The Question of Evil

Recently, a classmate of mine with whom I've briefly discussed Unity and my personal beliefs, emailed me with the following question(s):

"If God is everything and in all things, does bad/evil/satan exist? If so how? and is that part of God too? And thus, is that part of us too?"

A fundamental aspect of all theologies is an explanation of the existence of evil. The following is my personal belief, influenced, informed, and supported by Unity teachings.

The very first basic Unity principle states that there is only one power and one presence active in the universe, God the good.

            This often gives rise to the belief that everything in the universe is therefore good. This philosophy is incredibly relieving to people who have often felt weighed down by the belief and fear of some supernatural force of Evil out to destroy us. Moreover, the philosophy that everything is good can even be beneficial in dealing with the minor tragedies of life; when faced with an unwanted break-up, a sudden loss of employment, or other unexpected setback, we can keep our spirits high with the belief that it is ultimately a good thing, part of “Divine Order.”

            The problem is that this philosophy, like many others, is one which as Rev. Mark Fisk puts it, “works until it doesn’t.” While the belief that everything is ultimately a good thing can help us deal with the minor tragedies of life, it suddenly loses its uplifting power in the face of the greater tragedies. I refuse to ascribe to any faith or philosophy which attempts to claim that murder, rape, and pedophilia are actually good things, “blessings in disguise” or “part of God’s plan.” And if I’m in mourning, don’t you dare tell me that “it’s just meant to be.” This philosophy that every single thing is a good thing is also ludicrous in the face of the Holocaust, Apartheid, modern sex slaves, or devastating hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

            Luckily, this is not what the first Unity principle means.

            Rather, what it is saying is that the only thing with any power, the only thing with any true presence, is good. Yes, bad things do happen. But no matter how great the tragedy, no matter how horrible the wrong, good persists. When a friend of mine was stabbed in the neck while working as a bouncer, there was not one ounce of me that then or now would consider the event a “good” thing. It wasn’t. It was a sad, horrible, tragedy. But afterwards, his friends and family came together supporting each other in kindness and love. Bonds of loyalty were formed, comforts given. The other guys who worked as bouncers took the event to heart, some leaving the job, others exercising greater caution in it. These and other things were all good things. They didn’t outweigh the bad event of the death, but they didn’t have to – the point is that something bad happened, but good persisted. In the international aid after a natural disaster; in the creation of the United Nations after WWII, an organization with lofty goals of peace; in the inspirational words and actions of such figures as Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr.; in these things we can see the power of good persisting in the face of horrible events and circumstances.

            This, then, is what is truly meant by Divine Order; not that there is some anthropomorphic deity with a micromanaged plan for all our lives, but that the divine presence in all things retains its goodness and need only to be recognized and called on in times of tragedy.

            The point is that goodness can never be destroyed; only suppressed or ignored. I often use the analogy of light – there are shadows in the world, places where the light is not clearly shown, but shadows have no power or presence when exposed to the light.

            Taking this analogy further, one might be compelled to declare the objects casting shadows as representative of evil. I would argue, however, that those objects blocking the light are simply those things which suppress our innate goodness – our fears, doubts, negative adaptations, ignorance, etc.

            One of the great difficulties I have with a belief in evil is just how few people throughout time have ever actually considered themselves to be evil. Our great archetype of evil, Adolf Hitler, certainly believed that what he was doing was a good thing. So too did most if not all of the greatest tyrants and terrible figures of our history. Of course I do not think for one instant that a belief in doing good makes one good, but if evil was truly a separate force vying for control, why then does no one desire to be evil?

            Evil is a convenience. It is easier to simply call some thing or some one evil and avoid it or hate it than actually delve into the questions of why and how something is wrong. Applying the black and white labels of good and evil to life is simply a rather lazy way to go about things – and with just a little bit of critical thinking, it swiftly becomes nearly impossible to ignore the fact that is not a world of black and white but a world of color.

            Of course, this view plays into the idea that good and evil are completely and utterly subjective, and can call into question then the concept of Good as existing.

            But this is an argument against Evil, and while I most firmly believe that Goodness is real, I shall save that lengthy argument for a later date.

[Please note that I am neither ordained, licensed, nor certified with the Unity organization, and the views and opinions I express in this and all other posts are not meant to be representative of what Unity officially believes or teaches. For more information on Unity's official teachings, please visit www.unity.org/aboutunity]

The Once and Future Reverend

Generally, I try to avoid talking about religion. I don't enjoy it. Discussing religion, discussing God and the universe and morality and life, that I enjoy. But talking about religion...not so much.

It used to be easy to avoid, but no longer. At this point in my life, as much as I attempt to escape it, religion often comes up within the first few minutes of meeting a person, within the first few points of small talk.

"So, are you going to school?"

"Yeah, that's why I moved back to Jacksonville." (This is me trying to change the subject, trying to get them to ask about where I lived before, etc. But even if they follow my bait, the conversation still moves back to school...)


"What are you going for?"

"I'm working towards a Bachelor's degree of Psychology and Philosophy" (If I'm lucky they'll seize the opportunity to become the central figure of conversation, discussing their own knowledge of psychology and philosophy, or talking about how they studied it, or telling me all the things I could do with that as if I had never considered or heard of any of it before. But usually, the answer is simply followed by...)


"Oh, what do you plan on doing with that?"

At this point I can say, "I'm interested in doing Humanistic Therapy, but focusing on assisting people achieve self-actualization and personal fulfillment rather than simply deal with traumatic or troubling mental states or life events." There is truth in this statement, but not the whole truth. Because I have no intention of becoming a psychologist.

