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The origin of evil
According to the Bible, evil is the result of an ongoing war in the spiritual realm. Satan was a great and beautiful angel; considered the most beautiful of them all. Eventually, filled with self-pride, he set himself out to take hold of the throne of God. But his rebellion was crushed, and he was cast out of heaven together with a third of all the angels. Is this a myth or reality?
Since it is impossible to scientifically prove or disprove the existence of a spiritual dimension, we must rely on legal-historic evidence (the same kind used in a court of law) to answer this question. And such evidence exists all around us, through archeological records, documented historical accounts, and related material.
If evil does exist, did God create evil?
Many people believe that since God created all things, He must also have created evil. How did it come about if not created by God?
Apologist Greg Koukl offers insight into this commonly asked question. He points out that evil is not a created "thing" but the absence of a thing. This analogy originated with St. Augustine and was further developed by Thomas Aquinas. Consider the issues of light or temperature. Black is not a thing; it is the absence of light. Light is a thing, made up of particles or waves. Take away the created 'thing' and the result is black--nothing. Temperature works the same way. Cold is not a thing, but the absence of heat, which is a created thing. Take away the element of physical motion which creates heat as we know it and you are left with cold. Cold is not created, neither is darkness. They are the absence of the created things. Evil, then, is not a created thing, but the absence of good.
Obviously this is a simplistic comparison, because it doesn't take into account the inherent energy of evil--its motivation and purpose as part of a spiritual battle. But I don't believe that difference disqualifies the analogy.
Apologist Mark Eastman, MD also has a powerful viewpoint regarding the existence of evil. Mark explains that those who believe God cannot be good because He allows evil to exist (or that God cannot be strong enough to prevent it) are making a fatal error in logic. First, the recognition of evil is the recognition that certain actions are right and others wrong. We determine the difference on the basis of a universal sense that certain states of affairs are right and others wrong.
Eastman goes on to note that social customs, traditions, or feelings cannot determine a universal sense of right and wrong. It can only come from a source outside of ourselves, a moral Lawgiver. So, the recognition of moral law is by default the recognition of a moral Lawgiver. As Mark puts it, to argue that the existence of evil proves that there is no God is equivalent to stating that the existence of moral law proves that there is no Lawgiver!
Mark argues that the existence of evil presents an absolutely unsolvable problem for the atheist. How does the atheist explain evil--the sense of moral right and wrong--in the absence of a moral Lawgiver? They can't!
One of my favorite arguments is the one Mark Eastman uses to defend the atheist's attack that a loving God who was powerless to stop evil must not be a God at all. He describes how this logic crumbles under its own weight. For God to eliminate evil, He would have to eliminate our capacity to choose between evil or good. And such a world would be inferior to the one we have, since love requires the existence of evil to mean anything at all. Love can mean nothing unless we have something by which to measure it! And without the contrast of non-love as a potential choice, we would be unable to even understand love. What kind of God would create a world where love is possible? Only one kind, says Eastman. A God of love.
Had to begin somewhere
The Bible tells us that the nature of evil--the desire to set ourselves up ahead of God--began with Satan. God gives all created things the ability to choose good or the absence of good. Every action or thought not entirely motivated by a love of God has some element of evil (often referred to as "sin") involved in it. We are born with a rebellious spirit, wanting to do things our own way. Adam and Eve chose an inherently evil action-- to disobey God--by responding to a rebellious desire. The consequence was to have this disobedience passed down through all generations since. Thus, we all have a "sinful" nature within us.
Evil is not a black blob causing bad actions, as shown in the movie "The Fifth Element." Evil as a lack of goodness generally leads to wrong actions but the foundation of evil is not the action but an attitude of the heart. Evil actions are visible but an invisible desire is the underlying element behind them.
"But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
(Matthew 5:28)
Jesus made it clear that thoughts disobedient to God, even if unfulfilled physically, are examples of our sinful nature. We are all infected with the terminal disease of sin.
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