I’m confused and frightened by evil. I’ve seen it at close quarters. I grew up around it. I’ve lost people I loved to it. And yet, I still don’t understand evil, and to combat it, I think we must first understand it. I’ve been thinking about these issues a lot lately, and at some point I will explore them in depth in a book tentatively titled, Alien Enlightenment. For now, I want to ask a few questions.
Evil. What is it? And why does it fuel some people? Can feeling hatred turn you evil or insane, or does being evil or insane make you feel consumed by hatred? What is the difference between a sociopath, a psychopath and a demonically possessed soul?
Perhaps we all have evil inside of us. If you believe in the concept of original sin, we were born with it, and we need God’s love to fight it or overcome it. If potential evil takes the form of temptation, then evil actions occur when we fail to fight the temptation. Under this theory, we must use the free will He gave us to choose to do right, to resist the temptation to sin, so that we don’t commit evil acts.
This still doesn’t explain how a person becomes evil. We all sin, or taking the religious context out of it, we all say and do things we shouldn’t. And yet, one bad act does not turn a woman into an evil one. 
Even if you’re an atheist or an agnostic (or, I suppose a Buddhist) and don’t believe in the Biblical definition of sin, I bet you believe in evil. You know it when you see it right? Perhaps the concept of evil is a simple one: it is evil to base all of your actions on hatred, right? It’s evil to kill someone with premeditated malice, for example, or with the intent to cause harm, but it isn’t evil to kill someone in self-defense.
Are you still with me? I feel like we’re about to dive down a rabbit hole, but that’s the nature of philosophy. I think I’m going to define evil here as either hatred of the good or the purposeful act of allowing hatred to fuel your actions. With that definition in hand, how about the next question: what comes first—feeling hatred, or being evil?
I’ve watched people I love lurch from good thought to evil action and back and forth until I couldn’t make sense of it. Take the case of my mom. She would do something kind for me one minute, scream that she hated me the next minute, and at a certain point, all I knew to do was to hide from both the good and the evil she represented. At some point, in my head at least, I decided she was more evil than good, or I stopped caring about solving whatever equation she represented.
For a long time, I wondered why she could turn so hateful. I ran through all of the options. Was she crazy? Her behavior met with the standards for many different mental illnesses, from psychosis to manic depression (with psychotic breaks) to borderline personality disorder and over the last ten years, dementia. Looking backwards, I have no idea what’s wrong with her, but I do know that hatred, rather than love, is her fuel.
I’ve seen other relatives lose their minds, either from substance abuse or from mental illness, but this got me thinking. I have as much mental illness as any of my other relations; in fact, my brother used to taunt me that I was doomed to end up in a mental hospital like the infamous Spring Grove that housed an Aunt. But even though I heard voices at times, and certainly struggled to overcome evil, destructive impulses, I did not turn bad. I did not and do not act with hate in my heart.
Can sane people be evil? I think so. I’ve seen sociopaths in action. I’ve seen it when a man sexually assaulted me. There was no crazy in his eyes. Just lust, misdirected. Can one really evil act, like rape, turn a man evil? I think so, but perhaps that question is, as a priest once said to me, above my pay grade.
What about psychopaths? Isn’t that another word for an insane person who commits a lot of evil acts? At some point, hatred mixes with insanity and blossoms into a degree of evil that is pretty much beyond rational comprehension.
Speaking of evil that is beyond rational comprehension, I believe in demonic possession. Yeah, I know, I fell down the rabbit hole, but here we are. Once when I overdosed, I heard demons telling me to jump out a window. I’ve seen angels, or felt the light of their protection inside me. And I’ve observed a woman curse God as she spoke of the call of demons summoning her to kill the baby she did not want to carry to term.
Weird? Yes. Crazy? Perhaps. Demonic? I can’t prove it, but I am intuitively sure of demons and the battle we must all wage against them.
See you on the other side. The better side.
