November 2, 2010

Most Evil Thing?

Rufus asked me "Dan, what is the most evil thing that has happened in your life?"

At first, because of Eve, I was thinking that maybe it was women...har har. But women are the single greatest thing that happened to us. A world with just a bunch of dudes? Yuck!

I thought it might have been that excited 16 year old that just got his license and was proudly driving home on our block when he ran over me and broke my leg. I was 8 years old, I ran into the street playing tag with my friends and I hit his door and slid right under the car. He didn't mean to do it, and neither did I. It kept me away from team sports though. Who knows, I could be on steroids playing for the majors these days otherwise. Plus, because of that, I took up swimming instead. I got real good and became a rescue swimmer and subsequently a life guard. I cannot justify that as evil.

I thought maybe it was being raised an Atheist that was evil. But, I could not justify it to be so because it is what helped me explore God and indirectly prepared me to become a Christian.


I thought it might be my Mom coming down with Lupus and having a major stroke when I was just 10 years old. It put me into a very bad position and made it difficult to think about school stuff, and I rebelled against everything and everyone. "My mom was sick, after all" was my motto or more accurately, my excuse. But was that even evil to me personally? I certainly do not think God is doing "evil things" to me, so that does not qualify as being evil.

Then I came up with what I thought was the answer. My older brother has cerebral palsy, and I had to wipe his butt all the way up until I was 12! I hated that job! I hated how he laughed at me when I was gagging and almost puking while I had to deal with him. He got a kick out of watching me suffer. The real kicker was that the whole time he could have done it himself. You see, my parents coddled him and made me help him; when I refused one day, he just did it himself. He was able to do it the entire time, and then subsequently learned how to do other things for himself. At the time though, that was the most evil thing that happened to me. However, it taught all of us a good lesson to empower people instead of enabling. Also, that helped me become the care-giving person that I am today. I teach my kids with that lesson in mind to empower them with the tools to do things themselves...to let them struggle, fail, and learn. I have my brother and parents to thank for that lesson and in turn, my core belief.

I remember in the Navy, I didn't say anything when my friend handed a new guy on the ship these sea sick pills because he was complaining about how sick he was. The thing is, they were not sea sick pills, they were laxatives! I remember laughing uncontrollably when the poor guy came up to us, very concerned, wondering why water was coming out of his butt. He dehydrated a great deal and was quite ill because of that.

My actions were unforgivable. I should have helped him and been a better friend.

I remember punishing myself with copious amounts of alcohol, and other things, in my teen years because I was so unhappy with myself, my actions, and my situation. I hated me. I should of died many times and sometimes I wished I had.

Once I became a Christian, I realized how wicked I really was. It was only then that I realized how much of a lying thief, a blasphemous adulterer, and a hate filled wretch that I had become. It was humbling. It took some time to come to terms with that reality and eventually, I understood why. I gave all my flaws to Jesus Christ our Lord to help me eradicate them. In time they will be eternally gone.

After some reflection on this very introspective question all I can come up with is one thing. To answer your question, what is the most evil thing that has happened in my life?

It was me, being me. I was the most evil thing that happened in my life. I was the bad tree that was bearing bad fruit. Thank the Lord that is being changed. Keep watering that good tree Lord.

Good question though. I am curious as to how most of you would answer that question.

Edit: Ray Comfort has an analogy: "A little girl was once watching a sheep eat grass and thought how white it looked against the green background. But when it began to snow she thought, "That sheep now looks dirty against the white snow!" It was the same sheep, but with a different background. When we compare ourselves to man's standard we look pretty clean, but when we compare ourselves to the pure snow-white righteousness of God's standard—His Law, we can see ourselves in truth, that we are unclean in His sight. That Law is the holy standard by which humanity will be judged on Judgment Day."

29 comments:

  1. Good post. I would have to agree that is the most evil thing that had happened to me as well. I dont get the pick of the guy though?!?!

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  2. Tough call. November 2008 was evil. OK, joking aside...

    Right now, still dealing with my wife's daughter being found dead at age 27 on July 31. She was seriously messed up, and had a great deal of evil in her life. I would go so far as to say that her mental illness was complicated by demonic oppression (disbelievers, kindly hold off the snide remarks on this one). But that's for another day.

    In my first marriage, my wife and I were co-resident managers of a self-storage facility. We moved to a strange town, knowing nobody there. Turns out we were a quick fix, and lost our jobs and homes in the same instant (after we got the place back up to about 95 percent capacity, plus). Good thing the boss disappeared, I had never before contemplated serious physical violence against another man before. Watching my then-wife sitting on the floor, sobbing and worrying about her, our daughter and myself getting shelter in a strange town...

    A series of miracles occurred (come on, there's only so much room in a comment form). We had help, then an apartment ("You got in THERE? It's a three-year waiting list!").

    Good came of it, including a visit from an angel...well, it was one of those "I really wonder" moments.

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  3. I'm not surprised that people like you two were emotionally unequipped to handle the curveballs life will throw at you, without resorting to appeals to superstitious entities.

    Life is not fair to anyone. Get over it.

