Editing Evil (section)

== Religions ==

===Abrahamic===
====Baháʼí Faith====
The [[Baháʼí Faith]] asserts that evil is non-existent and that it is a concept reflecting lack of good, just as cold is the state of no heat, darkness is the state of no light, forgetfulness the lacking of memory, ignorance the lacking of knowledge. All of these are states of lacking and have no real existence.<ref name="Coll. 1982">{{cite book|last=Coll |first='Abdu'l-Bahá |title=Some answered questions|year=1982|publisher=Baháʼí Publ. Trust|location=Wilmette, IL |isbn=978-0-87743-162-6 |edition=Repr. |translator=Barney, Laura Clifford}}</ref>

Thus, evil does not exist and is relative to man. [[ʻAbdu'l-Bahá]], son of the founder of the religion, in [[Some Answered Questions]] states:<ref name="Coll. 1982" /><blockquote>Nevertheless a doubt occurs to the mind—that is, scorpions and serpents are poisonous. Are they good or evil, for they are existing beings? Yes, a scorpion is evil in relation to man; a serpent is evil in relation to man; but in relation to themselves they are not evil, for their poison is their weapon, and by their sting they defend themselves.</blockquote>Thus, evil is more of an intellectual concept than a true reality. Since God is good, and upon creating creation he confirmed it by saying it is Good (Genesis 1:31) evil cannot have a true reality.<ref name="Coll. 1982"/>

====Christianity====
{{see also|Devil#Christianity|label 1=Devil in Christianity}}

[[File:Ary Scheffer - The Temptation of Christ (1854).jpg|thumb|left|upright|The [[devil]], in opposition to the will of God, represents evil and tempts Christ, the personification of the character and will of God. [[Ary Scheffer]], 1854.]]

[[Christian theology]] draws its concept of evil from the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]]s. The [[Christian Bible]] exercises "the dominant influence upon ideas about God and evil in the Western world."<ref name="David Ray Griffin 2004"/> In the Old Testament, evil is understood to be an opposition to God as well as something unsuitable or inferior such as the leader of the [[fallen angel]]s [[Satan#Christianity|Satan]].<ref>Hans Schwarz, ''Evil: A Historical and Theological Perspective'' (Lima, Ohio: Academic Renewal Press, 2001): 42–43.</ref> In the New Testament the [[Greek language|Greek]] word ''poneros'' is used to indicate unsuitability, while ''kakos'' is used to refer to opposition to God in the human realm.<ref>Schwarz, ''Evil'', 75.</ref> Officially, the Catholic Church extracts its understanding of evil from its canonical antiquity and the [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] [[theologian]], [[Thomas Aquinas]], who in ''Summa Theologica'' defines evil as the absence or privation of good.<ref>Thomas Aquinas, ''Summa Theologica'', translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province (New York: Benziger Brothers, 1947) Volume 3, q. 72, a. 1, p. 902.</ref> [[French-American]] theologian [[Henri Blocher]] describes evil, when viewed as a theological concept, as an "unjustifiable reality. In common parlance, evil is 'something' that occurs in the experience that ''ought not to be''."<ref>Henri Blocher, ''Evil and the Cross'' (Downers Grove: [[InterVarsity Press]], 1994): 10.</ref>

====Islam====
{{see also|Islamic views on sin}}
There is no concept of absolute evil in [[Islam]], as a fundamental universal principle that is independent from and equal with good in a dualistic sense.<ref name="ReferenceA">Jane Dammen McAuliffe ''Encyclopaedia of the Qurʼān'' Brill 2001 {{ISBN|978-90-04-14764-5}} p. 335</ref> Although the Quran mentions the [[biblical]] forbidden tree, it never refers to it as the '[[tree of knowledge of good and evil]]'.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Within Islam, it is considered essential to believe that all comes from [[God in Islam|God]], whether it is perceived as good or bad by individuals; and things that are perceived as ''evil'' or ''bad'' are either natural events (natural disasters or illnesses) or caused by humanity's free will. Much more the behavior of beings with free will, then they disobey God's orders, harming others or putting themselves over God or others, is considered to be evil.<ref>B. Silverstein ''Islam and Modernity in Turkey'' Springer 2011 {{ISBN|978-0-230-11703-7}} p. 124</ref> Evil does not necessarily refer to evil as an ontological or moral category, but often to harm or as the intention and consequence of an action, but also to unlawful actions.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
Unproductive actions or those who do not produce benefits are also thought of as evil.<ref>Jane Dammen McAuliffe ''Encyclopaedia of the Qurʼān'' Brill 2001 {{ISBN|978-90-04-14764-5}} p. 338</ref>

A typical understanding of evil is reflected by [[Al-Ash`ari]] founder of [[Ashʿari|Asharism]]. Accordingly, qualifying something as evil depends on the circumstances of the observer. An event or an action itself is neutral, but it receives its qualification by God. Since God is omnipotent and nothing can exist outside of God's power, God's will determine, whether or not something is evil.<ref>P. Koslowski (2013). ''The Origin and the Overcoming of Evil and Suffering in the World Religions'' Springer Science & Business Media {{ISBN|978-94-015-9789-0}} p. 37</ref>

====Rabbinic Judaism====
{{see also|Satan#Judaism|label 1=Satan in Judaism}}
In [[Judaism]] and Jewish theology, the existence of evil is presented as part of the idea of [[Free will in theology|free will]]: if humans were created to be perfect, always and only doing good, being good would not mean much. For Jewish theology, it is important for humans to have the ability to choose the path of goodness, even in the face of temptation and ''[[yetzer hara]]'' (the inclination to do evil).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gurkow |first=Lazer |title=Why Did G-d Create Evil? |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/367866/jewish/Why-Did-G-d-Create-Evil.htm |access-date=October 17, 2023 |website=Chabad}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=rabbifisdel |date=2010-07-08 |title=The Human Dichotomy: Good and Evil {{!}} Classical Kabbalist |url=https://classicalkabbalist.org/blog/?p=7 |access-date=2023-10-18 |language=en-US}}</ref> 

