PERSPECTIVE ON QUESTIONS OF FAITH

Larry Stratton larry@dbnetinc.com
How does one account for the evil that seems inherent in some people?

Humans are still in the process of evolving and the genetic anomalies that drive this process have negative as well as positive consequences. Regrettably, the negative consequences produce the psychopath and the sociopath who sometimes do great harm to their fellow humans. When we apprehend such a person we should take them out of harms way, but killing them does nothing to enhance our stature as humans. Through the application of our creativity we have begun to understand our genetic makeup. We will in time be able to salvage such persons and be able to prevent accidents of this kind in the future.

God created us as free agents, thus all of us have the capacity to do evil. We do evil acts when we use our God given creativity in support of our primitive instincts such as greed, anger, sloth, gluttony, indifference and superstition. Superstition in many cases takes the form of some type of religious belief. On the personal level I believe that evil is most evident in those who avoid the responsibility of becoming a contributing member of the human family by victimizing or exploiting the good will of others, be they innocent bystander, wife, husband, family, friend or social support services. On the institutional level be it private, religious, governmental or corporate evil is most evident in those institutions who take unfair advantage of the less powerful to enhance their own self interests and justify their action in the name of God, Ethnic Purity or National Security.

I believe that humans will eventually conquer evil. Once someone uses their God given creativity and compassion to enhance the welfare of their fellow humans and their environment there is no turning back. The peace of mind and feeling of self worth acquired through such endeavors is something that very few will surrender once it has been experienced. There is no such soul enriching payback when we act on evil impulses