotions are the first thing that someone thinks about when listening or reading a sermon, speech, or literary work. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God made a lot of people think about their actions and decisions. In the sermon, it was stated that the wicked man deserves to be cast into hell and God can do so at any time. The sermon states that the devil stands ready to fall on wicked people and they are under condemnation to hell if they continue on their present course. This is true, that God will cast people to hell for their actions, but there is a predestined time for such a thing to happen, and will not happen at any time. In addition, many people were reflecting o...
In the excerpt from Philosophy of Religion, John Hicks outlines the problem of evil as such:
The problem of evil is inescapable in this fallen world. From worldwide terror like the Holocaust to individual evils like abuse, evil touches every life. However, evil is not a creation of God, nor was it in His perfect will. As Aleksandr
What is good and evil and where did it come from? Everything in the world was created from the one God. The God theory infused all things in the world and that live beyond it. From this viewpoint good and evil both derived from the God law. They have both lived since the construction of the world. Yet, evil was in a dormant form at that juncture. Evil is in our mind, not inside our aspiring heart (http://www.srichinmoy.org/spirituality/spirituality/good_and_evil).
Guilt is a result of sin, and sin is a result of misaction. In the novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist, Amir, goes on a journey to redeem himself for his sins. When Amir was 12, he witnessed his best friend, Hassan, get raped in an alley. Instead of standing up for his friend, Amir ran away in selfishness and cowardice. The guilt of his choice plagues Amir for the rest of his life, until one day, he gets a call from an old uncle, who tells him that “there is a way to be good again.” (2) The Kite Runner follows Amir on his odyssey to redeem himself for his hurtful actions. Through this journey, Khaled Hosseini delivers the message that sins and guilt can always be atoned for.
The evil nature of this individual is made manifest, and thus evil enters the story in a significant way.
We are all sinners. Although one may try hard not to sin, all humans eventually succumb at some time or another to sin. While people may not able to avoid the fate which awaits them, the power of free will allows people to decide how they will respond to sin. While some may respond with guilt and regret, others may react with a sense of redemption and a renewed sense of responsibility.
The concept of evil is difficult to understand, and varies from person to person. But generally evil can be defined as wickedness or lack of morals. Throughout history evil has always been prevalent, but to a varying degree and in different ways. Every person has an evil side to them, and to suppress that evil side, it is critical to attempt to understand it and how to prevent it. John Gardner’s Grendel, a novel about a murderous monster, examines the effects of evil philosophies and how positive philosophies can counteract those. The value of Grendel is showing the reader how the evil mind works and how to halt the evil that exists in every person.
God’s law demands sins to be confessed and forgiveness be requested in order to become stronger through Him. 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (ESV). Just as the BSC is a strategy for organizations to grow stronger, God’s strategy of sinners confessing and requesting forgiveness is a way for Christians to become stronger. Economies of Scale and
“…And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9-13) As it says in the Bible, we wish to be led astray from evil. However, evil is a very curious subject. For most intensive purposes, evil can be described as cruel, heinous, and unnecessary punishment. Evil is a relatively accepted concept in the world today, although it is not completely understood. Evil is supposedly all around us, and at all times. It is more often than not associated with a figure we deem Satan. Satan is said to be a fallen angel, at one point God’s favorite. Supposedly Satan tries to spite God by influencing our choices, and therefore our lives. However, this presents a problem: The Problem of Evil. This argues against the existence of God. Can God and evil coexist?
The lines that define good and evil are not written in black and white; these lines tend to blur allowing good and evil to intermingle with each another in a single human being.
Human’s, according to the bible, will always be evil because of one action; the action of biting the apple. Films like Fargo, Magnolia, and Pleasantville portray human nature constantly “biting the apple.” These films seem to share many views on how human nature is portrayed with the Bible. Betrayal and forgiveness are two prominent themes in the Bible as well as all three of these films. In particular, the film Magnolia seems to have almost every character commit betrayal of some kind.
What separates us from God dwells in our hearts (Richard Niell Donovan) (Mark 7:14-23). Perhaps we exploit and uncover the sins of someone else, or another group of people, not only because it makes us feel better about ourselves; but, also perhaps we because we fail to recognize the evil originating from our own hearts. It is easy to blame our sins on either the devil, or someone else, and when we are on a rampage against the sins of someone else, perhaps we are hiding our own sins. We all have the potential to do evil, and I am sure we have all have acted upon that potential to make it a reality.