When discussing evils origins it is important to realise that evil can be divided into two groups. Moral evils, which are the based on the actions of one person and natural evil, this is things like earthquakes, volcanoes and hurricane. Natural evils are harder to explain as God created an “all perfect world”.
Evil is portrayed to Christians in the form of Satan. Satan is described as the opposite of God bring evil, dark, deceitful and impure. In the Bible Satan is described as a serpent, a goat and a devil. In the fourth century St. Augustine suggested a different view on evil. He believed evil was simply the absence of good. All things were at first created all perfect and good like God, but freewill let them turn away and ignore God and become evil. Augustine also believed that what is evil in the short term may be good in the long term.
In the modern world, evil is seen as more of a psychological phenomenon. Psychological forces such as our parenting, our schooling, our diet, our music and our taste in TV and film are what shape our character and in some cases may create evil. A good example of psychological evil is Thomas Hamilton and the Dunblane massacre. After the incident the press started looking into the forces that had formed a negative shadow on his character.
Evil was first seen in the creation story from Genesis when God gave Adam and Eve the Garden of Eden. This was a place of pure perfection with only one restriction do not eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. Eve was tempted by Satan, in the form of a serpent, to offer Adam the fruit. When they ate the fruit they both became aware of their nakedness. This was the original sin. God was disappointed and threw Adam and Eve out of the garden, this was called the fall. He punished them by condemning them to labour; Adam on the field and Eve with the punishment of childbirth. In Christian belief everyone was born with the original sin. The only exception is Mary mother of Christ; this is known as the Immaculate Conception.
To summarise the idea of Christianity is that good will always overcome evil. However in a world where evil exists how can God be all perfect and all knowing?
