The Presence of Evil – The Dark Side"

Photo by Lukasz Szmigiel on Unsplash

Unitarian Universalists do not like to talk about evil and I don’t think you’ll hear about it much from UU ministers. But, when I joined this congregation, I promised to talk about topics in sermons that make you think and to consider the world we live in – and unfortunately, we all see a lot of evil in the world so it is something I believe we need to at least ponder.

Think about it, just when there seems to be peace in the world or even harmony in our own lives, something happens to shatter the peace. Violence can erupt and we see and feel strife. If you’re like me, this can be extremely discouraging and depressing. The peaceful strides we think we see in human relations in the world, in our nation, in our community and in our own lives are suddenly torn asunder.

In recent months who, here, has not shuddered at the endless cycle of violence in the Middle East, in Gaza, in Ukraine, in Sudan and in other parts of Africa, in parts of Asia and even here in America with the all too frequent mass shootings. There are just too many examples of mindless killing and hatred around the world, and here in America. And we see evil in our own lives in the actions of other people. Maybe people you know as friends or family suddenly have an outburst of anger or they do something bad you would never have imagined they would do.

And so - as we consider all the suffering and apparent evil in the world, it is worth taking a few moments to consider the notion of evil. Just what is it and why does it exist?

In the third century BCE, the Greek philosopher Epicurus asked a really big question: “If God or the gods are both almighty and perfectly good – as was expressed by the Jewish theology of the period - why is there evil in the world? This is a question a lot of people continue to ask! (It is the notion of theodicy).

Here is where the first problem begins. What appears as evil to one person is not necessarily evil to another. You have all heard the expression, “ beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Unfortunately, the same is sometimes true of evil.

Case in point – every major world religion abhors acts of violence and murder and yet violence and murder occur on a daily basis in the name of many religions and are perpetrated by people who do not consider their acts to be evil. One of the Ten Commandments is: “Thou Shall Not Kill” which is in Hebrew scripture – the Old Testament. Yet the same scripture is filled with sanctioned killing. In Hebrew scripture (the Old Testament) - even God joins in the killing of the enemies of Israelites. (In fact, if you add it all up – it is estimated that God kills more than 2.8 million people in Hebrew scripture- the Old Testament.)

Based upon my world view and my strongly held beliefs as a Unitarian Universalist, I personally believe in the concept of the inherent dignity of human beings - even though I don’t think it applies, necessarily, to every human being. So – to me, the way one person relates to another is very important. Accordingly, I would define institutions such as slavery and prostitution to be decidedly evil – yet both of these institutions have existed throughout history and are alive and well today in some countries. I would hardly define the founding father, Thomas Jefferson, as evil. Thomas Jefferson called slavery “a moral depravity but, at the same time, he owned hundreds of slaves in his lifetime. The same is true of George Washington. Were Washington and Jefferson evil?

History is also full of human genocide. Our perception of the world and our values, say that genocide is an inherently evil practice. Yet time and time again, one ethnic group or nation has systematically tried to eradicate another human group and often times this is justified by their religious views. Again - one need only read Hebrew scripture. It is replete with references to the murder of rival nations by Hebrew armies and by God too.

Finally, we can point to random acts of murder and violence such terrorism, mass shooting and serial killing or the murder of people in places throughout the world today. Once again, through our eyes and through our values and worldview, we see such acts as inherently evil. Yet, it is likely that such senseless acts sometimes occur through insanity or some distorted view whereby the killer is acting out in a violent manner because of his or her disconnection with reality. In some cases, the person may feel that they are performing some great good. This is certainly what Putin believes now with his murder of innocent Ukrainians and the Ukrainian nation as a whole. He is frequently quoted as saying the nation of Ukraine does not exist. The fact that Putin’s actions have caused the death of hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers doesn’t matter to him. In his mind, restoring the Russian Empire is more important. And, I find it ironic that Putin is a great follower of the Russian Orthodox church.

So, all of this creates a quandary because in the final analysis defining what is evil is not as simple as it appears. What is considered evil is, indeed, in the eye of the beholder.

I am not a fan of the German philosopher Nietzsche. He argued that good and evil are not objective realities in the world but are rather, “creations of the individual will as it seeks to avoid responsibility by identifying external reasons for particular action.” What he is saying here is that each person can and should create their own sense of good and evil. To me, this makes no sense. Clearly, civilization and society could not function under such circumstances.

It is for this reason that religions most often define and determine what is evil. And beyond this, religions also provide explanations for the causes of evil. Let’s consider the western religions, for example.

The three western religions are “the God religions” which include Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The three are deeply inter-related. Judaism grew into an essentially monotheistic religion some 2500 years ago. (Originally it was henotheistic.) In the first two centuries of the Common Era, Christianity grew from Judaism. Finally, in the seventh century of the Common Era, Islam was created from Jewish and Christian roots.

