Concept of Evil

This program was inspired by the Rev. Greg Stewart’s sermon, “Justice or Just Us?,” in particular, whether we truly believe that everyone is inherently good. The questions encourage members to  explore their conception of evil, and to consider how it affects their feelings about our first principle, to “affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.”

Member Preparation

In preparation for this session, find a small object or two that you feel represents something that is either good or evil. Bring your object(s) with you to our gathering.

In addition, take some time to think about the questions below.  These questions provide ways you may want to approach this topic. Remember to focus on just one or two of the questions, if you choose to use them, as this will allow you to explore the topic in more depth.

  • In his sermon “Justice or Just Us?” Rev. Stewart talks about humanity’s innate goodness, stating “all are good, therefore all are just.” Many religious and philosophical traditions believe that the true nature of humanity is good, and that evil is an aberration (i.e. “the fall of man”). What do you believe? If we are inherently good, what makes people do evil things?
  • Are there truly evil people in this world or only evil acts and behaviors? Can you separate the person from the behavior? How does your concept of evil affect how you feel about our first principle, to “affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person”?
  • Are there absolute evils? Any acts or deeds that can universally be considered wrong for all people? What does it take for an act to be evil? Can people accidentally commit evil acts or does there need to be intention?
  • How do we, as individuals and as a culture, continue to try and live happy, productive lives in the presence of evil? Do we try?

Special Materials

  • Bring a computer, mp3 player and speakers, or CD player (if you’ve burned the audio file onto a CD) to play the audio clip from the sermon “Justice or Just Us”. Be sure to set this up before the gathering begins so that you don’t have to worry about technical issues during the gathering. Note: it is best to download the audio clip and bring it with you, as there is no guarantee that you will have internet access during the gathering.
  • Bring in a collection of objects to represent concepts that you or others might feel are good or evil to help stimulate discussion. As part of the session, members will consider the objects and talk about the following: You may immediately identity certain objects as representative of good or evil. How have your life experiences shaped your perceptions of these objects? How might others perceive these objects differently than you, based on different life experiences? What does this say about the relative nature of good and evil?

Further Exploration