What is Evil?

     So, what is evil? People often assign it to individuals, but are people in themselves evil?

    If I were to take a poll, I think the person hands down for an example would be Adolf Hitler.  But is he evil?  Now before you get red-faced, keep reading, this is not an article about glorifying Nazi Germany.

    Mother Theresa comes to mind as an example of the universal icon for good.  In her life, she has done a lot of good, but she is still a human being.  I don't know a lot about her but as a fellow human being, I can guarantee she had human failings just like the rest of us.

    I remember once hearing that when Adolf Hitler was a boy he wanted to be a priest. A priest.  One of the most passive occupations in the world.  So how does a little boy with ambitions to become a priest end up one of the most hated men in world history?  Did he become evil, or did he listen to evil?

    Lately, I keep hearing different people call several different people evil.  But a thought has been whispering in my mind.  Humans aren't evil, but maybe you could look at evil as the name of the group that encompasses Satan and his followers.  It also occurs to me that people who do evil things are not trying to be evil.  They think that what they are doing is for the betterment of society.  Wasn't that what Hitler thought he was doing?

I am a member of a church that believes we can gain personal revelation for ourselves. We, the people of planet earth, are all children of God.  We are all entitled to revelation.  Satan knows this and so he tries to confuse us by sending us personal revelation from him.  So how do we distinguish who is talking to us?

Honestly, I am still working on this myself, but to label someone as evil removes the idea that they can change.  Everyone is just trying to do their best in this world.  People who listen to evil can also listen to good and vice versa.  

Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change and improve.  

           -Jeffrey R. Holland