Problem of Evil by Michael

¶ … problem of evil" by Michael L. Peterson, it is apparent the problem of evil is no one can to talk about it or even the good in the world. "There is something about the Susan Smith case that evokes our harshest moral judgments and gets us asking all of those hard questions. Rosenbaum cannily observes that "the great tabloid stories are the ones that raise theological questions." Yet he quickly acknowledges that we cannot talk about evil -- or about good, for that matter -- without some definitions.

Those definitions lead us to larger theories about the origin and existence of evil in our midst, and those theories lead us to even larger conceptions of the meaning of life and the nature of whatever Supreme Being might exist. 3 (Peterson, 1998, p. 2). Therefore, America is the melting pot of the whole world, the New World, seen by the rest of the world as the land of opportunity, the land of the free, the green pastures, and the crossroads where virtually all nationalities and races meet.

This problem would not have aroused studies and researches a few centuries ago. This study would not have been conducted in other countries because almost all the world's countries and their people possess unifying attributes that make them distinct and unmistakable for any other nationality, race, culture and language. Only America possesses the probability of encountering this problem because of countless causes - immigration, preservation of heritage of immigrants, racial and ethnic differences, and cultural differences to name a few.

It is unfortunate that people are often mistreated for their beliefs. This has been apparent within the last century due to the fact that many as six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. From there, religious conflicts have continued in Ireland, the Middle East and in many other parts of the world. With that, it can be assumed that the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 are likely the result of religious conflicts.

Therefore, most people hope to develop tolerance and respect for all others by understanding one another. However, with the following evil proves that tolerance is not likely going to happen because no one can discuss what evil cause to even fix it. Thoughtful people raise penetrating questions about evil and seek to understand what it reveals about the human condition. In a feature article in the New York Times Magazine, Ron Rosenbaum seeks to probe the meaning of evil.

The cover of the magazine reads "Evil's Back," and Rosenbaum article inside carries the title "Staring into the Heart of Darkness." Rosenbaum's piece sets the stage by recounting how Susan Smith of Buffalo, South Carolina, murdered her two young sons. He rehearses the facts that a whole nation now knows all too well: Susan Smith drowned her two little boys by strapping them into the child safety seats in her Mazda and sending the car rolling down an embankment into John D. Long Lake.

She then manufactured an "ordeal" to deflect attention from her crime. Playing on racial prejudice, she claimed that an African-American car jacker had kidnapped her two children, and she pled desperately on television for a search for the car jacker and the children. Yet, within nine days, she confessed to killing three-year-old Michael and fourteen-month-old Alex. (Peterson, 1998, p. 2). Being an American individual does not necessarily mean that you are of white, black, red, brown, or yellow complexion, which signify race.

The term "American" has no racial insinuations for virtually all Americans trace their roots from distinct nationalities, races and ethnic groups and this complication alone can cause innumerable perplexed things. But because of the fact that America had evolved into its present status, all sorts of studies need to be carried out for the purpose of solving the problem. The analysis of the behaviors of Americans is only one of the countless implications brought about by the evolution of America itself.

From there, it is apparent that evil cannot disappear until we examine our own personal evils and discuss them to gain further insight so that it will vanish from society. Once we recognize the existence of something that can reasonably be called personal evil, we must then also recognize that it has collective as well as individual dimensions. Organized crime syndicates, militant emerging nations, oppressive social structures, and profit-crazed multinational corporations are, in a real sense, the social extensions of personal evil.

On both individual and corporate levels, one of the saddest features of human evil is its strange admixture with good or apparent good. Marriages are wrecked for lack of mutual understanding, educational communities are undermined by disagreement about how to pursue common ideals, political parties are thrown into disarray by excessive ambition, and nations are ripped apart by struggles for power. (Peterson, 1998, p. 4). Organized crime is becoming indistinguishable from capitalist business while capitalist organizations are behaving more like organized crime groups.

In the midst of the biggest financial rip-off in history of this country, it is clear that within capitalist organizations there are billions of dollars are being misplaced by Savings & Loan criminals who steal and have gotten away with it. This is complete insanity due to the fact how this country defines crimes in society. If a person steals $5, they are considered as a thief, however if they steal $5 million, they are labeled as a financier.

Organized Crime has always had a negative label because of the constantly changing environment in America as well as the social state of its homeland. Due to how society defines organized crime, people are convinced that the Mafia consists of criminals, pimps, and murderers. "During the 9th century, the Mafia's main purpose was to strengthen themselves against enemies, which invaded their homeland in Sicily. It was supposed to create a strong feeling of togetherness between all Sicilians.

This idea of family was carried through in the structure of the organization, which had a strong hierarchical layout" (Mafia History). People believed that the Mafia had the best system of power, than any other group or government known today. Within capitalist business and organized crime, it is apparent that a leader cannot lead without follow, which.