Evil Attraction

What prompts people to do evil?

'For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 'Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.' - John 3:16-21

John's Gospel tells us that evil exists in the darkness, not in the light, and all who follow Jesus are in the light.

Is it that simple a distinction?  Can we avoid evil simply by staying in the light of Jesus?

And how evil is evil?

While every crime committed is criminal, some may not be evil, right?  Don't we see evil as heinous, unthinkable crimes, like murdering a child?

It is easy to think we can avoid being attracted to evil simply by believing in Jesus, but we have all heard stories of people who profess to be believers and yet commit acts we might call evil.

I believe John is right, though.  If we truly choose to live in the light, we will not think of committing evil.  It is when we skirt around the edges of darkness that we can find temptations to stretch the limits and slip into the abyss.

There is another way that evil attracts us, and that is when we start to believe everyone else is breaking the rules.  The latest story about parents buying favors for their children to get them into colleges is an example of that.

It is easy to draw the conclusion that all who have money are evil, and we can find Scripture readings that attest to that.  But while money is a strong tempter, because it represents the power to buy just about anything, it is not the source of evil.

Evil begins in the mind, is fed by the ego and it corrupts the heart.

Our minds can rationalize anything, and once we convince ourselves we are doing what we need to do, right or wrong, we have slipped into the darkness.

So, let us not be tempted to slip in along with those we judge, for judgment is not up to us. 

Those who abuse their power and wealth only add fuel to the fire that will burn away all our freedoms.  We need to move toward the light, where love and trust abide and we are free to choose.

Let us all avoid the attraction of evil.

More to come...