Editorial October 14, 1991 Issue

We can't be trapped by evil

Elaine Natale

"Evil: Does it exist—or do bad things just happen?" asks the riveting cover of a recent Time magazine. The cover story perceptively analyzes mankind's search to make sense out of what often seems senseless. The writer asks, "What does the word evil mean when people use it? Evil means, first of all, a mystery ...."

Reading that reminded me of a childhood experience. My friend's grandmother had just been told she had an incurable disease and wouldn't live much longer. This made no sense to me. This woman was about as good as anyone could be. I asked a minister whom I loved and respected why God would allow such a terrible thing. With a tone of sadness he answered, "God works in mysterious ways. We can't expect to know why or to understand Him."

This answer didn't satisfy me. If God is as much a mystery as evil is, where does that leave someone? In my case, feeling pretty discouraged and insecure. That's why, a few years later, I became so interested in a certain book that broke through the notion that we can't understand God or escape from evil.

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