Theodicy, or the theological study of evil, has long been a stumbling block for religion. People often wonder, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Some answers include “Because God wills it,” or “Karma,” the result of past actions. However, as a Thelemite, the focus is not on what happened, but rather on what to do to avoid doing evil.
To start, let’s eliminate some outdated ideas about evil, such as “Natural Evil.” In ancient times, disasters and diseases were considered evil manifestations. However, today we understand that these are the result of natural forces that support life. On the other hand, “Moral Evil” has to do with religious practices. For example, for Jews, eating pork is immoral. However, for non-adherents, there is no issue with eating pork. It’s important to separate “morality” from “ethics.” Morality comes from religion or spirituality, while ethics are universal and developed from reason and experience.
But where is evil? Analyzing the system of possibilities present at the moment of choice, we can see that there are only a finite number of actions we can take. Thus, we can state a priori that one of the choices will be the best, one will be the worst, and the rest will be somewhere in between. However, it’s often difficult to pick the best choice for a variety of reasons, including that we cannot always predict all of the consequences of our actions. And while we may appeal to the maxims of religion or philosophy to help us make a choice, ultimately, we are the ones applying them.
The idea of a wholly deterministic world, as Pythagoras and Calvin believed, poses an interesting question about the nature of choice. If everything that is happening now has already happened in the past, then our choices may not be material because we’ve already made them per script. In Calvin’s idea of predetermination: God has already picked the Elect, the rest will go to Hell. Nothing you can do will either save or damn you, but your actions will show if you have been selected and your success will prove you are one of the elect. [Really? <sigh>]
However, I propose this is not necessarily the case… but that’s another blog post.
In conclusion, while the question of theodicy remains unanswered, a systems-analysis approach to evil can shed light on how to avoid doing evil. By understanding the limited choices available to us and appealing to reason and experience, we can make better choices to live a more ethical life.