Comparing Hefling's The Good And Punishment Of Evil

Evil is relative. As humans, we are not strictly good or evil. A response should not define a person, especially when society has the final say on whether a person is “good” or “bad”. People resort to evil to describe something they cannot rationalize. There is no reason for it, so many people turn to God, saying that evil was a form of punishment for sin. This brings up the questions; “What constitutes evil or the punishment of sin?” In addition to, “What is evil exactly?”. Evil is a phenomenon experienced as a result of society’s teachings; what behavior is okay or, in a religious sense, approved by God; people experience evil when they fail to meet the conventional definition of evil. People look for justification as to why evil exists in the world and often struggle to comprehend why innocent people suffer. People desire things to be explainable and the ability to see cause and effect. Nevertheless, the force of evil works independently of the human response. Dostoevsky says “If all must suffer for eternal harmony, what have the children got to do with it?”. Maleficent forces do not necessarily designate who it affects and this turns people to God, and begs the question; “What did the babies do to deserve to suffer?”. Hefling brings up the idea that blame transfers via generation which is why some of the innocent experience

Blaming God, blaming another person, blaming yourself. Hefling discusses why humans always mess things up which additionally takes some of the blame. Humans allow evil to occur in their lives by accepting that evil will always get the best of them in the end. Hefling also examines human habit, that can take the blame for their shortcomings. He argues that habits become second nature which leads to the questioning of one’s responsibility for their actions. Once an individual has accepted evil, it’s who they are and they struggle to remove the blame and face the social label as