You’ve left me with so much to think about. Should I thank you for that? When I think of evil, I don’t necessarily think of hatred, although that’s certainly a component for some, but I think of total lack of compassion and empathy…A disconnect of some sort. My ex can be evil (by my own definition) and I don’t think it’s about hatred. I truly think he just cannot see beyond himself at all, and so many of the manipulations are driven by his need for control and his lack of feeling and inability to see through a lens of compassion/empathy. Evil, driven by hatred, seems to be more about brokenness perhaps combined with a lack of compassion. I think someone who feels and knows hatred also has a “stop” button because they also live by what’s right and wrong. True evil has no sense of right and wrong, or at least they don’t care about it.
There’, now I’ve talked myself partway down the rabbit hole.
Have to agree with you on this. Excellent response. See mine below ..
Me too!
Hello my dear friend! Ah I love what you said above–that evil can be more than hatred–it can be the inability to feel empathy, right? That is one of the ideas I have for my aliens/demons–that they’ve lost the ability to feel anything for anyone else. Damn–I wish I had remembered the concept of empathy lost before I wrote this blog! LOL!
very thought provoking post! “…above my pay grade!” I like that response… lots ot life events cannot be explained or in my opinion; understood!
I believe just simply based on my life experiences that evil exists; I also believe, more importantly, that good is bigger!
Hello Amy (my friend Mommetime!!! I love ya!)! Me too–I have always loved that priest’s assessment of the issue I brought before him! And as far as evil, often what I feel about it is summarized in Springsteen’s song, “Nebraska.” The killer explains the murders he committed with the chilling phrase, “there’s just evil in this world.”
Yes! Good is bigger! Amen!
Evil. Complicated sh*t. I have lost myself inside the argument about what is evil. I’m not even sure there is absolute evil–an act in one place may be the cultural norm and elsewhere be the darkest of acts. And let’s be honest, there is excitement in some acts of evil. (Don’t mistake that for condoning, please.). For my own needs I have found evil, like good, exists in a gray gradient field. Intention, cultural understanding, experience/inexperience, mental capacity all add shading. Best solution is to bring light into the rabbit hole.
LOL Kelly! It is complicated shit (yeah it’s okay to cuss in Hell, hahaha). Yep, there is something exciting about evil–it’s interesting. Without villains, well, life would be (I reckon) boring. Shoot, Dante’s Inferno is awesome; Purgatoria was so boring, I didn’t even bother reading what he wrote about heaven. Ha! Bring light into the rabbit hole! Love it! You mean bring goodness into the mix, or you mean look carefully before you jump? Or both?
The way I see it goodness is just as ambiguous as evil so the light can’t be guaranteed just because something is “good”. I suppose I mean bring knowledge with you. Yes, it’s cliche but I remain committed to the belief that knowledge is power and therefore knowledge is illuminating. Now you’re going to have me pulling out my philosophy books and losing myself in some Joseph Campbell.
You know what I believe. This is wonderful, thoughtful, and true! Xoxoxo
Ha! You can’t wiggle out that easily!! Please elaborate dear friend!!
I have seen evil face to face and thought I knew it in a heart beat, but then I married a sociopath and learned that evil comes in many forms. There is a line in the movie Broadcast News…Albert Brooks is talking to Holly Hunter and he says, “What do you think the Devil is going to look like if he’s around? Nobody is going to be taken in if he has a long, red, pointy tail. No. I’m semi-serious here. He will look attractive and he will be nice and helpful and he will get a job where he influences a great God-fearing nation and he will never do an evil thing. He will just bit by little bit lower standards where they are important. Just coax along flash over substance…” That is the evil of an average sociopath and it is the worst kind of evil. Take it from me who ate three meals a day for 10 weeks next to a woman who set her husband on fire while he slept…a true psychopath and less evil than my ex-husband. I do not think that God would create people without a conscious, but I do not know that for certain. That takes us to demon possession, which is real, and looks nothing like The Exorcist. It looks like the sociopath next door, or your average corporate leader, or politician. Evil is all around us and being sold to us like Diet Pepsi. Is that enough yet?
Ohhhhh it’s just getting comfortable here in the rabbit hole! Please don’t go yet!! Seriously . . . I do remember that line in Broadcast News and wow, gosh. Well-said. Can evil be what happens when we whittle away at the good, making it more comfortable, easier to obtain, setting the bar lower and lower until there is no difference between the holy man and his sinning cousin?
