WHAT IS EVIL?  And how does it effect us?

Webster describes evil as anywhere from;  “sinful acts” to “unlucky happenings” with many different definitions in-between.

Wikipedia goes into greater detail;

Evil describes willful, immoral acts. It also serves as a blanket term for bad things.

Evil is profound immorality. In certain religious contexts evil has been described as a supernatural force. Definitions of evil vary, as does the analysis of its root motives and causes.  However elements that are commonly associated with evil involve unbalanced behavior involving expediency, shelfishness, ignorance, or neglect.  ~Wikepedia

There has been much said and written about the abstract noun evil.   Of course the word could be used as an adjective or even an adverb, but wherever or however it is used there is controversy to the truth of the matter. 

The bottom line for everything is Truth.  Whatever is real and whatever is.  Truth can be hidden, it can be misunderstood, however, truth remains true no matter what I or anyone else says about it.  Sir Winston Churchill once said, “The truth is incontrovertible.  Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.” And how true are his words.  Truth IS, and always has been since eternity before, and eternity after the creation of the Universe and all the time in-between.  Truth may seem incomprehensible but  Understanding truth is possible, however, it requires a tiny bit of trust and due diligence. 

I believe the vast majority of today's young people are not interested in truth nor or they interested in understanding anything more than what is going on a few inches in front of their pointed little beaks.  This is one of the indicators that evil in American is on the upswing.   Anything that is not true is evil.

The Holy Bible defines evil.  Evil in the sight of God is a phrase found several times in the Old Testament.   The Bible says evil is most displeasing to God.     Evil is always linked to untruth in one way or another.  Therefore, if we learn the difference between what is true and what is not, we are a leg up on the rest of mankind in understanding the noun evil. 

False gods, self-interest and arrogance are only a few examples of what is most displeasing to Almighty God. 

Evil in the sight of God, is mentioned and most times with the term “false gods.”  The old testament mentions evil twelve times it referred to sins committed by individuals that were not leaders,  sixteen times it referred to national sins, thirty-three times it referred to a leader, such as a king, twenty-three times it referred to a person committing the sin was following someone else’s example, and six times it referred to one doing evil was forcing others to do likewise.   It all of these times the sinner was always thinking untruths about themselves.  Never were these individuals thinking about the truth as it related to them and the God Who created them. 

You could not say that self is an antonym for evil, not even the word love or the word good, because you might have a good liar or as good thief.  But the best antonym for evil is truth.  And what is truth? 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  ~John 14:16