I just finished reading Life of Pi. As I finished I wondered if Pi were good or evil. I wondered what difference it would make in the story if I determined Pi were good—or if I determined Pi were evil. In my thoughts, it did make a difference.
We see in our world today much evil. Why are evil characters or evil stories, or evil events, or evil video games, or evil movies, or evil music more compelling? Good is a thing which will not hurt anyone but evil does.
The plight between good and evil is one of the most common themes in literature. The bad person normally sees himself as doing the just thing. Or he sees himself as doing something that, in the end, will only satisfy himself.
We have seen that in the shooters this past year. Seemingly they only think of themselves, and nothing of the fact they seriously hurt others. While one person sees himself doing right, another will most surely say that he is doing wrong.
Why does God allow evil to exist? The problem of evil has long been something that gives us pause. We know that God is good and that He is all-powerful. Yet we also know that evil exists.
A good and loving God would not want evil to exist. An all-powerful God would be able to do away with evil. So we are left with a contradiction. God must not be all-good or He must not be all-powerful. What we fail to realize is that we are also part of the equation.
We may be able to imagine a world without evil, but we would not be in it. Humans are sinful. We have a fallen and depraved nature. This is why there is evil in the world. Why did God not simply make us so that we could not be sinful?
This is the question of free will. Without free will, we would be God’s puppets. We could not truly love God. Because He desired a real relationship with us—one that involves choice—He had to allow for evil to exist.
Yes, we live in a sinful world over which Satan has been given dominion. Believers are not immune to the consequences of evil. But Jesus has overcome! God is faithful to redeem the evil that happens in our lives.
Evil will not go unpunished. Nor will God’s people who suffer at the hands of others go without help. In fact, many of the biblical mandates are commands against evil. Not only are we told to refrain from sin and live in righteousness, we are told to help the needy. We are called to be advocates for victims of evil. “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
C.S. Lewis in Chronicles of Narnia portrayed Christ as the lion Aslan because he hoped to reveal the real life attractiveness of the holy.
In my view our society must focus on the good aspects of people. In my view the most persuasive attribute of a forceful person is “strength of character.”
If you’ve ever had a strongwilled toddler in your home, you know that strong will is not always a good thing. If that strong will is married to integrity, then it’s very good. If it’s bent on murder and mayhem, we’re in trouble.
So, yes, we do want our book, movie, video game, and real life heroes to be strong, but we need to qualify that statement. Strong as opposed to whiny. Strong as opposed to easily pushed over. Strong as opposed to paralyzed by fear.
We don’t want heroes that are jerks. No pushy, arrogant person trying out for role of hero. We do want people that will fight back, though. Who will plan, who will act.
Why? Because when we see a person acting to achieve good we can root for him. Compelling people fight back. Strong doesn’t mean seeking revenge or refusing to forgive. The strongest people do forgive and don’t seek revenge. The strongest people lay down their lives for their friends. They are willing to turn the other cheek. So when I say we want to see people fight back, I don’t mean they have to fight for their rights. It’s much better if they are strong enough to give up their rights for the greater good. What I mean when I say they have to fight back is that they have to fight back against evil.
So the people in our life aren’t people without flaws or vulnerable spots. They are the people who battle for the good of others despite the fact that battling leaves them vulnerable.
It’s what all heroes need to do.
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This month our contributor is Deacon Peter Mueller of St. John’s Catholic Church in Grand Marais.
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