Wow. An average sociopath vs. a psychopath who murdered her husband. The question is, which one is scarier? And which is more evil? Yes, there are different kinds of evil, but isn’t it worse to commit murder? The husband is gone for good, whereas the sociopath you married at least left you alive . . . sigh.
Well, God created us with free will, and some people choose to become evil. But are some people born with a mental defect, so that they lack a conscience? This will be a big part of the novel I write. The serial killers in it will lack consciences — or the ability to feel any empathy — and the researchers will be trying to figure out why. Are they aliens? Or demons?
Demonic possession is real. Man. I love how you ended it. Diet Pepsi. You rock!
The woman who killed her husband was evil and flawed to the point where I would call her damaged beyond repair. How she got that way, I do not know, or care to know. My husband lied to be about everything from the very beginning of our relationship. He did it with the express purpose of controlling my view of him. Most of his lies were lies by omission—telling me just enough to make it believable and to make me feel sorry for him, like he was some poor victim. When I say he lied about everything, I do mean everything save his name and birthday. He shifted his shape to conform to who he thought I wanted and then once we were married, he shifted into a dark and awful place from which he never returned. Yes, we are alive, but he did starve 25 precious farm animals to death all the while telling me they were fine. And I thought I shielded our son from all of that, but he remembers, and I remember, and my six older kids remember. Now he’s with a new woman and again he has recreated himself. This man who would not allow sports to be on the TV in our home and had never voted in an election is now suddenly a lifelong sports fan and an avid and committed Republican. Kimmie was honest about what she did from the start….walked straight to the police station and turned herself in. y husband will never admit to wrong doing. Who is more evil?
Yeah . . . you’re right. He is more evil. Yeah. I’m so sorry hun. Love you!
Well, hello. Nice rabbit hole you have here. May I join you?
My view on hatred: It is not the opposite of love. Indifference is the opposite of love. Hatred is love turned against itself. No love, no hate.
Evil (human evil) I believe, is about control. Is in innate? To use your phrase, that’s “above my pay grade.”
As for demonic evil, my logical side says if I believe in a spiritual Good, then there must be an opposite. I’m just not sure exactly what I believe that to be. Perhaps my charmed life has sheltered me from that level of evil, denying me a clear picture of it. For now I’m content to push away the need to decipher that part of it.
By all means, dear Lisha!! Rabbit holes are best explored in a group!!!!
Oooooh. I do so like that concept–that hatred is loved turned against itself. No love, no hatred. Hmmm.
Human evil is about controlling others, you mean?
Yeah, I agree that if there is a spiritual Good, there must be its opposite. I think I do believe in Hell (not necessarily Dante’s Hell) but I’m not sure what it really is. And while I’m interested in the subject, it (and insanity) scare the heck out of me.
El, there are some illnesses that Doctor’s suggest are triggered by stress. Similarly, I feel, evil is either a dormant emotion that is made active by external repression. Or, evil is good that manifested itself in a negative form because the external world suppressed it by manipulative tools.
I do not think that evil is something designed by “Creation”. Everything that God has made is good and beautiful. Evil is a transformation that the good undergoes when worked upon by human actions.
Good points!
Hmmm. Right: evil is not designed by God/Creation. I don’t think God created evil, but when he created humans and gave us free will, he gave us the potential to do good, bad, and everything else in between. I’m not certain about the dormant emotions and external repressions you’re talking about–do you mean that human action mixed with the inherent goodness God created and turns it into something evil?
I like your last sentence–well said.
Fascinating post El. Not sure how to reply. I don’t think about evil much but I do know it’s all around us. But I have no use for, or belief in demons, devils and hell any more than i believe in God and angels. I don’t believe in either. I believe humans are the root of all evil and the evil springs from their own experiences. Or perhaps it’s just in the genes.
