Centurio Epistula - Reality of Evil

Recommend the article Evil and the Anarchy-Repression Continuum by Jay Bryant. Mr Bryant writes:

The leading modern authority on evil, author and Time Magazine writer Lance Morrow, notes that "many people do not believe evil exists," and echoes Conquest in saying, "The children of the Enlightenment sometimes have an inadequate understanding of the possibilities of the Endarkenment." He believes it is "fatuous" to deny the existence of evil, cautioning also against tossing the word around irresponsibly.

Along with this "enlightenment" on evil, is of course the notion that there is no devil. It's proponents are not limited to those outside the Church. I've been with clergy holding masters in theology who tell their congregations that there is no evil, no devil, no hell.

As Christians we should never doubt the existence of evil. In the Lord's prayer, we ask God to "deliver us from evil" or as the NRSV says, "rescue us from the evil one." This prayer should be part of every Christian's daily prayer life and is part of the Order's recommended Devotion. Early Christian Centurions would have prayed the Lord's Prayer three times daily [Didache 8]. It is part of the Daily Office and the Holy Eucharist.

Finally, as Lance Morrow points out, we must take care in using word to label people or things as evil. Remember always the IX Commandment.