The Good/Evil Reversal

In a recent BYU devotional Elder Cook spoke about how Satan seeks to convince us that what is good is really evil and vice versa.  Isaiah prophesied of this in his famous verse: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20) One extreme example of this today is the language that radical terrorists use to suggest that killing others is a good thing, telling their adherents that they are doing the bidding of God by committing murder.  Another example is seen in those who call the killing of unborn children a right and anyone who opposes such an act as evil.  The Lord made clear His thoughts on this when He commanded us to not “kill, nor do anything like unto it” (&C 59:6).  And of course the world portrays acts of immorality as good and exciting while painting fidelity and chastity as old-fashioned and restrictive.  Several other examples of this kind of reversal exist in the scriptures and highlight the need for us to seek our understanding of good and evil from the Lord and not the world. 

               The most obvious good/evil reversal in the Book of Mormon is probably the teaching of Korihor who sought to portray a faithful religious life as evil.  He tried to preach that those who followed the commandments were not able to “enjoy their rights and privileges” because the priests “do yoke them according to their desires.”  For him happiness was supposed to be found in a hedonistic lifestyle since they could do anything and “when a man was dead, that was the end thereof” (Alma 30:18, 27-28).  But of course we see in the end that his life turned into a disaster—as much as he sought to find happiness in wickedness in the end it could not be achieved and he ended up “trodden down” in the street (Alma 30:59).  The Gospels are full of examples of this good/evil reversal as they show how Christ Himself was accused of evil because he did good.  When He healed the man born blind the Jews refused to accept that this incredible miracle was a good thing from God.  Instead cast out the man who was healed and called him evil (John 9:34).  Another time the Savior healed one who was possessed with a devil and the Jews responded that “this fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils” (Matt. 12:24).  What was clearly good—the healing of this man—was called evil by those who could not accept Jesus.  Later when He was being “tried” during His final day he finally responded to the ridiculous accusers who smote Him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?” (John 18:23)  In other words, Jesus  wanted them to see that they were indeed calling evil what was really good as Isaiah had prophesied. 

               Mormon warned us, “And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully” (Moroni 7:18).  If we aren’t careful the world will subtly convince us that good is evil and evil is good.  The Lord encouraged us, “Put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit” (D&C 11:12).  If we want to spiritually survive in our world today when the devil does “rage in the hearts of the children of men” and “stirs them up to anger against that which was good,” then we must trust in the Spirit to recognize good for good and evil for evil (2 Nephi 28:20).