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I'd be interested in just a very quick aside on hope as the opposite of evil, if you don't mind. I'm guessing that may be said, since good is authentic and original, thus not an opposite of anything; but that hope is the energy of good that may be found by those in evil circumstances, which brings good out of evil.

Brother A, I'd say your explanation pretty much covers the issue! You point out that hope is active -- that it is energetic -- and so is evil, for that matter. In a certain sense, hope can keep evil at bay. (So to speak.)

Demoralization -- hopelessness -- in the face of desperate problems is ever a victory for evil. In such circumstances, hopelessness itself hands evil the victory; for hopelessness issues from loss of faith and trust (the Latin word for "faith," fides, carries both meanings) in the goodness of God. This is one of evil's chief aims.

The other chief aim is perpetually, incessantly to slander, accuse, and revile man before God Himself: Satan, the Father of Lies, is forever giving God "an earful" on the subject of the malfeasance and banality of man, thereby ceaselessly "bad-mouthing" the goodness of God's creation.

But we humans usually do not "see" that part of the picture -- unless one happens to have the "eyes" (i.e., spiritual vision) of a C. S. Lewis, of course....

Great to see you, Brother A! Thank you so much for writing. You've been missed....

Thank you so much for the great post! I just got my copy of Lance Morrow's book and am having a verrrry hard time putting it down. Hugs!!!

You point out that hope is active -- that it is energetic -- and so is evil, for that matter. In a certain sense, hope can keep evil at bay. (So to speak.)
Demoralization -- hopelessness -- in the face of desperate problems is ever a victory for evil. In such circumstances, hopelessness itself hands evil the victory; for hopelessness issues from loss of faith and trust (the Latin word for "faith," fides, carries both meanings) in the goodness of God. This is one of evil's chief aims.

The other chief aim is perpetually, incessantly to slander, accuse, and revile man before God Himself: Satan, the Father of Lies, is forever giving God "an earful" on the subject of the malfeasance and banality of man, thereby ceaselessly "bad-mouthing" the goodness of God's creation.

Thank you very much, Dr. J. I don't like demoralization. I don't want it. Let's opt for energy.

As for the bad-mouthing of the goodness of God's creation, especially when it comes to those He has spent the most for, well, there's a lesson for us all there. For me, surely.