Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-08-15
ORIGIN or EVIL

The old question OF the origin OF evil
ia again raised by contributor to Bib
lotheca sacra, d.. Jacob Cooper He
maintains the view that the power OF
doing cyil must belong to every moral
agent for otherwise there could be no
morality no virtue Eyil comes from
this possibility he says, by the abuse
Of that liberty which every moral agent
necessarily is endowed with
on this question a great variety Of
! opinions have been advanced Some
have found satisfaction In the state
mont that God aid not originate any
thing evil, but He concluded not 20 pre-
vent it, for the reason that He fore
saw that the world would be better
with 1t. This seems to be the reason-
ing OF Lelbnltz But it suggests the
obvious question: II God saw thar
the world would be better with. than
without sin, why Gid lie not originate
that means Of Improvement. for the
betterment Of the world2 Others have
seen the point Of this reasoning, and
maintained that God is the originator
Of both good and evil, heaven and hell
salvation and perdtlon, all for His own
glory.
The scriptures are not explicit on the
question Of the origin Of moral evil.
Its existence they point out, and pre-.
scribe the remedy The Apostle PAU
speaks of the duality of the human ma.
ture and the tendency Of The lower to
prevail upon the higher and the con.
sequent prevalence Of sin, or wrong
doing But this il rather a statement
OF fact than an explanation Of is
origin or source.
Dr.. Cooper attempts such an explana-
ton when he says that "a creation re-
qulres that the thing formed must be
defective and II so, liable to go
ostray' His argument is
III guarded alb extra TO such decree as
10 render a lapse impossible, the ac-
ton so necesstGted would have no re-
terence TO the actor would not make
MIN gOod, however excellent his action |
might be In Itself nor permit him to |
develop character for himself OF any
KIND. For there would be no possibility |
or pudding up this unless there We're |
snch choice between motives that by |
acceptance or rejection the action |
could belong to the agent For there 4
must be an alternative to any line of /
conduct In order to give It a moral |
quality We have TO deal with. not an
but real world, not with !
state OF things wholly different from
those by which character Is developed.
III There are TO be such qualities as
righteousness, virtue merit, as the re-
SUIT OF good action there must be
condition by which these things are
possible. And this can only be where
there Is an alternative which may be
embraced by free choice. II the work
81 man on earth Is 70 build US character
If his experience Is disciplinary by
which he constantly becomes better
lifted for greater good and a wider
sphere OF action, then he must have the
responsibility OF choosing Tor himself
a course different from one which an.
'ealed to the lower qualities In his ma
ure."
That is,evil originates In the defects Of
human nature, necessarily belonging to
anything that Is created And the pos ,
iibility of going astray is necessary to {
he development Of character in the d. I
ecilon Of virtue, y
This obviously IL all the answer the q
question of the origin Of evil is cana. a
Ne OF receiving IN the present state of :
ur knowledge concerning those things \
'ut in the Doctrine and Covenants the e
ruth relating to this topic is much more q
ersely stated And Il must needs be n
hat the devil should tempt the child ~
en- Of men, or they could not be agents
INTO themselves for II they never
Aould have bitter, they could not know p
he sweet Sec. xxx, 80 Neither the. ~
Iogy nor philosophy can at present 90 m
aeper into this subject than dld the n
'ophet In that brief sentence Good Of
W. sin virtue are relative ideas. They M
.nnot exist without their opposltes. A h,
e In virtue is one that IL in conform n,
with the VIII OF the Creator. Sin ~
mes when the individual abuses his in
'erty Of action and goes contrary TO iii
al VIII. The Book OF Mormon shows SO
81 there must needs be an opposition n
All things Good ana evil always ut
lsted as eternal opposites and are IN
creations in the common accepta- ". W
N OF that term. 3,