You write: “I’ve seen it when a man sexually assaulted me. There was no crazy in his eyes. Just lust, misdirected. Can one really evil act, like rape, turn a man evil?” So have I. I looked at that face for 11 years and it was my own father’s face. “There was no crazy, just lust, misdirected”. And yet to this day, I cannot and do not think of him as “evil”. Maybe I just suffer from Stockholm Syndrome or simply can’t hate the one who gave me life. It goes against my genes. I loathe what he did to me: I hated the MAN but I still loved the father and always hoped one day the MAN would be gone and the Father would return.
When I read of pedophile rings, human trafficking, murder, abuse of all kinds … I believe in the evil inside those predators. But do I think they are possessed by a devil or something. No. I cannot accept the actions of any human as anything but their own: to do otherwise is to remove responsibility from ourselves and say “the devil made me do it” or “I’ll leave it to God”. Too too easy to absolve ourselves of all blame or failure to take positive action.
I have to agree with Carrie @Tempo life coaching above: so much evil is about control. Somewhere along the line, the “evil” person lost control of their lives, perhaps at the hands of another “evil” person and the only way to feel on top of their lives is to control others. To some degree, I have done that in my own life … (see my blog post at on this subject HERE … and I believe that was my father’s motivation as well. Or maybe he just didn’t know what real love was and that the love you give a child is not the same as you give your wife. To him, it was all the same.
Thanks for a very thought-provoking post. Pity I have so much else to think about now. Could be on this one forever LOL.
And a fascinating response!! Wow. Okay let me respond to one piece and see if I still have time. As far as demonic possession: great point you make about personal responsibility. I think we’re still morally culpable for anything we do, even if we’re demonically possessed or insane. That is different from criminally responsible — under the law, if you lack the capacity to tell right from wrong, you cannot be found guilty of committing the crime. I for one am not a big fan of the insanity defense. If you murder someone else due to insanity, I think you should first get treatment for your mental illness and THEN serve the time for the crime you committed but I’m in a small minority on that issue.
Hmmm. Let’s see. I hear you but respectfully disagree on the God/Hell/Heaven issue. That said, I think that humans have free will. Humans, and not God, are responsible for their evil actions. We choose to do right or do wrong.
I hear you re your father. It sounds to me like you’ve forgiven him–does that make sense? Hate the sin not the sinner–hmm, no, you hate the man. So what you refuse to hate is the ideal of him–what he could have been, what he should have been . . . but in fact you hate him?
I wasn’t sure what Carrie meant about control. I like how you characterized it above. I just went over and read your blog and hey, what you did was not evil! Crikey–it’s not like you became abusive toward your own kids! Your father abused you hun–that behavior is/was/always will be evil, and so different from being a mom who controls her kids too much.
Thank you for a thought-provoking response!!
I so agree with you when you say “to do otherwise is to remove responsibility from ourselves”. We are solely responsible for our actions and yield the power to control our thoughts so that our actions are guided by good intentions.
I do believe in God, Karma and astrology. But it is important to complement this belief with what the Gita says about the importance of action and thought.
So, both Gods and human beings possess pivotal roles in life. Worship without action is rendered ineffective.Balance is the key.
Oh, amen Raunak! We’re solely responsible for our own actions. And I believe in all of those things too–and yes, for sure, worship without action is meaningless. Hope you’re well!
I don’t think of evil in the same way, I don’t think it is fueled by hate. I don’t think in terms of sin either. I think of evil in only one perhaps two terms.
Evil can only exist in a void. Where there is a lack of compassion / empathy evil can and will fill that void. That is the only time true evil can exist.
Anger can cause us to lash out. Hate can fuel us to act in rash and horrifying ways. Loss of sanity can cause us to act in ways that appear to outsiders to be ‘evil’, but this is only true if we lack compassion at our core. But true evil can only exist where there is a complete lack of compassion / empathy for others. If we are incapable of compassion, unable to feel for others we have the capacity for evil; otherwise we do not have the capacity for true, unrelenting evil.
The opposite of Love is not Hate, it is indifference.
Hate is an active emotion that must have fuel to be kept alive, generally hate dies if not fed.
Anger tends to be an immediate response, if we walk away it also dies.
Fury, my word for how I felt towards my attackers, my mother and many others that did me harm was inwardly focused for many years. I knew none of them were evil, simply lost to the world. My fury was at what they stole from me. I fed it my balance and my future.
