Protestantism

» pink101 - Evil Is A Concept

.
Evil has been around almost as far back in history as anyone has ever gone.
.
It is no respector of cultures as it appears in everyone I've ever read or heard about.
.
Our own culture is a good example and, so, we are able to be compared to every one.
.
Evil is a concept that, once it is indentified as existing in our relationships, takes control of our ability to relate with each other. Evil is a thing with spiritual value--it isn't a hard item like a rock or a person--even though rocks and persons have, both, been identified as being possessed by some evil.
.
Evil is "out there" away from our person; yet, we are able to allow it to enter into our being and to have some control over our actions. The fact of the matter about evil is that it is a force with which many of us believe our god must be invoked in order to over come its influence on us. Holding a cross up to a vampire usually does the trick; but, not always. Much depends on how much faith one might be able to put in such a display.
.
Generally, people who allow evil to come into their person end up being enemies of our god. So, like the Crusaders, we are able to slaughter such enemies without remorse. When we are able to see the person who lives next door or down the street as a stranger to us and in whom some evil has taken up residence, we can go to war against them. It is how we are dealing with our "enemies" in the Middle East. How should we deal with the enemy who lives next door and those we see in the super market when we're doing our shopping?
.

-- posted by pink101