How the three “God” religions view evil has similarities and the causes of evil are also generally similar in the theology of these religions. (It is important to note that the causes and manifestations of evil in the Western religions are in great contrast to the theologies and philosophies of Eastern religions.)

Western religions have a linear understanding of time and tend to see the defeat of evil in a consummation at the end of time. This is particularly true of Christianity and Islam. Consider the Book of Revelation in Christian Scripture. Eastern religions tend to have a more cyclical view of time and see evil as an inevitable incursion in the eternal cycle and circle of creation and destruction.

What is perhaps most interesting is that evil, as defined by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam has its roots not in the Mediterranean part of the Middle East but in ancient Iran and Iraq. As chronicled in Hebrew scripture, the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Jewish kingdom of Judah around the 600 BCE.

In order to control his new vassal kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar captured the Jewish leadership and brought them to Babylon (in modern day Iraq). (This is the king who built the ancient hanging gardens of Babylon – one of the seven wonders of the ancient world). The Jewish exile is referred to as the Babylonian exile. During the exile, the Babylonian empire was conquered by the Persians and this included the land of Israel.

Up to this point, the Jewish people were henotheists meaning they believed in many gods. It’s just that Yahweh was their special god and more powerful than any other god. You can see this in Hebrew scripture – the Old Testament – when other gods are referred to. Similarly, there is no devil in the Old Testament and no heaven or hell. Satan is only mentioned a few times such as in the Book of Job. But Satan in Hebrew means “adversary” not devil.

As I have often told you, no religion appears or evolves in a vacuum. Every religion evolves as it encounters many factors such as the history, culture, and the environment of a given period and place. The Jews who were exiled to Babylon were eventually surrounded by the influence of the Persian Zoroastrian religion which was the dominant religion of the Persian Empire. When they returned to their homeland in 536 BCE, Israel was a vassal of the Persians, and hence, they continued to be influenced by the Persians.

The Zoroastrian religion was attributed to the prophet Zoroaster (or Zarathustra as he was also called). He is generally believed to have existed around the year 1200 BCE. According to the religion attributed to him, there is only one all-powerful God who rules the world. God’s name is “Ahura Mazda”.

Zoroastrians say that when God created the universe, he unleashed the power of good and evil. And since the time of creation there has existed in the world a great struggle between good and evil. According to the Zoroastrian religion, God is accompanied by legions of angles who fight for what is good. On the other side of the spectrum are the forces of evil headed up by a powerful entity called Angra Manu who is surrounded by legions of devils who wreck havoc in the world. Humans are caught up in this struggle of good and evil as each side tries to continually find “new human recruits”. (Now – does all of this have a familiar ring?) (Keep in mind, this theology is some 3200 years old!)

Surrounded by the influence of this major religion, in the view of many scholars, the Jews gradually embraced some of the Zoroastrian Persian theology; including monotheism. When their descendants returned to the Jewish kingdom of Judah (during the reign of the Persian King Cyrus – around the middle of the sixth century BCE), they brought with them a firm commitment to monotheism and “an understanding” of the nature of good and evil – of God and the devil.

(Incidentally – Zoroastrian priests – defined in the New Testament as priests from the easts - were known as “Magi” – so the Magi who reportedly visited Jesus in the Christmas story were Zoroastrian!)

Through the centuries that followed in the development of Judaism, the nature of good and evil and the role of Satan as a devil found its way into Jewish thoughts. During the time of Jesus, some Jews such as the Pharisees and Jesus himself, believed in heaven and hell, angels and devils. Not all Jews did and not all Jewish sects today do.

It was only a small step for Christianity to embrace this theology. With the great paintings and the story telling of the Middle Ages (such as Dante’s Inferno), good and evil and the role of Satan took an even more prominent place in Christianity. By the Middle Ages in Europe, devils and demons were everywhere and were constantly trying to “make each human turn toward evil.”

Similarly, as Islam grew from its Jewish and Christian roots during the 7th century CE, it kept the theology of evil (and Satan) intact and this is quite clear in the writings of the Qur’an. (In Islam, Satan is referred to as Al-Shatan or Iblis.)

In the East, the nature of evil is very different. Essentially, within the theology of both Hinduism and Buddhism, this world is a world of suffering and despair. Just as sickness and death are facts of life – so too is the ever present existence of evil –sometime personified by a deity known as Mara – the tempter. We humans – it is thought in the east - give power to the negative forces of life (and to Mara) by our insatiable desires. The more we pursue our desires, the more negative energy (karma) is generated and the more bad things happen to us and to others.

In other words, according to both Hinduism and Buddhism, it is we humans who really generate evil in the world – for in truth, the world as we see it – along with evil – does not truly exist. We empower evil to exist by our insatiable desire for power, for material things, for control over others, and by our constant desire to be selfishly loved.