I am going to be a minister. The Reverend Garrett McLain. Not the therapist.

Once people hear that I am going to be a minister they often do one of two things: they either distract me in enough time to run away in the opposite direction, or they embrace me as a brother and begin quoting biblical passages I don't really care to hear. Unfortunately, it's the ones who run away with whom I have the most in common, and the ones who quote scripture whom I will likely never get through to.

But, given a chance, I get to explain myself. And my beliefs. Of course, this means talking about religion. So I've learned to boil my little church of Unity down into a bit of a nutshell. It's become so routine and rote that a couple of my closest friends can even recite portions of it.

Here's how it goes, more or less:

"Unity functions as a religion, but in practice and by the scholarly definition, it actually isn't one. Unity is more of a spiritual supplement for a pre-existent or developing faith than a religion in and of itself. Rather than focus on specific dogmatic beliefs and teachings about 'God' and the Universe, the truth of which no one can know absolutely, Unity focuses on spiritual tools and practices applicable to all people, regardless of their particular theological beliefs. While it is Christian-based, Unity looks at the Bible in a metaphorical sense, and in recognizing that no one faith has it wholly correct yet that all contain valuable wisdom, Unity sermons often also incorporate passages from the Bhagavad-gita, the Koran, or Buddhist teachings. Many people who attend Unity consider themselves Christian, but others are devout members of other faiths - I've personally known people who are devoutly Jewish, Zoroastrian, Wiccan, Catholic, and Buddhist who regularly attend Unity services as a supplement to their religious practice, and many others don't consider themselves anything at all, and are more or less just spiritual agnostics. I'm happy to discuss my personal beliefs about divinity, the universe, morality, and life after death; but these beliefs are my own, for in Unity these things are not explicitly taught. Rather than tell people what to believe, we help people come to their own answers."

It's a lengthy explanation, difficult to give without sounding like I'm preaching, and still doesn't describe what Unity does believe and teach.

But this - Unity's actual beliefs and teachings - is a point of contention even within the organization. Unity has no dogma, no set list of beliefs that one must ascribe to in order to truly be considered a Unity Student (This, btw, is what we're called - not Unitarians, they're different). What Unity does have is five basic principles, five basic statements which are the foundation upon which all Unity writings are based, and are the things which most people in Unity believe. In its continuing effort to avoid dogmatism, though, there is no official wording for the basic principles, and as such each church is free to modify it as they see fit. And in the great tradition of language, even a slight change can have dramatic effect.

For example, two versions of the First Basic Unity Principle:

1. There is One Power and One Presence active in the Universe and in my life, God the good.
versus
1. There is One Power and One Presence active as the Universe and as my life, God the good.

(Sometimes this is followed by, "omnipotent and omnipresent" or "omnipotence and omnipresence" respectively)
This slight difference has major implications.
Or even more drastically, the Third Basic Unity Principle:

3. We create our experiences by what we choose to think and believe.
versus
3. We are co-creators with God, creating reality through thoughts held in mind.

These are two drastically different beliefs.

The ultimate reason I am entering ministry is simply because it is what I feel I am meant to do, that it is what the path of my life is leading me towards. Rationally, I know that the main reason I feel called to ministry is my love and pride in assisting people on their spiritual journeys and learning to live richer, more fulfilling and authentic lives. A secondary reason, however, is simply my desire to work towards helping Unity become more grounded in its teachings, to create a solid foundation upon which we can build, rather than the current freely shifting foundation that is resulting in increasingly divergent congregations and a confusion of fundamental beliefs.

And so, as much as I might not enjoy it, I talk about religion. Because I need to. Because if I don't, then nothing will change. Because if I don't, someone else will, and who knows what they'll have to say.

Russell's Rant - "The DANGER: in living as a WILDMAN."

There are moments when friends say or write something, which while not necessarily exactly reflective of your thoughts on the world, strike a deep chord within. In these moments, I remember that I am not alone in the quest of my life, and that fact comforts me greatly.


The following by written by Russell Bailey and posted in a note on the Facebook:

"I am legitimately scared of what tomorrow brings. Tomorrow holds so many surprises and so many inevitable words. The world we live in confronts us in every way shape and form. The neon lights burn loop-de-loops into our retinas and implant unwarranted meanings in our minds. Our world is one of inescapable deviations. From detours in our travels to the importance of money controlling what we can and cannot do, we are pulled away from our roots. We have evolved into hairless primates that feel the need to be "civilized". We should live our lives the way we want to live them but society forces us into the roles we live day to day in. Who knew that being part of a species that lets material things control what they do with their lives or what they don't do would present so many problems? I exist in the skin and environment granted to me by...well, all of creation. Not a god, whose likeness I am created in, but by countless seconds of evolution stretched over the cosmos. I am all that I am. I can be no more than I am already, but I can make my existence in this place and time exponentially important. I don't need to be recognized by the world or even my peers, but I do need to recognize myself for what I have accomplished. We feel the need to be accepted, but when you step outside and look around, by being alive you are accepted. If you were not important on this earth, you wouldn't exist. We all make an impact on this world. Each step you take changes the course of all actions now and forever more. The past is gone and the future never comes so all we are left with is a gift. That gift is the present. Take all your footsteps with pride and determination. Do what you love. Love all that you can and make the most of your precious time you spend with whatever or whomever makes you happy. Be happy. Be all that you can be.

The world is waiting to be explored and influenced. Why not be the ones who explore and influence? There is nothing but our imaginations keeping us from these goals. All we need to do is be all that we can be and take a step."

Thank you Russell.  Know that you are not the only one stepping forward, and may many more join us in the years to follow.