In Eben Alexander's book, "Proof of Heaven" he writes about evil.
"Through the Orb, Om told me that there is not one universe but many - in fact, more than I could conceive - but that love lay at the center of all of them. Evil was present in all the other universes as well, but only in the tiniest trace amounts. Evil was necessary because without it free will was impossible, and without free will there could be no growth - no forward movement, no chance for us to become what God longed for us to be. Horrible and all-powerful as evil sometimes seemed to be in a dominant world like ours, in the larger picture love was overwhelmingly dominant, and it would ultimately be triumphant." Eben
It is interesting to see the human growth factor in the application of evil, and how we would prefer that there just not be any...and yet if it was removed, our human consciousness would be stunted.
Evil forces us to grow by how we utilize our free will. It is asking of you to put up boundaries, to sit with the cause and effect and to choose. If there weren't opposites, what would we have to push against?
Ironically, my biggest growth spurt came when I recognized the evil in my father... my mother and in myself. It was then, I had a choice. Who am I?
If, I had staunchly defended his/her/my good, I would have failed to grow.
In seeing evil, I then became unglued...I had free will.
I was able to see two choices.
Ironically most churches will preach against evil and then bless it away...while never actually dealing with it.
IF, evil wasn't something to bless away, but rather something that was in place for you to learn about choices, it would be very powerful indeed. Powerful in a way that doesn't weaken who you are, but rather empower you, by the choices you make.
It is like evil's presence is everywhere, but we are using it poorly. We are allowing it to weaken us, instead of using it as a spring board for strengthening our free will.
I have come to view churches as the biggest advocate for evil...for it eliminates our power to move away, by saying "No sin is too great to forgive."
Instead of letting evil stand alone, the church quickly comes in and erases it...eliminating the choice to move away. If the evil is no longer there, there is no reason to change your choice.
If, you remove the application of forgiveness of sins, you let evil stand unveiled. It then becomes the responsibility of the 'evil' one to change....or not. Restoring each person's free will.
What is the incentive for evil folks to change their behavior when it isn't seen as a tangible item, but rather a fleeting image that isn't attached to them?
In my experiences with my father and his supporters, none of his behavior did he have to own, improve or change. His evil behaviors were not registered into the content of who he was. Until perhaps upon his death...when, the choices of engagement with him was eliminated.
So many will wait until the choice is taken from them....when the other person dies, so that they are free. This is not a growth exercise.
Evil is here to give us a choice...for us to grow as individuals, for us to find our inner strength...and free will.
Evil would not be so powerful if more of us had free will.
In fact, the answer to evil just may be free will.
Evil is only powerful if it can control us.