===Ancient Egyptian===
{{See|Ancient Egyptian religion}}
Evil in the religion of [[ancient Egypt]] is known as ''[[Isfet (Egyptian mythology)|Isfet]]'', "disorder/violence". It is the opposite of ''[[Maat]]'', "order", and embodied by the serpent god [[Apep]], who routinely attempts to kill the [[sun god]] [[Ra]] and is stopped by nearly every other deity. Isfet is not a primordial force, but the consequence of free will and an individual's struggle against the non-existence embodied by Apep, as evidenced by the fact that it was born from Ra's umbilical cord instead of being recorded in the religion's creation myths.<ref>Kemboly, Mpay (2010).  ''The Question of Evil in Ancient Egypt''. London: Golden House Publications.{{ISBN?}}</ref>

===Indian===
====Buddhism====
{{Main|Buddhist ethics}}
[[File:Extermination of Evil Sendan Kendatsuba crop.jpg|thumb|344x344px|One of the five paintings of ''[[Extermination of Evil]]'' portrays one of the eight guardians of [[Buddhist law]], Sendan Kendatsuba, banishing evil.]]
The primal duality in Buddhism is between suffering and [[Enlightenment in Buddhism|enlightenment]], so the [[Good and evil#Buddhism|good vs. evil]] splitting has no direct analogue in it. One may infer from the general teachings of the [[Buddha]] that the [[Dukkha|catalogued causes]] of suffering are what correspond in this [[belief system]] to 'evil'.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=HyPnrDiBM7cC&pg=PA424 ''Philosophy of Religion''] Charles Taliaferro, Paul J. Griffiths, eds. Ch. 35, ''Buddhism and Evil'' Martin Southwold p. 424</ref><ref>[http://www.livingdharma.org/Living.Dharma.Articles/LayOutreachAndMeaningOfEvilPerson-Unno.html ''Lay Outreach and the Meaning of 'Evil Person''' Taitetsu Unno] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018093156/http://www.livingdharma.org/Living.Dharma.Articles/LayOutreachAndMeaningOfEvilPerson-Unno.html |date=2012-10-18 }}</ref>

Practically this can refer to 1) the three selfish emotions—desire, hate and delusion; and 2) to their expression in physical and verbal actions. Specifically, ''evil'' means whatever harms or obstructs the causes for happiness in this life, a better rebirth, liberation from samsara, and the true and complete enlightenment of a buddha (samyaksambodhi).

"What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil: envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil." Gautama Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism, 563–483 BC.

====Hinduism====
In Hinduism, the concept of [[Dharma]] or righteousness clearly divides the world into [[Good and evil#Hinduism|good and evil]], and clearly explains that wars have to be waged sometimes to establish and protect Dharma, this war is called [[Dharmayuddha]]. This division of good and evil is of major importance in both the Hindu epics of [[Ramayana]] and [[Mahabharata]]. The main emphasis in [[Hinduism]] is on bad action, rather than bad people. The Hindu holy text, the [[Bhagavad Gita]], speaks of the balance of good and evil. When this balance goes off, divine incarnations come to help to restore this balance.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Perumpallikunnel |first1=K. |title=Discernment: The message of the bhagavad-gita |journal=[[Acta Theologica]] |date=2013 |volume=33 |page=271 |citeseerx=10.1.1.1032.370 }}</ref>

====Sikhism====
In adherence to the core principle of spiritual evolution, the Sikh idea of evil changes depending on one's position on the path to liberation. At the beginning stages of spiritual growth, good and evil may seem neatly separated. Once one's spirit evolves to the point where it sees most clearly, the idea of evil vanishes and the truth is revealed. In his writings [[Guru Arjan]] explains that, because God is the source of all things, what we believe to be evil must too come from God. And because God is ultimately a source of absolute good, nothing truly evil can originate from God.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Singh|first1=Gopal|title=Sri guru-granth sahib [english version]|date=1967|publisher=Taplinger Publishing Co.|location=New York}}</ref>

Sikhism, like many other religions, does incorporate a list of "vices" from which suffering, corruption, and abject negativity arise. These are known as the [[Five Thieves]], called such due to their propensity to cloud the mind and lead one astray from the prosecution of righteous action.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Singh|first1=Charan|title=Ethics and Business: Evidence from Sikh Religion|ssrn=2366249|website=Social Science Research Network|publisher=Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore|date=2013-12-11}}</ref> These are:<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sandhu|first1=Jaswinder|title=The Sikh Model of the Person, Suffering, and Healing: Implications for Counselors|journal=International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling|date=February 2004|volume=26|issue=1|pages=33–46|doi=10.1023/B:ADCO.0000021548.68706.18|s2cid=145256429}}</ref>
* [[Moh]], or Attachment
* [[Lobh]], or Greed
* [[Krodh|Karodh]], or Wrath
* [[Kaam]], or Lust
* [[Hankaar|Ahankar]], or Egotism
One who gives in to the temptations of the [[Five Thieves]] is known as "[[Manmukh]]", or someone who lives selfishly and without virtue. Inversely, the "[[Gurmukh]], who thrive in their reverence toward divine knowledge, rise above vice via the practice of the high virtues of Sikhism. These are:<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Singh|first1=Arjan|title=The universal ideal of sikhism|journal=Global Dialogue|date=January 2000|volume=2|issue=1}}</ref>
* [[Selfless Service|Sewa]], or selfless service to others.
* [[Simran|Nam Simran]], or meditation upon the divine name.