Essay Sample on Evil in World Religions: Defining Good and Bad

Morality dictates the interactions of humans with one another and with the Supreme Being. Different religions take distinct perspectives when defining moral issues. All religions and contemporary societies have established standards of defining moral issues in terms of good and bad. Thus, evil in the religions of the world means the things that are wicked, wrongful, abominable, or immoral. In other words, the world’s religions define evil as the absence or lack of goodness and the ultimate opposite of good. Understanding the whole perspective of evil is the foundational basis for conceptualizing any religion as good and evil determines the relationship between man and fellow man, as well as man and God, and helps in answering the numerous questions of human sufferings and the meaning of life. Because of the central and profound nature of the issue of morality, more especially the aspect of wickedness, looking at evil in world religions is vital in dissecting different beliefs.

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The pantheistic, dualistic, and monotheistic nature of religion accords three distinct perspectives when approaching the topic of evil. For instance, the pantheistic religious observations look at evil in the lens of ultimate unrealistic experiences. Human suffering closely relates to evil. Thus, many religions consider it a product of evil (Boyd, 2017). However, the pantheistic religion believes that suffering is a result of spiritual ignorance not only in the present but also in past lives. Karma dictates suffering to people as a consequence of spiritual ignorance. The dualistic religions define evil in the context of good and wickedness being the primary everlasting and rival principles. Both good and evil act in their own nature, with none creating the other. The monotheistic religions understand evil in the context of personal identity. Evil, according to monotheistic, has its root in the misuse of the ultimate freedom of will given to man by God (Boyd, 2017).

A critical examination of evil in Hinduism, which is founded on the ultimate reality and wickedness, reveals that religion takes three primary perspectives regarding evil. These include the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Epics and Puranas. The Vedas addresses evil as a consequence of the failures of humanity in the fulfillment of the outlined laws or ignoring religious rituals. Varuna takes evil to be having moral significance in the sense that people tend to be evil-minded (Boyd, 2017). Thus, Varuna clearly states that repentance of sins and amending the broken relationship between humans and the Supreme Being through rituals and sacrifices is the only way to salvation. Indra, however, stipulates that evil has a personified identity of the demons. The Upanishads hold on to the belief that karma acts in retaliation of the evil resulting from the ignorance of people. His action brings suffering to the people. Additionally, evil, karma, and the world have no end, meaning that the manifestation is eternal. The Epics and Puranas define evil in the context of the actions of karma and the roles of the gods, which are irreconcilable. The gods are responsible and play a pivotal role in producing both good and wickedness. Thus, Brahma is responsible for the creation of good and evil (Boyd, 2017).

Buddhism’s concept of evil closely relates to that of Hinduism. However, it ignores some aspects in the Vedas as well as some other Hinduism writings, primarily those offering an explanation of evil based on constant becoming. According to Buddhism, suffering in the world is as a result of ignorance in viewing the world as impermanent and devoid of a self. Therefore, Buddhism understands suffering in the world to be caused by the three basic defilements of the mind that include greed, aversion, and ignorance. All these originate from the desire for existence in a uniquely personal form. Without personal experience, there is no suffering. Thus, evil, suffering, and personal experience are mutually exclusive. The dualistic religions believe that good and evil exist in the world as the creations of Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu. According to Yasna, “…two fundamental spirits, twins who are renowned to be in conflict. In thought and in word, in action, they are two: the good and the bad.” (30, 3) (Boyd, 2017). Humanity finds itself at the center of the eternal conflict created between the two. Their primary responsibility is to make a decision to side with the good and help defeat and become triumph over the evil.

The Christianity perspective on evil is that God created all that exists in the world, and he saw that all was good. The bible considers God as the light for the world as there is no darkness in him (Ratzinger, 2016). He, thus, is not the creator of evil in the world. Christians believe that evil originated from the world of the angels. The angels were God’s prior personal creations granted free will. Just like humans, the angels have minds, feelings, and free will. However, unlike humans, they are not limited to the physical body. Evil, in the world, originated as a result of Lucifer’s rebellion to God’s orders of shunning away from pride, independence and breaking away from God and refusing to be submissive to God (Ratzinger, 2016). Therefore, God expelled Lucifer, who later on became Satan, together with his rebellious followers. After the fall, evil founds its way to humans who defied God’s order. The ultimate punishment for evil and Satan is hell.

Conclusion

Conclusively, the numerous world religions believe that evil is a result of spiritual ignorance either by humans or supernatural deities. The reality of suffering as proclaimed by Buddha and Buddhism is the primary noble truth. The perspective holds to numerous religions of the world, particularly those of the Eastern religion. Seeking the ultimate truth is the only way of escaping suffering. The dualistic religions’ foundations are on the coeternal nature of evil and good. Christianity, on the other hand, believes that God did not create evil, neither is it a necessary element. Evil exists in the world as a result of misusing the free will and God’s gifts and resources. Evil cause illness in human beings who no longer have communion or relationship with God.

References

Boyd, R. (2017). Approaching the World’s Religions, Volume 1: Philosophically Thinking about World Religions (Vol. 1). Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Ratzinger, J. C. (2016). Truth and Tolerance: Christian belief and world religions. Ignatius Press.