I think the reason we believe we know the face of evil when we see it, is the light of compassion does not shine from that face from those eyes. Human compassion is lacking, only the feral animal remains.
Darn it!! I forgot about the entire line of reasoning, that evil exists when a human being lacks the ability to feel compassion or empathy for another human being.
But wait. Hitler was evil right? But he felt some compassion for certain people, didn’t he? Most psychopaths have compassion for some people, you know? My husband and I were talking about this tonight. But in general, I think the lack of empathy/ability to feel compassion are big pieces to the puzzle of what makes someone evil.
I don’t think I agree that love and hate aren’t opposites. From a moral standpoint, I would prefer to feel indifference than hatred, and on a personal level, I’d much prefer someone feel indifference rather than hatred toward me. Indifference is not a bad thing in itself. As far as anger, gosh, I’ve known people who’ve stayed angry their entire lives (big sigh).
I think we do know evil when we see it. I think good people can do evil things; I think evil people can do good things. It’s complicated. You know?
Hitler was evil, or was he simply a megalomaniac? Did he feel compassion or empathy? I don’t know, I have never been interested in him as a human being so I can’t answer the question. Certainly some of those who surrounded him were evil.
I have also known people that were angry their entire lives, but usually their anger is turned inwards.
This is indeed a very long rabbit hole you have fallen into my friend.
Please don’t stay here emotionally.
Much love.
XXXX
That was quite a rabbit hole you fell into!
LOL!! I think we’ll be in here for awhile! So glad I’m not alone!!
Pretty sure I’d need a whole doctoral thesis to tackle this one–but I’ll give it a shot.
I believe evil exists, but it’s not so much an entity as an absence, and not so much a mere absence as a vacuum. Evil is like the black hole of the spirit. It is the complete opposite of good, but it’s more than that; it sucks away all vestiges of good, little by little (much like black holes almost reach out to absorb any light passing nearby). Are people “evil,” though? I think the measure of our own good/evil depends mostly on our attitudes rather than on some outside standard since, as Kelly pointed out, different cultures over time have had widely differing mores. So to some extent, every time we choose poorly, selfishly, angrily, proudly–we let a little bit of our light, our goodness, get sucked into the black hole of anti-good. And over time, people can indeed become so engulfed in evil thoughts and deeds–the complete absence of good–that they are consumed by it and appear completely evil.
That’s not to say that the state is permanent. Love–whether God’s or people’s or animals’–can help people fight their way out of obliteration. But by no means is it easy.
As for hatred, I don’t equate it with evil. Hatred generally involves evil actions or evil thoughts, but in essence it’s a perversion of love, I think. Think over history to some of the most hate-filled people in the past and it isn’t hard to see how easily warped love can morph into hate and eventually evil, and no one’s the wiser.
While we’re on the subject, I do believe in the devil, but I see the devil as a doer and a propagator of evil rather than evil incarnate, much like Sauron was merely an emissary of a greater evil, Morgorth (okay, I’m a LOTR nerd). [I need to get a little more into the Middle Earth mythology because I can't remember whether Morgoth was evil incarnate--I've had "The Book of Lost Tales" on my nightstand for a while now.]
And now you’ve made my head explode, so I need to take a break. “Lost Tales” is calling . . .
Ha!! You’ve stopped me in my tracks! Or perhaps you’ve given me the path out of the hole, because what you wrote is not only beautiful, but it makes absolute sense to me! OMgosh, truly, this could be a doctoral thesis. I like no love your use of the black hole metaphor!! Brilliant! And yes, I agree that this state of evil can be overcome — it can be fought with love, or with the light.
Hatred as a perversion of love . . . hmm. I like that.
Um, my head exploded about a half-hour ago! The comments here have me flummoxed! And I hope you’re going to be around when I write Alien Enlightenment. Wheeeeeee!
Like Annie (One Hot Mess), and I agree that sociopaths exist. An ex-fiancé to one of my old boyfriends recently found me on Facebook, trying to understand if her ex was always this way or what. She explained what had been going on, and I could see the same pattern of a very broken person who has never gotten any help. Except he has gotten worse. I got away, and for that I feel blessed because he was always all about control, but now he has ruined many, many lives because of his own selfish needs that are actually fueled by his fear of abandonment.
