Very Idea

"I've explored the concept of evil with Christian priests, rabbis, Hindu yogis, Native American elders, spiritual healers, energy healers, and spiritual teachers everywhere I've gone; and I've asked them all the same thing: 'Do you believe evil exists? If so, what can we do about it?' Their answers might surprise you.

"The most common response is that evil is a dangerous concept because the boundaries of good and bad can become so easily blurred. We'll never be able to exactly prove or disprove it, and the identification of it is tricky. How do we know the difference, for example, between an evil act and an evil person? Who decides? If the criteria are written in a sacred text, who interprets it? How do we separate crimes of need from crimes of passion, or crimes of defense from crimes of political greed? The most spiritually experienced and mature teachers agree that the very idea of evil can be used to perpetuate and justify evil (violence, persecution, and power over others).

"The preoccupation with evil is itself a problem and detrimental to the spiritual path. The fear of evil evokes feelings of defense and judgment and causes people to focus on what they're afraid of and what they believe they must avoid, instead of focusing on love and what they hope to become. Placing attention on evil causes us to discriminate and feed the ego's desire to be 'right,' rather than feeding the soul's desire to be free. We look for sources of problems and blame others when we should be investing in solutions and being a part of change.

"The most common advice I've heard from spiritual leaders is that while evil may be a real energy or entity in the world, it doesn't deserve our time, effort, or attention in the ways we've been taught. What we put our attention on will grow. If we feed evil with our energy, then we become a part of it; we affirm its reality.

An Anglican priest I knew once told me, 'Sometimes I think the concept of evil is itself evil. I see the way people blame with it, judge with it, and think they are better because of it. They use it in so many selfish ways; and in the end, they do as much harm as those they accuse. I've stopped preaching about evil because of that.

Jesus said, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone." I think his message was clear! He also said, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite; first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

"As you explore the different spiritual practices, don't fear the possibility that you may expose yourself to something 'bad' or 'evil.' Place the energy of your heart and mind on the goodness, love, and light that you wish to bring into your life and the world.

"Let your practice keep you connected to all the goodness and love you know. With open-mindedness, guidance, and support, you'll navigate the surprises and challenges that come up along the way. If you have a clear intention of connecting to the highest Source and Light, darkness will find no place to take hold.

"Furthermore, as you look for the good in life and practice the laws of attraction and intention, remember that it's all or nothing. It's common for people to focus on all the good things in their life and to think of them as magic, blessings, and evidence of their spiritual progress. But when things go poorly, they end up labeling and judging those things as 'bad' and look for an external source to blame. They may also turn the blame inward, which is just as destructive. The self-judgment and fear feeds upon the self. Many become trapped in a cycle of personal disharmony that's projected into the world.

"Spiritual practice helps us break such cycles and teaches us that life is the test. The challenge isn't to expect easy tests but to respond well to the ones we're given."

- Johnathan Ellerby