The secret of good and evil

Where does evil come from?
People have always asked themselves this question, even though they were convinced that the problem of evil poses a secret to us. Before the advent of Christianity, we can schematically distinguish three different basic answers to this question:
1. Cosmic dualism states: there are two in the world the kinds of forces that fight each other: the details of the good deities and the powers of evil gods, light, and darkness. In Good, he seems more robust, but his struggle with evil is eternal.
2. Anthropological dualism states: good and evil are n handle themselves. Their struggle manifests itself as the opposite of body and spirit. The desires of the body lead us to sin; the heart lifts us. But through austerities, he can man weaken the influence of the body and thus strengthen the spirit.
3. Moral dualism states: the body itself does not lead to evil but to “passions.” Thus, virtue consists of overcoming passions and living according to reason. Can an explanation of cosmic dualism be accepted? This concept, typical of ancient Eastern religions, is reflected in fairy tales, which are the most ancient human literature documents. They are in the good fairies, and evil witches and princes go to wrestle with dragons. Children like to listen to these stories because they clearly distinguish what is right and what is wrong, and eventually, the belief in the victory of goodwill manifests. And yet, after all, this conception contradicts the Christian one revelation. God created everything that exists, and everything that God has created is good. Therefore, it is unacceptable for the existence of any evil force independent of God that would it was as eternal as he was, nor can the presence of any evil being been accepted from the beginning. However, in our body, as testified by St. Paul (cf. Rome 7), sin is hidden; the body opposes the spirit. How do we have this opposition to understand? Indeed, in the Bible and ascetic literature, the “body” is referred to as the source of evil. But this term must not mislead us. “Body” (literally “flesh”) does not mean the human body but is a term used in the moral sense, which denotes the sum of temptation caused by a sin that has already taken root in us. It is also called “lust,” which is said to “come from sin, lures to sin, but it does not sin in itself. “Therefore, it would be a mistake to believe that evil is ours: body, the material part of man. The body of Christ is holy, and we are called to sanctify our bodies in connection with it.

Like ancient philosophers – Stoics – Christian morality teaches taming passions; So should they be considered evil? How to purify your heart? The term “passion” can be understood in two ways. As a good emotional desire when denoting natural inclination: for example, the desire to eat when someone is hungry, the joy of movement, the desire to get married or to marry in a suitable time, etc. Negatively when our passions exceed peace and are difficult to control, they lead to evil.
However, even passions do not sin in themselves. By God’s grace, man has the freedom and power to overcome the penchant for evil. And if desire were exceptional so strong that one would lose freedom or knowledge of good and evil, he would commit, as moralists say, sin “materially.” Still, there is such a sin before God justified by the extreme fragility of man. And so, according to Christian teaching, what must be considered evil, and who is responsible for coming into the world? The only sin is the real evil; it is the fruit of the free consent to the evil that man himself has given. And so, the only man is responsible for the evil that seizes his heart and enters the world through him.

Church Fathers wrote a homily on the theme “God is not the cause of different evil “(St. Basil). He addresses man in these words: “Do not blame God or the devil or the world or the flesh with his passions, but blame yourself and only to himself! “St. John Chrysostom wrote a treatise entitled: No one can suffer harm on his own. That is a sad finding. And is? In a sense, yes, but there is also the other side of the coin: if we are the cause of evil, on the other hand, we can try to correct them. But in the world, we encounter so many misfortunes over which we feel no guilt! Fathers distinguish between so-called “physical” evils and “moral” evils. Moral evil is sin. They are physical evil diseases, death, natural disasters, persecution, etc. Even their distant cause is a sin that reaches the first of Adam’s disobedience. They have physical evils criminal nature. And that is why they serve the good if they are received in a repentant spirit. Suffering is they exhort us not to seek our final in the world happiness and turned their minds to God.