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Evil personified? How can we pray?
To obey Jesus’ command to love our enemies and bless those that curse us, we too must refuse to attach the sin to the so-called sinner.
Originally published for the Christian Science Sentinel online on February 23, 2023
Almost everywhere we look in today’s world, we see evidence suggesting that man is the agent of evil. It’s hard to access a news source, turn on the TV, or click in social media without learning about individuals destroying lives, property, or the environment—and about various groups advocating that destruction.
Hatred seems so pervasive that it has spread to institutions. Some members of political parties actually seem to hate all members of the other parties.
Many see hatred as the opposite of love. But what is love? On a human level, we think of love as an emotion that bonds people to each other. It’s rooted in an affection for and appreciation of the good and the potential for good in another. But good is actually all there is, according to the teachings of Christian Science. As the Bible says, God created all “and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Thus the higher meaning of love is the recognition of the divine good that must be present in each and every one of God’s children, regardless of what we may be seeing humanly.
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