I don’t like how whenever something awful happens, people start saying: “The devil made him do that.” That’s too easy. Some person did that. Some person made a shitty choice that impacted someone else. Maybe a lot of someone elses. Maybe that person was weak or sick or unable to make a better choice, but the action can still be labeled evil, and I still place the action on that person.
Great thought provoking post.
Sociopaths strike me as sadder and more culpable than psychopaths. But the psychopaths scare the crap out of me. It’s when you mix that element of crazy and disconnected from reality and what you get is uncontrollable and even unstoppable . . . perhaps because there is no way to reach that person through rational thought. You know? Whereas a sociopath, well, can’t you still reason with them? Sigh. When I ran my hypo past Annie she slapped it upside the head, and I was left agreeing that her husband was more evil than the murdering wife.
Sigh. Where was I?
Oh. Yes. “The devil made me do it” is no moral defense to evil action. My response is, then go hang out with the devil, because that’s where you belong. Nervous giggle. I think I’ve been talking about evil too much today. I’m getting silly. Must turn off iMac!
Thank you!
Hey El, you know I love your blog and I think you deserve some recognition for your great work….I just received some awards and am supposed to pass them on! They are kind of some work, but if you are so inclined, drop over to my site and pick them up and please them on to other deserving bloggers! Evie
Aw thanks so much Evie!! xoxo
El, you are one bravely outspoken woman.
I agree with onehotmess who commented: “You know what I believe. This is wonderful, thoughtful, and true!”
And I’m sorry, but I won’t elaborate as you asked her to do because I’m not quite as brave as you, not when it comes to this topic. Suffice it to say that I’ve had some really weird experiences in my time.
However, all things considered, I believe that most of the evil in this world stems from the lack of love, empathy, and compassion. That black hole of the soul thetwistingkaleidoscope described so eloquently.
I’m looking forward to your Alien Enlightenment.
With You In The Rabbit Hole,
Lady Q
Hello Lady Q!!!
Don’t worry–I won’t ask you to elaborate!! One Hot Mess and I talk on the phone a lot, so I can ask her that sort of question, you know? And if she thinks I’m being a pain in the butt, she will tell me, lol.
Ugh. Bravery. Sigh!
Yeah, I thought Twisting Kaleidoscope nailed it on the head!!
Thanks so much, my friend, for visiting the rabbit hole!!
xo,
El
Reblogged this on drndark.
Thank you so much for reblogging!!
So very thought provoking…and I love to have my thoughts provoked.
I have only met evil once in my life, and since that day over 30 years ago, I have not been able to get her out of my life. What came first? The chicken? or the egg? I read and then re-read your first lines…is evil born from hatred? I think it is. The person that I met 30 years ago, I do not believe was evil at that time…damaged maybe, but not yet evil…as I watched her hatred of me (she is my ex-husband’s wife) develop and grow, I watched evil begin….that evil branched out to my children, and like a speeding train gone out of control, her hatred spun. It began quietly, through jealousy, and as time wore on the hatred grew stronger…and has now turned completely insane and evil. She has ruined so many lives…stolen time from all of us…stolen a Father from his children…and affected each and every one of us in different ways. Do I think she was born evil? No…do I think something happened to her in her childhood to open a crack deep enough for evil to get in? Yes. Do I think being evil has caused her to become insane? Yes. You have brought up so many good points in your writing…I most likely will spend days considering it all…and trying, just as I have for the past 30 years, to understand…to try and find a way to forgive…and to protect all of us from any further damage. I think in order to give space enough for evil to enter, you have to live in hatred….a joyful person could not host evil. Thank you for your insightful prospective…
Jeanne: big hugs. I have reread what you’ve written a few times and I also really appreciate your insight into the issue of evil. I’m so sorry that you’ve observed it as close quarters, as have I, and I pray that you and I (and our respective families) find a way to peace and forgiveness. For me, forgiving is no problem, as long as the evil people leave me alone–you know? Take care, my friend.
