The seeming randomness of good and evil

[Laurie]

One of the reasons spiritually minded people don't gamble is because they don't want to
believe in the randomness of good. They believe that good is ever present, an overflowing
fountain. It is abundant and always there. Good is not a gamble. Good is a certainty.

But sometimes it seems that random evil does happen in our lives: car accidents, innocent
by-standers injured at a crime scene, etc.

How can this be explained?

[Kate]

I don't think you can explain evil!

I find if something evil happens, it's best to deny its reality and know only God is present.

[Geo]

I wonderif evil happens because people are not expressing good. Could it be if we do not realise and express God/good we are open and somehow vulinerable. If we are fullly consecrated to God in love and expressing Him every minute I wonder if this realization would not protect us from evil? Just think how wonderful it would be if all would just love and express God not only within but to all! I do not know much about CS and am asking the same question. I hope others will add to my comments or perhaps offer correction. Thanks so very much. Geo:).

[Laurie]

I guess what I meant with my question is "How can I explain this to another person."

The day I posted the question, there was a house robbery near a school. When
the robbers exited the house, a school child in the back seat of her mother's
car was caught in the cross-fire and died. Somehow telling school children
that they must deny the reality of this doesn't work.

[Geo]

Dear Laurie Can I ask if you kow anyone involved?

[hsm]

Laurie, first of all, I hope you're finding and feeling the comfort that only divine Love can give when things like this happen around us. Your thoughts and prayers for the family affected by this shooting will make a difference. The question you raise is one that people have been wrestling with for centuries - it's essentially "Why do bad things happen to good people?" or "Where does evil come from?" I have always loved seeing how Jesus answers these questions with his parable of the tares and wheat (Matthew 13:24-30). What he is helping to clarify here is what God created (the wheat - good) and what God did not create (the tares - evil) and the fact that the tares cannot actually touch or affect the wheat. The harvest symbolizes that day of understanding when the tares are burned - our maturing understanding of God's allness destroy's the belief in evil altogether.

The Christ - as the message of God's love to each of us - is especially near when we need spiritual perspective on tragic events like the one you witnessed Laurie. The Christ will give you just the parable you need to make sense of it and to help others make sense of it. What makes the most sense to me is to know that all God's children are eternally safe in the Father-Mother's love and care. Here's how Jesus puts this:
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:27,28).

[Laurie]

Thanks for your concern, Geo. Family friends have children at the same school as
the child who was killed and one of them saw the body with the sheet over it.

I was sort of looking for some words of wisdom to share with my friends.

[UserX]

Laurie,

I read through this topic yesterday and have been thinking about it the last 24 hours. I kept thinking, what can I say about how to explain evil...and kept thinking, I can't explain evil. I realized that, for me, the shooting and unfortunate death of a child is an opportunity to look at how to respond to evil or help others to think about it.

As you say, the statement "there is no reality in evil," while a fact of spiritual reality as understood in Christian Science, may not immediately provide comfort in the midst of a tragic event. But we could look at it this way: Every appearance of evil is an opportunity to return good, and so increase the presence and activity of good in the world. The Bible says somewhere to not return evil for evil. I think this could be the big breakthrough in a case like this.

A natural response to the event you described might be anger, fear, revenge, sadness. But everyone involved who you might be talking to can be cared for in a way that can encourage them to consciously turn those thoughts to ones that have their source in God; kindness, gentleness, compassion, forgiveness, understanding, etc. As difficult as this might seem in the moment, it is what will lead to healing. This will support the ones involved, those caring for the ones involved, the community as a whole, and lead to a lessening of evil and the fear of it, and the actual experience of the greater power of good and God's presence.

Thinking about this, I was also reminded of the quick response of forgiveness by the Amish when five Amish children died in school shootings in 2006. (See the CS Monitor article http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1006/p08s01-comv.html ). Their response amazed the world, but taught a powerful and needed lesson in our world today.

[NYCtown]

There are some really great ideas in a special edition podcast on tmcyouth.com, "Praying for Northern Illinois University"

http://tmcyouth.com/blogs/podcasts/praying-for-niu/#respond

[livinglightly]

Hi,

I've also thought about the seeming randomness of evil. What has come to me through my prayers, is the conviction that evil can only suggest the inversion of spiritual reality. And in that very moment where evil seems to have won, Divinity, the perfect order of God, good, is present in the most profound ways.

Your quiet conviction of God's presence will be felt by others, even if you don't say anything.

