We are using a different form of the Lord's Prayer every Sunday in Lent, both sung and said. It is a way to encourage all of us to pay attention to what can be a rote prayer, including the phrase "deliver us from evil." Does evil even exist? Have we quietly tucked evil away on a shelf, replaced by the revised psychological alternatives?
I feel that evil has come out swinging in a London Ontario courtroom this week. A young woman, Terry Lynne McClintic has confessed to kidnapping and then murdering an innocent and unsuspecting child, Tori Stafford. She allegedly did so on the encouragement of her boyfriend, Michael Rafferty, who was obsessed by the idea of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a little girl.
McClintic has admitted that she knew what they were doing was wrong, but chose to commit this unspeakable crime. In the end she confessed because it was "the right thing to do." This is true, but one wonders how they could have chosen to participate in what to me is clearly evil in the first place. What possessed them, figuratively and perhaps literally?
McClintic will spend a long time in jail and I pray Rafferty will as well. I also pray that they understand the gravity of their crimes and can eventually find hope in relationship with God.
What is your "take" on evil? Do you mean it when you seek deliverance in the Lord's Prayer?
2 comments:
I made the mistake of reading an article yesterday about these two evil creatures. If ever there was evil, it is these two(I don't even want to say their names).
I have had discussions with friends about what we would like to do to these two. At the very least, they should be in jail for the rest of their lives...no parole possibilities. Put them in a cell with no access to computer, tv, newspapers...just the walls to stare at.
I can't even begin to imagine what Tori's family is going through.
You asked if evil exists. I would have to say that it does. I have at times felt the presence of evil, just as I have at times felt the presence of God, although I have felt the presence of God with much more regularity. I feel the presence of God daily, but there are times when the potential for that sense of presence is heightened. I feel that there are times and places were the potential for evil is more strongly felt at one time or another. I think a lot of people will admit to feeling an increased god-like presence when they are in highly emotional situations such as being at the side of a dying loved one, or after loss. There is a greater potential for a person to allow that presence to enter into consciousness at those times. The door is open. I think it is the same with evil. Sometimes evil finds an open door. So yes, I believe evil exists on its own with or without a human host.
That said, I have also given a lot of thought to what you referred to as psychological alternatives. I would have to include an attraction to evil as a mental illness. In my mind this in no way excuses the crime, and so for me whether or not evil is seen as an independent supernatural force or as a psychological disorder stops mattering. Evil will always exist, and it will always remain a crime not to turn away from it regardless of from where it originates, whether it be the universe or the mind.
PS I agree roger
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