Evil defined: profound immorality, wickedness, and depravity
Is there evil in our world? Are there evil people in our world? To some, evil only exists in the minds of fundamentalist Christians. Bad actions, to many, are simply the result of circumstances beyond a person’s control.
But a person does not have to be a religious fanatic to recognize that there are actions and people who could be categorized as evil. No amount of political correctness or tolerance can mask the vile machinations of those who have no moral compass.
A few examples from history suggest evil and evil people. Ivan the Terrible was said to drink the blood of his defeated enemies. The Inquisition inflicted unimaginable terror and pain on its victims.
In modern times, Hitler was evil, no matter what standard is used. The Holocaust qualifies as evil. Stalin makes the Evil Hall of Fame, with his purges in the 1930s actions that qualify as evil. Japanese atrocities are too numerous to relate in this short essay, but the Bataan Death March would be one manifestation of evil committed in the name of the Emperor.
Today, the actions of ISIS in the Middle East make the evil list. Beheading twenty men in Libya, just because they were Christian, is an act that none can deny that fits the definition of evil. In the U. S., the massacres at San Bernardino and Orlando were evil actions.
Let us not tiptoe around the subject of evil people and evil actions. No amount of justification can diminish what some have done and are doing. When we can acknowledge the presence of evil, we may be able to see a path to eradicate it or minimize evil’s effect on our lives.