Evil

 The idea of Evil has been on my mind all day. Maybe it's because I watch too much CSI, Law and Order and Criminal Minds. I love to see how the characters in the show analyze the mind of evil antagonists. I am left wondering if people in the world are really as evil as these shows make them out to be. I mean, almost every single bad guy in the shows seem to commit the most heinous crimes and do so without any remorse or sense of consequences for their actions. Is there truly evil people in this world?

All men sin and all men fall short of the Glory of God. If they didn't there would be no need for Christ and the power of Redemption. But, does sin make a person evil? Are there any sins that the power of Redemption just won't erase? Does the stamp of Evil ever stain the soul so deep there is no coming back?

It is so easy for authors to create an antagonist who is pure evil. Any time a writer wants to create a character no one likes (or likes too well despite their failings) all they have to do is show them reveling in the sins of the world. The bad guys kill without remorse, steal from the weak or the sick, laugh at the pain of others, sell harmful products such as drugs or weapons or drugs and weapons, own slaves, commit sexual sins, and as soon as the writer does this the reader knows they are pure Evil. But does this make them interesting?

I do believe there is evil in this world and there are people who want to cause harm and it is easy to judge those people as evil. But, I don't believe the true evil is found in these individuals. It's easy to see these people as evil. There is no surprise and fear for me in this. I find the subtly of evil more interesting.  True evil is found in the one who allows themselves to be tricked into evil.

It's not the big evils that haunt us and draw us down the path of sin. It's the small things that pull us off the path and make it difficult to return. Most people want to categorize people into good and evil. We tend to want to create groups, like our friends on facebook. This person goes in the bad guy group, this one in the good guy. This one comes off as bad, but he is just a victim in the world and if he is taken out of his circumstances he would become good. This one is just trying to act bad, but he's really good at heart. This one is pure evil, although he does love his family so that is his one redeeming quality. This one is evil, but before the end of the story he will see the light and be redeemed.

I have a real problem with these types of characters. I'm not saying I don't use them on occasion, but I think they are too over-used. So much evil in this world is not wrapped up in nice, complete packages of a serial killer, or a gangster, mobster, terrorist or so on. In fact many of these individuals may view themselves as the hero of the story.

Instead of creating a purely evil character, I like to create people who have a choice between good and evil. It's easy to justify evil in your life if you believe you are making a choice for the greater good. Sometimes the bad choice is the easier choice. Maybe there's a reason for that.