Jeanne, it sounds to me like you are describing a person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder; a Malignant Narcissist, to be more precise.
My momster is such a person. If anyone should not be allowed to have children, it’s this kind of woman, or man.
I have tried all my life to figure her out, and I still don’t understand. Evil? Crazy? Born without a conscience or without the abillity to feel empathy and compassion, and can’t help herself? Or did something happen after her birth that caused her to be this way and, again, she can’t help it? Or did she chose to be this kind of person? But, Why? Who would choose such an awful thing?
She is, by the way, one of the most fanatically fundamentally Bible-thumping religious people I have ever known. Holier-than-thou, but in a very proudly humble way. While behind your back she lies and wrecks havoc in all the lives she touches.
What is evil? I don’t know. it’s kind of like beauty – I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it.
I agree with some who have commented that they don’t think it’s about hate, per se, because hate is a very active emotion and it seems that many evil people are unfeeling. That lack of empathy is very prevalent.
We can all talk ourselves into doing things we know are wrong; the older we get, the truer that is. But I do think true evil is a flaw that someone is born with.
You know, that’s a good point about hatred and evil. I’m confused about the whole issue, but man, comments like yours really have gotten me thinking! Thanks so much Peg!!
Pingback: The Dailey Grind
El, I’ve been thinking about this all day and finally get a chance to sit down and tell you my thoughts (I haven’t read all the comments yet so I hope I’m not reiterating)
Do I think evil or demons are real? Yes. My overall spiritual beliefs stem from the idea that we all reincarnate over and over again. That some of us have had many lives. We do this to try and attain a more loving positive soul….to move on up to a higher plane in existence. Some of us give in to our demons and choose to turn away from God/Energy source/higher power. If we turn away from the light, evil will seep in. But we all have second chances, maybe hundreds of chances to make this right again. I do believe God is forgiving if you ask for forgiveness. I know I sound incredibly religious right now and I don’t mean to be, because I am really very open spiritually. But I do believe in one energy source and that we ALL are a part of this source, if we choose to be. I also believe that most of us have probably been evil in one way or another in the past. We’ve all experienced moments of hate or turned away from love or God. We’ve let the demons overtake us and have become unfeeling or cruel. But we all have that choice in the end. Some people always choose to remain empty and heartless and turn away from God. Can these people be saved? I do believe they can be. But it’s ultimately their choice. I think some people are to the core evil and want to remain evil forever.
I want to be clear, I only use God in a general sense and because it’s easier to put a name to it. I certainly don’t think any one religion is the end all be all! or if you don’t believe in my God you’ll be doomed. I lean more toward Buddhism anyway….one source.
I too believe in the concept of ‘Original Sin.’ I believe that all people are born with evil inside them, but what makes us ‘good’ is the fight against it… If I’m being honest with myself, and everyone else here, I’ve had evil thoughts… I’ve never acted upon them, but I’ve had the thoughts. I don’t believe that anyone is evil until they act upon it.. My question is, once someone acts upon the evil inside, can they ever fully return back to who they were before evil consumed them? I have a hard time answering that question… There’s someone I know in my life who I consider to be evil… Even if he were to completely change, I will always see him as the man he once was.
Sorry if i seem a little jumbled… My mind is scattered.
You don’t seem scattered. This is a complex subject! Of course we all have evil thoughts–this is what temptation is, I think. What matters is whether we act on them. I think that people can be very evil and undergo a total transformation, by seeking God, but it is really, really rare. Certain paths, once traveled, cannot be left without some sort of divine intervention. Thank you so much for stopping by!
I agree with what El said: “I think that people can be very evil and undergo a total transformation, by seeking God, but it is really, really rare. Certain paths, once traveled, cannot be left without some sort of divine intervention.”
This is what I have observed firsthand throughout my life, that it is very rare for a person’s character to change much, if at all. Most people that I’ve known who have seemed to change very dramatically, the change didn’t last more than a few weeks or months at most. I’ve gone through a lot of experiences and changes in my lifetime, but my inner character and personality is basically the same person that I have always been, ever since I was a little girl.
By the way, I checked out foreverpking’s new blog earlier today, it is quite good.
Lady Q