Article March 1, 1913 Issue

When we analyze the claims of evil, it of necessity is...

Ezra W. Palmer

Denver (Col.) Post

When we analyze the claims of evil, it of necessity is apparent that either God made evil or He did not. And it is because men for long ages have had a confused conception of God that they have been equally confused as to the validity of the claims of evil, and have believed either that evil was created by God, or that it is an entity of itself, acting contrary to God's wishes and frequently overruling them. Christian Science brings order into this chaos. It teaches that there is one supreme, governing intelligence, the one Mind, God; that the one Mind is Spirit, perfect the sum total of all good, and that His creations, man and the universe, partake of His qualities and likewise are spiritual and perfect. Jesus had this ideal in view when he said: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." In Genesis we read that God created the heaven and the earth, and that everything He had made was very good. If, therefore, God is good and supreme, where, then, is the necessity for evil, which would, if permitted, set at naught the divine decrees? And if God's creations are good, like Him, of what avail is any foreign element which would endeavor to impair the happiness of His children?

If God created evil, then God must know evil; evil would therefore be a part of the divine consciousness, eternal and immortal, and for mortals to strive to overcome it would be to attempt to overthrow the divine order and integrity. Such a concept would only land us in chaos and despair. If we refuse to make God responsible for evil, and at the same time contend that evil is a reality, where do we land? We must inevitably set up evil as a kingdom in itself, arrayed against God's kingdom, warring against Him, overturning His power, condemning men to sin, sickness, and death, and disrupting the supremacy of God's government. The theological concept of Satan, as portrayed by Milton and other writers, expresses this so-called dual nature of the universe. Since evil in its very nature is the antipode of God, it were impossible that He should create evil. In Habakkuk we read: "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity." Jesus spoke of himself as "the light of the world," and in John, God is spoken of as "the light of men." Now, darness is the antipode of light, and where light is, darkness cannot exist. Darkness is incapable of analysis, because it is nothing, being the mere absence of light. Light, however, cannot by any process of reasoning be shown to be responsible for darkness, nor is there any possible connection between them. In like manner, God is not responsible for or in any manner connected with evil.

Nor can evil have existence contrary to the divine will, because, were this true, God would not be supreme. His power being divided with his antipode, He wold not be all knowing, all wise, and ever present. In fact, when we admit a place for evil, to that degree do we take away from God the qualities of infinite perfection. If evil has no place in God's kingdom, nor in a hostile antipodal kingdom, how then can evil be accounted for in this work-a-day world of ours? Jesus defined the devil (evil) as "a liar, and the father of it." A lie has no real existence, it is a deception, and it retains the appearance of reality only so long as its true nature is not perceived. If a lie is known as a lie, it deceives no one and is powerless. Where does a lie find a local habitation? Where but in the thought of him who utters it and by him who believes it or allows himself to be influenced by it? Evil therefore can only find lodgment in the false beliefs of the human mortal mind, and it is to this source Mrs. Eddy traces it. In Science and Health (p. 178) she states that all evil comes from mortal mind. By the term mortal mind Mrs. Eddy means more than the evil beliefs which may influence any one individual or any group of individuals. By it she means the belief of an existence apart from God, human knowledge, the carnal mind, of which St. Paul speaks in Romans, when he says, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." If all men ceased believing evil, thinking evil, and acting under evil intimations, and were to put on the Mind of Christ, evil would cease, men would see the allness of Spirit, and the problem of a so-called dual universe would vanish like darkness before the majesty of the sun.

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