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  4. Froggie,

    What is the most evil thing that happened to you?

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  5. Forgot about you, Dan. I'll reply soon, for what it's worth.

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  6. "Once I became a Christian, I realized how wicked I really was. It was only then that I realized how much of a lying thief, a blasphemous adulterer, and a hate filled wretch that I had become."

    "It was me, being me. I was the most evil thing that happened in my life. I was the bad tree that was bearing bad fruit."

    When you Christians say things like that, when you say that your imagined sins of thought crimes and lust is adultery and hate is murder, all toward an imaginary god, you diminish real evil. You belittle and degrade it with your "I have offended thee, God. I want to beat off."

    Human beings are capable of performing horrible acts.

    The eight year old boy in my avatar photo is my niece's son, my little nephew. He has literally been the son I never had.

    On September 8th of this year, his stepfather brutally murdered him and his mother early that morning.

    Words fail me. Everything I say and do feels like I'm faking it. It feels like everything is a front, a facade. Sometimes it's hard to care about anything.

    To make it all worse, my youngest little nephew, he'll be three in February, most likely watched his father hack his big brother to death with a machete like instrument. He says his daddy "made Ethan throw up red".

    Even though that is by far the worse, most evil thing that has ever happened to me or my family, I also know that on that day there were other human beings on this planet performing incredible noble and selfless acts for their fellow human beings. Christians and Jews and Muslims and what have you and atheists alike.

    That's why I get tired of the people are utterly depraved and worthless and evil (without "god") shit. They often are; sometimes it seems that they always are. But that isn't true.Human beings are just as often kind and generous and self sacrificing.

    I'm also tired of hearing how lust and "blasphemy" are evil in the face of true evil. I may think you're an asshole, Dan, but I wager that you haven't done anything truly evil. I'll even go so far as to say that you've probably done more good and than bad in your life.

    I also get tired of the justifications believers give for their being evil in the, such as "so we can turn to God/Jesus and worship him". I'm paraphrasing.

    There's no big, cosmic reason that this beautiful eight year old boy is dead. There are little reasons that don't add up to a philosophy or theology/theodicy. As much as this kills me inside, I know that he wasn't the only eight year old boy to die that day. He wasn't even the only eight year old boy to have been brutally murdered that day. He was just "my" eight year old boy.

    The idea that it was allowed to happen so that I could start worshiping the being that allowed it to happen turns my stomach. I'm supposed to think of my nephew walking into the bedroom, seeing his mother being hacked with a machete, turning to run and being caught from behind and thinking of how scared he must have been, wondering how much he suffered, and then I'm supposed to worship a being who allowed it to happen just so that I would worship it?

    I neither think nor believe that such a being could exist. And if I'm wrong, that worship will never, ever happen.

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  7. The most evil thing that happened to Frog-e-lad was having his legs chopped off and fried up by Doc Hopper. He blamed God for that, and hated all "xtians" ever since. Vicious fellow.

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  8. And if Frog-e-lad wants his french fried legs back, he can drive from the Oil City, PA area to Kingston, NY and I can show him some sights around town he'll never forget as long as he lives.

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  9. Rufus,

    I cannot say anything, you made me cry.

    I just want Roger, from Supertramp, to sing this song in the background for you.

    "I know that there's a reason why I need to be alone
    You show me there's a silent place that I can call my own
    Is it mine? Oh, Lord is it mine?

    You know I get so weary from the battles in this life
    and as many times it seems that you're the only hope in sight
    Is it mine? Oh, Lord is it mine?

    When everything's dark and nothing seems right,
    there's nothing to win, and there's no need to fight

    I never cease to wonder at the cruelty of this land
    but it seems a time of sadness is a time to understand
    Is it mine? Oh, Lord is it mine?

    When everything's dark and nothing seems right,
    You don't have to win, and there's no need to fight

    If only I could find a way
    to feel your sweetness through the day
    The love that shines around me could be mine,
    So give us an answer, won't you,
    We know what we have to do,
    There must be a thousand voices trying to get through."

    When its dark, seek the light. We do have an avenue to right the wrongs. Please do not pass that opportunity and gift up. The evil will be eradicated, the evil people will be punished. Seek love, not anger and hate. Seek God. Trust His plan, even if we cannot understand it just yet.

    Ethan is in a much better place right now, even if he is not with you at the moment. I want so much for you two to be reunited again someday. Please don't pass that day up for anger and hate. Submit to God and He will take care of everything for you that is worthy of your respect. He is worth trusting. Its your only hope really. Otherwise evil will win and keep you two separated for all eternity. Do you really, really, want evil to win this war? Fight!

    Blessings to you and your family for your tremendous loss. I love you.

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  10. Patty (wife) said:

    "Also, if more people truly knew and believed in Christ and lived for him, think of how much less evil would be in the world."

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  11. Dan
    I read your post and thought I would respond. Then I thought and I thought and I just couldn't think of anything other than annoying in my 59 yrs (34 married).Same for our extended family. Things like murders drugs deaths I'm sure we would have heard about.

