EVIL
Ok, take a deep breath. We’ll get through this together. This month’s theme is “evil”. The mere thought of that word can send shivers down the spine, conjuring up all sorts of gruesome, fearful images. It can induce depths of shame, righteous rage, as well as self-protective bargaining or denial. Concepts of evil (and how to combat it) are foundational to all religious traditions. They have also been proven to be convenient tools in political arenas, justifying actions (retaliatory or preemptive) that can, in and of themselves, be described as evil.
So what are we talking about here? Jacob Neusner, in his book “Evil and Suffering”, draws attention to the role played by evil in monotheistic religious traditions (such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as compared with those traditions in which many gods are recognized (such as Hinduism).
In world views centered on one all-powerful, all-knowing, benevolent God “evil” explains human suffering by letting God off the hook. It explains many of life’s most perplexing and painful events, as well as our own tendency to do things we know we shouldn’t. In polytheistic religions the problem of suffering can be understood in many different ways. The gods are accepted as having many personalities and agendas, not all of which will be experienced by human beings as desirable or just. Evil is understood as essential to the cyclical drama of incarnation from which one is freed, eventually, hopefully, through enlightenment.
But evil, as linked with suffering, is also a concern among those who recognize no God/s. In those contexts the cause of suffering can be linked to impartial “natural” events (accidents, illness, death, floods, earthquakes, etc.). Ignorance of options from which to choose, and of their consequences, can also lead human beings to be a source of suffering and, therefore, responsible for evil. What does your Unitarian Universalist identity tell you about the nature of evil? How do you define evil? Where do you see evidence of it? What remedies do you see for it?
Ok, take a deep breath. We’ll get through this together. This month’s theme is “evil”. The mere thought of that word can send shivers down the spine, conjuring up all sorts of gruesome, fearful images. It can induce depths of shame, righteous rage, as well as self-protective bargaining or denial. Concepts of evil (and how to combat it) are foundational to all religious traditions. They have also been proven to be convenient tools in political arenas, justifying actions (retaliatory or preemptive) that can, in and of themselves, be described as evil.
So what are we talking about here? Jacob Neusner, in his book “Evil and Suffering”, draws attention to the role played by evil in monotheistic religious traditions (such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as compared with those traditions in which many gods are recognized (such as Hinduism).
In world views centered on one all-powerful, all-knowing, benevolent God “evil” explains human suffering by letting God off the hook. It explains many of life’s most perplexing and painful events, as well as our own tendency to do things we know we shouldn’t. In polytheistic religions the problem of suffering can be understood in many different ways. The gods are accepted as having many personalities and agendas, not all of which will be experienced by human beings as desirable or just. Evil is understood as essential to the cyclical drama of incarnation from which one is freed, eventually, hopefully, through enlightenment.
But evil, as linked with suffering, is also a concern among those who recognize no God/s. In those contexts the cause of suffering can be linked to impartial “natural” events (accidents, illness, death, floods, earthquakes, etc.). Ignorance of options from which to choose, and of their consequences, can also lead human beings to be a source of suffering and, therefore, responsible for evil. What does your Unitarian Universalist identity tell you about the nature of evil? How do you define evil? Where do you see evidence of it? What remedies do you see for it?