Is Evil Pure?
“The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.”
My prayers are with the residents of St. Helena Island, in South Carolina. On October 26th, four people were murdered and at least 20 were injured when gunfire broke out at a local bar. With each mass shooting, which is becoming a daily occurrence, we hear the same phrases, “senseless tragedy,” and describe the shooter as “pure evil.” Calling the perpetrator “pure evil” keeps us from considering that a “normal” person has the capacity to do horrendous acts.
Over and over, I hear the media talk about the murderer described as “pure evil.” I seriously disagree. While what the perpetrator did was despicable, hate-filled, and even evil, that does not make him pure evil. Am I just splitting hairs for a devotion? No, I am concerned that if we call someone “pure evil,” we are successfully able to distance ourselves from the murderer and their actions. Claiming they are beyond redemption somehow appears to free us from considering the role easy access to firearms plays in mass shootings.
“Pure evil” implies something supernatural, like Michael Myers, gets shot, stabbed, and even has his head chopped off in the Halloween movie series, and still stands back up and lives to be pure evil in yet another movie. Pure evil also implies that the devil’s power is involved. Pure evil is too simple an answer, and too easily lets humanity off the hook.
The perpetrators of such evil have their own story. Unlike horror story characters like Michael Myers, these real-life murderers have families who loved them. They often had issues throughout their lives, but also had redeemable moments. Some had severe recognizable mental health conditions, while others, like John Wayne Gacy, went through most of their lives with unrecognized issues. For all these individuals, mental breaks, personal abuses, etc., helped prepare them to be walking time bombs.
We need to recognize that any one of us put in the same circumstances might end up seriously dysfunctional. While this does not excuse their horrific actions, it does make it wrong to call individuals “pure evil.” When we do not use the phrase pure evil, then we are forced to talk about the lack of mental health resources, the reality of hate-filled social media options, etc. Pray for the survivors of this and other acts of violence. Also, pray for the perpetrators and the opportunities our society has to bring healing and diminish hate. We need the Holy Spirit’s guidance. That is the only true supernatural power at work in our world!
