In the maze of thoughts ... If humans are evil, why do they worship “good”?

Puzzled by the headline? I would be too on the first glance. But sit back, grab a cup of tea or coffee, maybe a treat and let’s go on the journey. I know not many will be in a mood for an attempt at philosophy, especially from some random guy with black fur, wolf muzzle and an oversized fuzzy tail but hey, if anything, consider this a bit of a weird distraction and food for thought.

Those who know me for longer, IRL or online, are aware that I’m not exactly a man of faith. Hell, I come from the most atheist country in Europe so it’s not exactly surprising. That said, I personally consider myself more of an agnostic in a sense that I don’t mind faith in itself but I detest the institute of church and all it entails. Let’s be honest, many of them are nothing more than cults preying on insecurities and fears … or worse but that’s not a subject of this musing. More than anything I like to focus on the paradox that I’m outlining in the headline.

So to start, I’m sure we know the Epicurean Paradox. In this, Epicurus, a philosopher from ancient Greece, presents a God who is all-knowing, all-powerful and all-benevolent. The paradox then stems from the question “If all these are true, why does evil exist?” The paradox is further supported by putting each of the mentioned attributes to question which then validates the existence of evil and diminishes the positive attributes of the God.

Now, let’s apply it to the idea of God being the creator of all as understood in Abrahamic religions. And the paradox actually becomes even more ominous. Because if we consider the God, in any incarnation, the creator of all then the God must’ve created Evil too. Doesn’t that put the unlimited benevolence in question? Or worse, doesn’t that make God outright malicious? One could say that things must be in balance, good vs. evil (hello, Darksiders franchise). If that’s the case, then we might be stuck in an eternal conflict over which God either has no control anymore, putting the “all-powerful” in question, or God is unwilling to intervene despite the suffering it causes or God observes what happens as a form of test. But why would God need the test if God is all-knowing thus already knows the outcome? Scientific curiosity? Malevolence out of boredom? All these not only erode the abilities we attribute to our deities but seriously put into question our moral codes we tend to cling to.

Now, let’s go into a more practical example which stuck into my mind and is related to the recent events. It’s from a person interviewed in regards to their choices and one part of their answer stuck in my mind: “… people are evil …” People are evil. Let these words sit in your mind for a while. Let them course through the twists and turns of your brain. Now, ask yourself the following questions:

Ominous and terrifying, isn’t it? And rightfully so because the more you start thinking about it the more unsettling it gets, especially if you think about answering yes to any of these.

Are we born evil? Then we’re irredeemable and no amount of good will save us from damnation. Not to mention the God is flawed.

Is every single child, yes, the pure and innocent souls, our greatest treasures which we want to protect at any cost (sometimes honestly too much of a cost), in fact the seed of the evil in this world and we’re only contributing to it?

Are we putting our faith into a being that is the root of all evil and created us only as a form of some twisted experiment? Has the actual God already been defeated and the universe became a playground of some celestial mad scientist?!

Wow, reading these lines back, I feel like I wrote one hell of a horror story. And it is in fact quite terrifying and it may cause someone to have a crisis of faith. Now, now, no need to panic. Sit down, take a breath, sip on your cup of tea. Feeling better? Alright, let’s put all this into a bigger picture which is far less horrifying if at all.

First, we’re not born evil. That has been proven by science and you can even observe it on kids who are naturally extremely curious. Why? Because they crave knowledge. Kids are like little sponges that soak up information with every single one of their senses, sometimes really clumsily and bluntly. So why do they making things that we consider evil? Through upbringing. It’s us who set the boundaries, sometimes really clumsily and bluntly.

Ok, so we’re not born evil and kids aren’t evil by design but can be “brought” to evil by bad upbringing so what about the last one? Well, my dear reader, that’s where our understanding of philosophy and spirituality comes into play. We, humans, don’t like uncertainty. Just like kids, we crave knowledge. We crave explanantion. But also, because we’re a little lazy (I’m tech industry so I can attest :p), we also want explanation that’s easy and doesn’t require too much energy to invest into. We also like guidance, when going through our lives since it’s easier than figuring stuff on our own.

But where to get these when the world is complicated? Who can help us answer our questions? Well, if there’s no explanation in our material world, it’s time to ask the “higher being”. For their knowledge is vast so they might be able to provide the answers. But even these answers may not be complete. And in fact they usually aren’t but they provide the guidance. They help us navigate the complicated world by giving us tools to form who we are. But just like everything, they require a bit of work and a bit of critical thought. Just like a scientific discovery needs verification, a word or a sign from the Almighty requires a moment of pondering. A moment of almost child-like curiosity to examine the sign with all your senses. That’s where the worship of the good comes from. Our desire for explanation of the complex world and wanting to be the good person. As kids, we had our parents to guide us and prepare us. As adults, we have each other in material sense and our faith, whatever it may be, in the spiritual sense.

R.R.A.