Understanding Moral Good and Evil

In my last article I briefly mentioned the word origin of “sin” as used in Sacred Scripture, particularly the New Testament.  It is the English word for the Greek which means to “miss the mark,” like missing the bullseye on a target.       

When it comes to the idea of sin, American culture suffers from a moral Judeo-Christian hangover.  People do not like the word “sin,” and they certainly dislike the term “sinners.”  The word alone carries such a negative connotation, (it ruins all that is fun), so our society has attempted to morph sin into a “wink-wink” word – like Las Vegas’ nickname, “Sin City.”  This idea of ruining fun, or even encroaching on personal freedom, could not be further from the truth.  Sin, and the warning against it, was never intended to be ruinous; it was intended to save us from the ruin of evil. In order to understand moral good and evil, one must understand Sacred Scripture and Tradition.  And before we can do that, we must begin with God.

The Foundation of Reality is God

God is reality.  God alone is one, immutable, infinite and uncreated.   “In the beginning…,” does not apply to God who reigns in an ever-present state outside created time.     

Our knowledge of God is based upon what he has revealed to us, and in Sacred Scripture God has told us a good deal about himself.  For example, scripture tells us that only God is:  Good (Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19); cannot sin (Numbers 23:19; II Timothy 2:13); is immutable (James 1:17); and his creation is good (Genesis 1:31).  As for his being (substance), we are told God is a Spirit (John 4:24), and invisible (Col. 1:15).  And regarding God’s being, Thomas Aquinas describes God not as God is, but rather God subsists.  That is to say, God intrinsically exists whole and complete within himself; a self-existent spirit.  When Moses asked God what his name was - what did God reply?  “I AM that I AM.”  Why?  Subsisting eternally in himself means there is no one to give him a name other than himself!

Being good and perfect, God has enabled us to know, though in a limited way, what are the good and perfect standards for rational conduct.  God is the litmus test.

Good

The definition of good begins with God, because God is good and cannot be separated from himself.  God’s will (that is, his intention) is “good and perfect,” (Romans 12:2), and God only wills what is good for his creation. With his good will, then, God has revealed to us his standard of conduct.  This standard of conduct is the apex for rational creation because, in the end, God wants us to be like him (I Peter 1:16). 

Taking a cue from the Ten Commandments then, to NOT lie, is good.  To NOT steal is good.  To honor our parents is good. God does not expect perfection, but he does want us to reach beyond the stars for him and his goodness.

Evil

Evil has long been a sore in the psyche of humanity.  Some call evil the opposite of good, others don’t believe evil (or good) exist, and many question “How can evil exist if God is Good?” The question of evil has created more anxiety than perhaps any other human condition except pain. Because of this, it is important to understand, correctly, the concept of evil. Sacred Scripture, and the Early Church Fathers have expounded on the “problem of evil,” to the extent that evil is not (or should not) be a mystery.    

Unlike God and Good, moral evil does not qualify for the two definitions of existence listed above.  Creation exists in shape, form and beginning. God subsists in himself.  Good exists because God is Good.  Moral evil, however, does not intrinsically exist or subsist.  We cannot point to any creation (shape, form or substance) and say, “Aha!  That is evil!” 

So then, what exactly is this we call moral “evil?”

Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica characterized evil as a privation of good.  (Privation means the absence of something).  Moral evil is the absence of good.  The consequence of this absence of good is sin - a voluntary act (or inaction) against a known good.  This is referred to in the Confiteor when we publicly confess, “…I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do.”

Moral evil does not exist in and of itself in any way, shape or form until it is manifested through sin.

God only created good. Only in the absence of good, can there be evil, therefore, evil does not “exist,” but the potential for evil will always remain as long as rational creatures know what is good, and have the free will to not do good.

Can Moral Good and Evil act together?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1750) discusses the morality of human acts.  Human acts have three sources: Intention (the “why”), Object (the “what or whom”), and Circumstance (the “where, when and/or how”).  If one of those sources is not good, then the whole act becomes morally evil. 

A simple example would be the following:

I want to make my mother happy on her birthday by getting her favorite flowers: roses.  Running late, I swipe a bunch from the rose bushes of a private garden.    

Although this example has some goodness associated with it, the word “some” indicates a privation of good, and moral evil is the privation of good.  In this case the privation falls under a circumstance that resulted in theft, making the whole act morally evil.    

This is where divine moral standards conflict with situation ethics.  Christianity does not teach the moral error, “the end justifies the means.” This error attempts to quantify good against evil as if both are placed on a weighing scale, and whichever way it tips the most wins the category.  With God, there is no sliding scale for moral good.  It is either all good, or all evil.  Determining between what is morally good is not meant to be confusing – God is not the author of confusion.  It only becomes complicated when humans attempt to circumnavigate God’s perfect will by redefining “good” to make it socially acceptable.

If you have questions about Church teachings on good and evil, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a great resource.  If you would like somthing more in-depth, send me an email.  My answers will always reflect Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and especially, the teachings of Thomas Aquinas.