Quote:To Beserk:
Enjoying this whole thread & replies, until the discussion of evil re M. Scott Beck. The 4 characteristics of evil (malignant narcisism) in the context of demons, has me reeling; specifically:
1) destructive scapegoating behaviour
2) Intolerance of criticism
3) self image of respectability & denial of hateful feelings & vengeful motives
4) Increased liklihood of schizophrenic-like disturbance of thinking in times of stress.
I have ordered Scott's book from Amazon, to get the whole context of this, but in the meantime! Is this definition not too narrow, maybe extreme. My mother fit those criteria: the blaming of specific groups for her problems, the frenzy if questioned or mild hint of criticism, never letting go of a grudge, the insistance that she had never been angry in her life, the paranoia, hearing voices through the walls, the sheer out-of-control hysteria over unpredictable issues.
Ellen,
I'm sorry about your mother and your daughter.
I would like to offer the thought that most of your mother's problems could have been coming from her brain, not her soul or spiritual nature. The way you describe her, it sounds like she might have been suffering from mental illness. If that is the case, she may simply have been physically incapable of controlling her moods and behavior.
Many people wrongly assume that one's "character" comes entirely from the soul, when in reality there is a great influence from the condition of the brain. If the brain isn't wired properly or doesn't have the right chemistry, it can produce a bad character that is largely beyond the person's voluntary control.
Did you know that Adolf Hitler was beaten so severely by his father when he was a child that he once went into a coma for two days? This beating and coma probably resulted in brain damage, which could have
caused Hitler to become a madman if particular parts of the brain were affected. We might get to heaven and find out that most of what Hitler did was the result of a disturbed brain, and that he was little more evil in his soul than any of us.
King George III of England was an eccentric man who went crazy because of arsenic poisoning. Tragically, he was "treated" for his outbursts with more and more arsenic, which was believed by doctors at the time to control insanity. Eventually he ended up raving mad. It is believed by historians that the American Revolutionary War occurred partly because of King George's mental illness.
Many violent criminals commit their crimes because of mental illness. Are they "evil" or just victims of their own diseased brain? We must remember that when the body dies, so does the brain -- and any negative character traits that were caused by that brain naturally should die with it.
Geneticists now know that the majority of human personality is passed on in the genes. People are literally born with tendencies to be shy or extroverted, peaceful or forceful, confident or anxious, happy and optimistic or depressed and cynical. The rest comes from childhood experiences which influence our mental and emotional development. Only some of an individual's personality comes from the non-physical soul and free will. (Of course materialistic scientists would argue that
none of it does, but I think they go too far.)
The bottom line is, please don't worry about your mother being "evil." Everyone is born with a propensity to sin -- everyone. God knows this and He forgives us, and He is saving us and transforming us, either in this life or the next. Some people get lucky and get genes and childhood experiences that promote a peaceful and pleasant personality, while others don't. God is not judging us for things that are beyond our control.
Apostle Paul put it best when he said, "There is no one righteous, not even one." (Romans 3:10). And "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (verses 23-24). It doesn't matter whether we are Christians or not, God is saving us anyway through Jesus Christ. All souls will eventually be saved, even the most "evil" among us.
JMHO.
Best wishes,
Freebird