Evil, goodness are choices

In response to letter writer Michael Imhof’s contention that “evil spirits” are stirring toward socialism and Islamic revolt:

Evil, goodness are both choices

Regrading Socialism, in the New Testament, if you read the Bible, Jesus charges us to perform “socialist” acts, numerous times. These include feeding and clothing the poor and welcoming the stranger. Today we are shuttling more money to the phenomenally rich again and again, as children go hungry.

Scripture warns us that it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than a rich person to get into heaven. Scripture warns us that the poor will be with us always, is mostly a warning, because we do the bare minimum and not enough to lift the poor to a place they can overcome the circumstances that have been dealt them, mostly from biased policies.

It is not “evil spirits” that is the problem, but it is the choice. God gave humans free choice. The choice of greed, no matter the suffering inflicted on others, does not affect the soulless greedy rich that we are witnessing today. Even Jesus warned about this extreme greed in Scripture again and again.

Every human can choose to be evil, and we have witnessed the extremes of this daily, more than ever before. It is a choice. So is goodness.

James Galvin

Naperville