What Is Evil And Evil

“It’s all good” is a phrase that we all often hear, but the reality is, it is not all good. Evil – all that undermines the good of creation, everything that causes chaos and suffering, is an inherent and ever-present part of human existence. Whether it be natural evil, moral evil or institutional evil, all the world’s religions recognise that suffering and evil are features of the world and offer strategies to respond to them. The Bible says “If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12: 20-21); whilst the Qur’an says “Repel evil by that which is better, and then the one who is hostile to you will become as a devoted friend” (Surah

Augustine developed the Augustinian theodicy to answer this very question. Augustine concluded that as God is perfect, he could not create evil. Evil is not an entity in its own right, rather it is the absence of good or a privation of good (Bowie & Ahluwalia, 2016). God gave humans free will, but when they choose to sin by turning away from God, they create an absence of good within themselves. Augustine stated, “when the will abandons what is above itself, and turns to what is lower, it becomes evil not because that is evil to which it turns but because the turning itself is wicked” (The Problem of Evil, 2014), meaning the power of evil is in the action of turning away from good. “Therefore God does not cause evil, but allows it so that humans suffer the consequences, but also allows them to have the opportunity for redemption through Jesus” (ibid). Because the source of evil is humans, through free will and reason, the problem of evil will never be truly eradicated. Nevertheless, in order to minimise suffering and break the chains of oppression caused by evil actions, The Catholic Church offers powerful insights into combating the institutions that perpetuate them. Through theology, scripture and Social Teachings of justice, solidarity and human dignity, the Catholic Church demands that we fight for compassion and social justice. As stated by the United States Catholic Bishops, “We cannot be truly Catholic unless we hear and heed the Church’s call to

We are truthful and forthright, and we provide information and analysis without institutional or political bias” (Central Intelligence Agency, 2015), the International Committee of the Red Cross also found in 2007 that “the ill-treatment that detainees were subjected to whilst held in CIA program, either singly or in combination, constituted torture” (International Committee of the Red Cross, 2007), a sentiment that was further supported by President Barack Obama’s acknowledgement that the US government did employ the use of torture in Guantanamo Bay (Human Rights Watch, 2004).The insidious nature and dishonest conduct of these actions exemplify how evil is often performed within institutions that rely on the fundamental appearance of good to mask their actions. The social and political acceptance of torture would not exist on its own, it has to be part of a governmental entity that has a source of good within it. This is what makes it institutionally evil – its success relies on power, even though society understands that the torture is inherently wrong. The source of this institutional evil is the free will that all humans have, however, as good people, we also have the free will to promote justice, not just for the victims, but for the perpetrators. By heeding the call of the bible to overcome evil with goodness and compassion, the oppression the CIA is instilling can be