So very broadly speaking, we have two very, very different worldviews of what evil is and what causes evil. But it is way too simple to consider evil just within the context of eastern and western theological viewpoints. Humans are never simple and neither are human theologies. In truth just as there are thousands of sects of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism which together comprise nearly 70% of the religious adherents in the world, there are thousands of viewpoints that further define, enhance, or modify the theology of evil and explain its cause.

This is why Protestants could be burned at the stake by Catholics in the name of the Christian God. This is why Sunni and Shiite Muslims have been willing and eager to kill each other for centuries. This is why Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhists have killed each other within monasteries in Southeast Asia. This is why Muslim extremists see twenty-first century America as an evil nation and why Billy Graham Jr. defined Islam as “an evil religion”.

 And it is why murderous terror has existed in all cultures, throughout the entire world, during all of the centuries of humankind.

I believe that in truth, we have to be very careful when we talk about evil. Because of our Judeo, Christian, and yes Muslim history – when we use the word evil, we have a tendency to present it and define it in a certain way.

Stop and think for a moment. When you hear the word evil – even as a liberal Unitarian Universalist - who most probably does not believe in a Satan or devils - don’t you have a tendency to think about evil as a possible force? (Something that moves about in the world and might get you if you are not careful?) When you think of a Hitler or a Pol Pot, or an Osama bin Laden, don’t you sometimes find yourself wondering if there really is some actual malignant force that has possessed these people?

As I mentioned recently in a sermon, our Universalist ancestor’s created an interesting legacy in American religion. The theology in mainstream America during the eighteenth century was all about hellfire and brimstone, Satan and devils, salvation and damnation. Two hundred years ago, the Universalists refused to subscribe to this theology and, instead, saw God as a force of goodness and love; a father figure who could never condemn any of his children to the fires of a hell. The very word, Universalist, originally meant “God is universal love” and there is “universal salvation for all human beings.”

All of that said, our Universalist ancestors lived in a very simple world and they had a very simple world view. They were not bombarded every minute of every day by CNN, MSNBC, or the FOX network to show them the latest killing in the world.

So where does this leave us? There is little doubt that bad things happen in the world – things that we would call evil. There is also no question that we see certain things as evil where others do not. And other people see things as evil that we do not. And all of these differing views have come about through the development of very complex and intertwined human history, culture, and religion.

Does evil exist? Yes, it certainly does – but it sometimes exists in the eye of the beholder. And sometimes it exists because people choose to take actions that most human beings would perceive as evil. I do think evil is a kind of a force – but it is force and actions within individual human beings. This being the case, it becomes critically essential for humanity to define and determine what evil is – and this is no easy task.

We humans are animals. It is part of our nature. I think evil is related to this. Negative emotions and certainly hatred are sources of evil – but these are within us, not outside of us or caused by some external source. The universe exists in a way that enables growth and change. The same forces that enable growth also enable humans to have freedom of choice and those choices can lead to evil. It is only when we strive toward a higher self, to move beyond our animal nature and to prioritize the idea of loving others besides ourselves that we move beyond the realm of what can be considered evil.

Perhaps the Chinese Taoists figured it out best when they developed their theology of Yin and Yang. According to Taoism, all of creation is a set of opposites but it is these very opposites that enable the universe to exist – through light and dark, male and female, good and evil, sadness and joy.

Perhaps the only way we can really define what is evil is to first define what is good. Perhaps, it is valuable to consider one of the great messages given by that itinerant rabbi named Jesus, a simple, and I would say holy man who healed the sick, lodged with the disposed at the edge of town, shared a meal and preached about the kingdom of God within every person.

Jesus did not create the golden rule – for it is a holy and sacred belief found in all of the world’s religions – the notion that the highest goal is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. But Jesus preached the golden rule and he embraced it through his life and actions. There are certainly other religious figures like the Buddha who did the same.

If we lift up the notion that we should love others as we would love ourselves, we create a very high standard – one that is admirable to reach for. If we truly embrace such a standard then it becomes obvious that when we fail to live up to this standard, we are on the opposite side of good – and in a place that we might define as evil.

In the final analysis, we do not need demons and devils to goad us into “evil thoughts and actions” – we humans do this all too easily ourselves. Though civilization is only some five thousand years old, we humans have come very far. Our modern democratic society recoils at some actions that were acceptable to people and to whole nations only decades or hundreds of years ago. But we humans still have a very long way to go.

Only by reaching for our higher self and only by striving to love others can we defeat what we term –“evil”. This must be done on a personal level – by each of us and it must be done on a societal and national level. When we know and define what is good – we automatically create the definition of what is evil.

A good metaphor is that goodness is like light for it enables one to see and to move forward. Light brings warmth and renewal. It brings growth and new promise. It brings life.

Evil is like darkness for in darkness we cannot see and we are lost. And darkness brings cold and death. Let us be a lamp unto ourselves and to others. Let us strive to bring light into the world – that through our actions we may bring goodness and love to shine upon the whole world.

Reverend Christopher McMahon

UUMH

March 30, 2025