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  12. Dan:

         "The evil will be eradicated, the evil people will be punished."
         Prevention is far better than punishment. Why did your god not intervene to stop it? Was he eating popcorn and enjoying the show? If your god could stop it, but chose not to do so, then he is evil. Punishing the wrongdoers won't bring Ethan back. It won't undo the damage. Unless you are to say that your god was powerless to stop it, there is nothing he can do to make it better.

    Rufus:

         If you feel that I have put words into your mouth that do not represent how you feel, then I apologize. My words are my reactions to such platitudes in the face of suffering.

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  13. The problem of evil really is insurmountable for the Christian.

    Rufus, I'd guess platitudes do little to help you at this time but I just wanted to say that I am truly sorry for your loss.

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  14. I have an article on frog gigging posted.

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  15. I don't think it's my place to say this, and I don't think this is the right place to say it, but...

    Rufus, why in hell would you EVER tell Dan about this? Seriously. Has he demonstrated the kind of empathy, compassion or understanding to make him worthy of it?

    Again, it's your business. I don't think Dan deserves the kind of honesty you've demonstrated here.

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  16. Pvb,

    You have some legitimate questions, Look at today's Days of praise. We ask the same questions that you have, albeit a bit more respectful. The difference is that I trust God to do the right thing and to solve this evil problem once and for all.

    The real kicker is that we all want this evil to go away, we all want the good to win. Even YOU! The problem is, what that means to you is, that you want to lose since you are siding with that evil. You like the dark side apparently. Once again your worldview is reduced to absurd.

    We all know what evil is, and a dude doing horrible things to woman and children is evil. We all agree. God will eradicate that type of evil. You are siding with that evil guy and yet you want him to lose. You see? Absurd.

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  17. Wem,

    >>I don't think Dan deserves the kind of honesty you've demonstrated here.

    I guess that means that you lie about everything here. Makes perfect sense.

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  18. Dan: "The problem is, what that means to you is, that you want to lose since you are siding with that evil."

    But Dan - God created evil! Within your worldview, you are the one siding with evil.

    Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil : I the LORD do all these [things].

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  19. Christians have such a difficult time keeping their theology straight. Who can blame 'em, it's not exactly consistent...

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  20. Dan:

         "You have some legitimate questions, Look at today's Days of praise. We ask the same questions that you have, albeit a bit more respectful. The difference is that I [don't need an answer at all and will be happy to worship the monster.]"
         Perhaps you could be so good as to summarize the answers. I have no desire to go on a wild goose chase and so will only follow the link for clarification of an existing answer that looks likely to be satisfactory.
         "The real kicker is that we all want this evil to go away,..."
         Well, it looks like you don't. You want evil to exist so that there is an excuse for punishment. I want evil to be prevented. You obviously don't.

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  21. Ericka,

    >>But Dan - God created evil! Within your worldview, you are the one siding with evil.

    If you mean created by allowing then I agree be absence of light is darkness. Also if you mean create evil by creating humans then I agree again. So God allows evil for now I concede but He has a plan for eradicating it also.

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  22. Wem,

    God is (consistent), we are not.

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  23. Pvb,

    >>Mockery is a tool of cults.

    And you know this how?

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  24. Pvb,

    >>I want evil to be prevented.

    And how do you plan to do this? Subjective again? Fine you will "try" not to do evil. BTW have you ever lied? If yes then you're evil.

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  25. Dan:

         I did not say that I, not being omnipotent, could effect the prevention of all evil. However, adults interfere and break up the fights of children to prevent them from escalating. In other words they prevent evils that are within their power to prevent. According to you, your god could have prevented this man from killing his wife and children, but decided he would rather wait and punish the man.

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  26. I would say the most evil(:is intentionally causing harm or destruction, or deliberately violating some moral code) thing to have ever happen was the human invention of God/s and other deities and superstitions.

    Never has there been such attrosities commited that are attrubibted to theism.

    Since it's invention theism has corrupted the evolution of the human species.

    Theist has used the most evil acts imaginable to enforce the beliefs and make them "acceptable"

    Like the true hypocrites you are impose your evils on everyone/thing and call it love.

    THEISM = EVIL

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  27. Stormbringer,
    What happened in November 2008?

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  28. Dan:

    Just getting back to your posts.

    I thought about not posting about these things because I figured I would hear about my "anger and hate".

    I didn't believe in "god" or an afterlife or Christianity long before this. I can't say say that these things have reinforced my belief or lack thereof.

    I would like nothing better to see my nephew and my niece again, but wanting it to be so doesn't make it so. As much as I would like that, there is no actual evidence whatsoever.

    On top of that, there is all the extraneous crap that comes with religion (and I include Christianity).

    I'm trying to take your expressions of sentiment and caring at face value, but when you say that Pvblivs is "siding with evil", that makes it difficult. Take care, Dan. My best to you an yours.

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  29. WEM:

    There were thigs in Dan's posts about evil that bothered me. Especially from this Bahnsen guy. Also, when Christians equate their imagined "sins" of lust and adultery and blasphemy with true evil, it really bothers me. I was just trying to make Dan understand that.

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