Article January 30, 1989 Issue

Evil has no rights

Immorality, slavery, bribery, and other evils sometimes seem to be an intractable part of existence. But they don't have to be—and we can prove it.

Elaine E. Ellis

Evil has no rights. This seems like a simple enough statement. We will generally admit that the evils of murder, robbery, rape, and so on, should be punished. But what about evils that harm men and women but are not perceived as evil by others? Some things that one people or nation might discern as evil are legalized by other peoples and may be considered acceptable, or at least tolerable. Some evils that might have been accepted at one time as legal in a country can now be seen as harmful and have become illegal—slavery in the United States, for example.

Evil isn't always obvious. Sometimes evil may even seem justifiable. The thoughts of men and women are often so confused on this issue that they may even adjust to the maladjustment that would say evil is good. But even if people believe that evils are inescapable or allowed or even that they are good, there is hope. Mrs. Eddy observes in Science and Health, "Evil is sometimes a man's highest conception of right, until his grasp on good grows stronger."^{Science and Health, p. 327.} In proportion to mankind's understanding of good are true rights gained and, with them, progressive freedom from evil.

What are these true rights? True rights are spiritual, and because God is Spirit and is good, true rights are also good. These spiritually based rights are expressed in the human realm, to a degree, and are more and more recognized as desirable. And no wonder. God's goodness is given to all, impartially and universally, and blesses all who will receive it. Even if we have made drastic mistakes, we can turn to God and begin to experience the spiritual transformation that reveals our true selfhood as God's child. Jesus made this plain in his parable of the prodigal son.^{See Luke 15:11–32 .} But he tells us in Matthew that we need to "keep the commandments"^{Matt. 19:17.} if we are to advance spiritually.

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