Is Evil necessary?

 Generally we pair love with hate in the same way that we pair good with bad. So where does that leave ‘evil’? If I say someone is bad (and not in the Michael Jackson sense), you might be wary of them. But if I say they are evil, that takes it to a whole new level. I think we see evil as involving malicious intent. I can do something bad and not necessarily mean it. For example, I step on your foot by accident. That was careless of me and thus bad, but I am very sorry and you would not say it was evil. Or maybe I stepped on your foot on purpose just to be obnoxious, but did not realize it would hurt you as much as it did and again I am very sorry. But if I intentionally step on your foot seeking to cause you pain because I derive pleasure out of the suffering of others - that would be evil.  

So can we get to a point where we can eliminate evil? Maybe so. In fact, I would hope so. But I don’t think we can ever be at a point where we eliminate the possibility of bad, because by definition that kind of world simply does not make sense to us. That would be like creating a world where there is only up and no down; where you can only go forward, but not back; where you can only turn right, but not left. It does not fit with our sense of reality. Did bad come into the world when Eve ate the apple in the Garden of Eden? I would say no, bad had to be around before that. When God created the word and declared that it was ‘good’, at that point there had to be ‘bad’ for that statement to make any sense or to have any meaning. If we do not have at least a concept of what bad is, then how would we know if something is good?

For anything to be true, there must also be that which is false. For anything to be beautiful, there must also be that which is ugly. For anything to be good, there must be that which is bad. Otherwise, how would we even know what is true or beautiful or good? But what about evil? Can we ever eliminate the malicious kind of bad that we term as evil and still maintain free will? I would argue that maintaining free will is necessary to have any meaningful sense of love. Love that is not freely chosen does not have the same meaning as love that is forced. Would you rather be loved by someone who freely chooses to love you? Or by someone who only loves you because they cannot choose to do otherwise? I think we would all choose the former and I believe that is what God desires as well. 

As for evil, I have tried to define it as the complete absence of love/good. As long as the world is filled with love, there is no evil. But love requires action, whereas evil can get by with passivity. Indifference can be just as bad as malicious intent. Remember that a baby requires more than just not being punched in the face. God wants us to choose love everyday. It requires our constant attention and focus. It’s not easy. We screw up a lot and miss the mark often (sin). So we require constant forgiveness and grace from God. And all God asks in return is that we show that same love and grace to others. If we all do that there will be no evil. But it is a lot of work. Are we hoping that Heaven is a place where we won’t have to work so hard to keep evil at bay?