A letter which appeared in the Voices column of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette on Saturday, January 19^th, 2013, contained the following line “God did not create evil.” That is correct. The next line is “Like darkness, it is the absence of light. Mankind quickly created evil and personified it in the devil. We have struggled with the concepts of good and evil for our entire existence.”  Yes, darkness is absence of light, but mankind didn’t create evil and yes, man has struggled between good and evil since the creation. But the next line contradicts the former line concerning evil. It is “There is no such thing as evil; there is only the absence of good. When we realize this, we will find the solutions we seek.” But contrary to the writer’s words, if there is an absence of good there has to be an opposite.  

It is suggested that the writer of the letter consult the scriptures. In the whole of the Bible, the word evil is found 612 times in 568 verses. Of those, it appears in the Old Testament 480 times in 449 verses and in the New, it appears 132 times in 119 verses. It always means opposite of that which is approved of God and the contrast is always God’s way of righteousness versus man’s way of unrighteousness known as evil.

The first mention of evil is in Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. There is the opposite of good and according to God evil does exist. Then God told Adam But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:17) Death is the consequence of practicing evil and it arrives due to man not following God’s way.

In regard to the absence of good written in the letter, another reference to evil is made: “More laws and prisons to punish the evil ones are not the solution.” If evil doesn’t exits, how can there be evil ones?

Confusion reigns in the writers mind. The writer said man created evil and then said evil doesn’t exist. Everything in our existence has an opposite no matter what it might be and the same is true with morals. If God’s morals aren’t followed then immorality/evil will be the result. During the period of time before the flood Genesis 6:5 says And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Not only did God see evil, Jesus spoken of evil 37 times and that in and of itself is sufficient to disprove the writer’s assertion that evil doesn’t exist.

Giving credit where credit is due, one thought hits the mark: “When we raise our children with love, compassion and intelligence, they will naturally grow up to be good people.” In Proverbs 22:6 we find, Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Another line in the letter says: “Every child deserves a stable, loving, compassionate and intelligent home environment in which to grow and learn.” The apostle Paul wrote And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)  That is the solution which the writer wants to find, since not raising children properly in the Lord will often times lead to them doing evil, which is the absence of good.

Evil does exist and God and Jesus can banish that from each and every person if they will only recognize that evil is in their heart, and then obey the gospel to begin the fulfillment of God’s plan for their life. As the writer pointed out, Jesus said I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12) That is the cure for the evil the writer said doesn’t exist.

© 01-19-2013 DEC