Taylor Svete

Brit Lit/ Mrs. Smith

Journal Entry: Define Evil

8/23/09

God of the Lamb versus God of the Tyger

What is evil and where does it come from? This is a question that has been asked for not

only centuries, but millenniums, by human beings all over the world, and each society came up

with their own way to define evil through different forms of one malevolent being; the devil. But

what do I attribute evil to, and how would I define it? I define evil by the intentional act of

causing harm to others, whether the consequence is immediate or delayed, physical or mental,

inconspicuous or obviously wrought; anything done with wicked, impure intentions I would

define as evil. Well, if William Blake represents evil by the Tiger, does that mean I should

represent evil by the God who created it, the same God who created the gentle lamb? My answer

is no. Any merciful God would have made the tiger just to give another being life, not to take

away life from anyone else. If we call the tiger evil, then what are we men? We kill, and hunt,

more for sport than the tiger ever has. What one animal does for survival is the nature God

intended it to have, not for evil purposes, but so the balance of nature can continue. The tiger is

no more evil than the lamb, and the God who made the lamb is no more good than the God who

made the tiger. I do not attribute evil to anything except for the sinful nature of man...but did

God also create our sin? And if He did, what does that mean for His good intentions? I cannot

answer these questions with unwavering certainty, but I can offer my humble opinion. I believe

that God created sin in man, therefore creating evil, but not with bad intentions. He gave us
something to work through and fight against; evil and sin gives our lives meaning, whether you

believe it was a punishment for Adam and Eve’s mistake or not. Evil gives us an important

decision to make every day. People judge and distinguish us by our actions and choices, even the

most personal decisions cannot go unjudged. But is it really evil when you are the only one that

could be harmed by your actions? Should some decisions be left up to the individual without

others having the prerogative to tell them how to live their life? I think so. Evil only harms

others, and when so-called harm or evil, whether you call evil smoking pot or other “self-

destructive” behaviors, is inflicted upon oneself, it should not be called by the name evil nor

should it be judged or outlawed, as long as it does not bring harm to anyone else. It is through

provincial perspectives, purposeful ignorance, and the common arrogance of man that evil exists

in this world. God does not allow evil to exist, man does.
Taylor Svete

Brit Lit/ Mrs. Smith

Genesis questions: 1-9

8/23/09

1) I feel that although the world of Adam and Eve was beyond paradise, I would be missing

out on too much of the fun that I experience today. In their world I could have been

content but not exceptionally happy or excited. It is up to the individual to decide what

would be better, living content without disappointment, or living with disappointment but

also some great moment that cannot be found without a little sin; it reminds me of

someone choosing to be bipolar over getting on meds to make them happy and somewhat

numb. Maybe it would not be the best or healthiest choice, but sometimes you need to

live for those few, especially good times.

2) This narrative emphasizes God’s power and perfection to have made the world so

flawlessly balanced by nature. The water balances the earth, the predators balance out the

prey, and Heaven balances out Earth.

3) This narrative explains the Sabbath as the day God had no more work to do, as he was

finished creating our universe. It was the say we rested and so it was the day we were told

to rest and worship as well.

4) God created man to tend to the garden of Eden, but when he saw that Adam was lonely,

he had Adam make another being, a woman this time, from one of his ribs.

5)
6) The story of Adam and Eve accounts for our sinful nature and our shamefulness of what

is natural, like sex and nakedness. It wasn’t until Eve and Adam were exposed to the

sinful fruit, that they were not ashamed to be naked in front of each other or the Lord.

7) The tree of knowledge symbolizes the evil that is gained with the loss of ignorance.

Adam and Eve’s ignorance was holy, pure, and completely harmless. Then, when they

ate the fruit, they gained the knowledge of evil in their world and learned to live with it,

against God’s wishes. This brought sin into the hearts of human beings for the rest of life

on earth.

8) The very first paragraph holds the most vivid image to me, when God creates light and

darkness, day and night. I imagine something like the big bang coming from God’s hand

spreading throughout the universe bringing light, only to dim when night comes. Another

image that is vivid to me is when Adam makes his wife from one of his own ribs: “And

he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the

Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman.”

9) The writer of Genesis pictures paradise as the place where there is no work, only pure life

of the highest quality. My paradise would be something quite similar, but not total

ignorance as in this paradise. There would be no rules, therefore no sin, but people would

not want to harm others, only create fun for themselves.