[Laurie]

I would like to thank you all for your thoughtful replies. I appreciate the time you took
to share your ideas.

But let's get back to the "randomness" part of my question. I think that is the part that is really difficult for me to understand: the randomness of the girl getting shot in the cross-fire, the randomness of the 5 victims if the NIU shooting, etc. So I'm not talking really about why do bad things happen to good people. But, my question is more like "out of the thousands of cars that were driving by that house robbery on that day, how is it that this particular girl got killed" or to put in in a more newsworthy statement "of all the students in that lecture hall, how is that these 5 particular students got shot."

Lots of people like quoting Einstein (usually in an argument of evolution vs creationism) with "God doesn't play dice."

Do you think that "random evil" happens more often (statistically, that is) to people who also believe in random good? Who take part in lotteries and gamble?

[livinglightly]

For me it helps to remember that evil is the inversion of good. Hard as it may be at times to believe, apparent acts of evil are an illusion.

The very first sentence of the chapter on Christian Science verses spiritualism says " "Mortal existence is an enigma."

The word enigma comes from the latin word ainos or fable.

As a Christian Scientist I have the charge to separate fact from fable. The spiritual reality is the fact. Existence ordered and designed by an infinite loving God, Mind. The Kingdom of Heaven, realized now.

"This is the doctrine of Christian Science: that divine Love cannot be deprived of its manifestation, or object; that joy cannot be turned into sorrow, for sorrow is not the master of joy; that good can never produce evil; that matter can never produce mind nor life result in death. The perfect man--governed by God, his perfect Principle--is sinless and eternal."

Christian Science is radically different in that demonstration comes from exploring the infinite nature of Good. A realization of this perfection, even in a moment where the exact opposite is seems to be apparent, will transform the human condition. That young girl is forever protected and adored by God. Evil, terror, hate, cannot have the upper hand in the form of confusion, bitterness, sorrow or revenge.

[W359]

I don't there's any one right view of this, but let me put forth mine. Evil is "our problem". God didn't create it for us to do. If we do it, it's another form of error. I (try) to write C programs. Obviously, I start out with the intent to do something specific with them, but I usually miss a function definition or semicolon or something.

We are the program, God is the Great Programmer (geeky, isn't it? :). He made us to be perfect, spiritual beings, like him. If there is an error, it's ours. God did not intend evil or error when he created us. We're doing it to ourselves, hence, it's "unreality."

That's a concept I can barely grasp myself, it's rather esoteric. Obviously an action taken is an action taken. I think by unreality, it's meant that we can't harm another perfect, spiritual creation. Remember, sin is bad! Being less than what God wanted us to be is sin, and that's just bad. The punishment we receive is of itself. If you drive a car off a cliff trying to prove we can jump to the other side, you're a fool, and you're also a dead fool. So it is with any anti-Godly act. Maybe jumping a canyon isn't a sin. Harming folks is. What goes around comes around.

I'm not sure I'm even making any sense to myself, but maybe someone else can build on it and make it make sense, hmm?

-W359

[LoraHoward]

Indeed, no easy answer here.

I thought about it and perhaps the child you know will be wondering what happened to his friend--is he totally gone. Kids really do think about the "big" issues, as you probably know.
Also, he may be scared it could happen to him too.

If it's OK with his folks, I would probably say something like,"Even though we can't see him now, your friend is OK and in a good place. And you don't need to be scared. You are protected and safe, and, if it's OK with you, I will pray for you so you can feel that protection."

May you feel the Christ when you talk to them, and know what to say, or not to say.

--Lora

[Starlight Rider]

I remember shortly after 9/11 hearing many anecdotal stories of people who suddenly felt compelled not to go to work that day. Some were sick, some suddenly had to take care of some personal matter that took them away from the towers, some felt they should just stay home, etc. People attributed these sudden diversions from routine to a special "blessing" from God. But I looked at it another way. I think these people were simply more alert to spiritual guidance which kept them safe. I, too, have often found myself in the right place at the right time by simply trusting God as a matter of routine. It's not even something I do consciously, it's more intuitive. Random evil would seem to occur only because we accept and expect a certain amount of randomness. Granted, this is difficult to explain to most people.

[W359]

That's a concept I can barely grasp myself, it's rather esoteric.

Okay, I think I got nailed in some other thread for using the term esoteric. :D Maybe my memory fails me, either way, I meant "hard to describe", not cultic or anything. :D

-W359