Surviving Evil in a Depraved Society

By Dr. Cornelius H. Evans

In the early morning hours of December 31, 2010, Dr. Cornelius H. Evans and his wife received a terrible phone call: their son, Bryant, had been shot and killed. The agonizing days that followed brought Evans face-to-face with the realization that evil had touched his familys life, sending him on a quest to try to understand the role evil plays in our world.

Deeply emotional and heartfelt, Surviving Evil in a Depraved Society offers insight into how Evans dealt with the loss of his son by analyzing the root of violence in Americaevil. He examines various theories on evil and its origin, its effects on mankind, and how, according to the Christian belief, evil will remain a part of our society until Christ returns.

Evans also challenges ideologies, philosophical beliefs, and theologies on whether one can avoid evil elements. He demonstrates that we can be on our guard against inviting evil into our lives by spiritually guarding ourselves and raising our children with a strong moral foundation.

An eye-opening look at the face of evil, Surviving Evil in a Depraved Society offers hope for living in todays world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Aug 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781475998856

Dr. Cornelius H. Evans

Dr. Cornelius H. Evans holds a PhD in the philosophy of religion from Trinity Theological Seminary. He oversees Jacqueline Spencer Memorial Counseling Center, Inc., where he is a psychoanalytical consultant. Evans and his wife, Lillian G. Evans, have three daughters, a son, and nine grandchildren. They live in New Jersey.

Book preview

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Evil Existing Alongside Good

Chapter 2

The Prevailing Power Of Evil

Chapter 3

The Coexistence Of Good And Evil5

Chapter 4

The Inevitability Of An Evil Mind

Chapter 5

The Final Stand Of Evil

Chapter 6

The Beginning And The End

Conclusion

References

About The Author

To Bryant Evans on Father’s Day,

June 17, 2012

CHAPTER 1

EVIL EXISTING ALONGSIDE GOOD

As we go on with our daily lives, not really thinking about what might happen to change our normal mode of living, the crime rate in cities around the nation continues to soar. There is no dispelling the various forces in our environment, seen and unseen, whether good or evil forces. However one might define the terms good and evil, there’s a consensus that they work in opposition to each other. Ultimately, one must triumph over the other. If good triumphs over evil, then the end result generally will be favorable for the greater good. In contrast, if evil triumphs over good, the end result is damnable for all concerned.

Is there a drive within us that seeks to survive the evil in our depraved society? A depraved society is evidenced when the eruption of violent actions, immorality, and the loss of values disregard the sanctity of life and other things that are in opposition to the greater good of the Creator’s plan. There is a compelling reason why we want to survive in this depraved society, as we will see in the following pages of this book. It’s apparent that the drives within us are constantly fighting for control. Eventually, through no fault of our own, the evil forces could take over unguarded territory. Survival, however, is necessary—and survival can be achieved in this corrupt society.

We are witnesses to the fact that we live in an environment where evil continues to proliferate to alarming levels. Is not this present society depraved? Merriam-Webster defines depravity as "marked by corruption or evil; especially: perverted. Each individual in this society must engage in a personal battle against evil in order to survive. Evil is indeed a powerful force that drives many of the ills that infect our society. The Bible mentions evil throughout its pages, warning readers to resist it. It does not pay to be impetuous. Test everything, regardless of how legitimate it might seem. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:21–22, Bible version?).

Many question when or how these evil happenings will reach a conclusion. How do we make sense of so much violence and criminal activity in our inner cities across America and even in the world at large? We see a rise in these violent happenings. Is evil necessary where civilized people exist? If so, what benefits does evil provide within the hearts and minds of humankind?

It appears that many people are intrigued with evil intent, even enjoying the results. Rick Bell wrote an article for his Interpulpit blog, titled Media and the Manifestation of Evil, in which he poses the question: Are you fascinated with evil? It appears that for a large percentage of individuals, the answer to this question is yes. Many seem to be fascinated with evil, particularly as the evidences of evil unfold with greater intensity today.

The ideal that evil is necessary for humans to exist actually makes sense in our society, as there is no way to get rid of it. Inner cities, for example, are overwhelmed by evil. Consequently, since evil happenings are present and ongoing, we must acquire the strategies needed to survive the evil of this world.

Evil happenings have occurred from times past to the present, but the evil persuasions of the past seem like child’s play when compared to the evils of today, such as a compilation of various murderous happenings in urban America. There are many reasons for these crimes, but there is one common thread—they’re all driven by the evil that men do.

One example is the murder of my only son, one who did not survive the hand of evil. Although the circumstances are difficult to relive, my objective for sharing his fate is to help other people who have suffered such losses, to help them to endure the pain with greater understanding.

The sighting of evil happenings in this country is not intended to discredit any city or law enforcement agencies, but to study the root causes of murderous and criminal incidences and examine what’s behind them.

For example, an article in the Newark (New Jersey) Star Ledger reported that an unidentified man was shot on a street corner and was pronounced dead at University Hospital a short time later.

Another article reported on the death of a twenty-six-year-old male after he was shot on a street corner in Newark’s North Ward.

Seven other people were shot in another incident, three of them fatally, in an explosion of violence in Newark. It was reported that the bloodshed was part of a wave of shootings and violent carjackings.

These violent acts not only occur on the streets of Newark but on urban streets all over America and worldwide.

On December 31, 2010, the Star Ledger reported that a man named Dahundaqu Toler was charged with murder and weapons offenses in the shooting death of forty-six-year-old Bryant Evans.

Bryant Evans was my only son. He was an ordinary young man who had a heart of gold. He cared for all around him and was always available when needed. This mild-mannered, unassuming spirit was indeed vulnerable in the harsh, inner-city environment. Somehow, he got caught in the unending battle between good and evil. Evil prevailed. His life was snuffed out by a murderer’s bullets—one bullet to the head and another to the torso.

It was 2:30 a.m. when I received news that he had been shot in a bar, a place that I believe to be the devil’s territory, a place where evil abounds. On the morning of December 31, 2010, my son passed from life into death. My wife answered the phone and held it in dismay, crying, Bryant was shot!

I became breathless. It had been only four and a half days—ninety-six hours; five thousand seven hundred sixty minutes—since our last phone conversation. Shock waves, like spontaneous electric charges, now traveled though my psyche and my body. I was stunned.

In this traumatic state, I superficially thought that Bryant had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, thus giving rise to evil happenings. Those thoughts faded quickly when a sense of helplessness and hopelessness began to overpower my brain circuits. At the same time, the biology of the emotional father/son connection kicked in, revealing the intrinsic, mysterious bond. It was as if I was a part of his dying, as if I was dying at that very moment. These are feelings that go far beyond what scientists can explain. The irony is that my son and I never shared a father/son closeness. Still, ordained by God, the father-and-son relationship should always be unshakable. Now, never again would I hear my son’s voice, never again would he hear my voice or the voices of those he loved. I did not have the chance to say good-bye. Evil was at the core; it was the centerpiece of his vicious murder.

I wondered about Bryant’s consciousness during his last moments. What thoughts dwelled inside of him? Did he think about me? Was dying painful? Did he cry out to God? Did he make peace with God? These were only a few of the thoughts that stirred in my mind on the terrible morning of his departure.

The days that followed were absolutely unbearable. First, I had to go to the city morgue to identify my son’s body. Because his death was a homicide, the case was under investigation, and that meant that I could not view him in the flesh; I could see only a photograph of his body. This disappointment added greater sorrow. It took over an hour before I saw the photograph of my son, taken by the crime laboratory police at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey’s emergency room.

All of Bryant’s personal belongings and clothes were held as evidence for investigative purposes. I moved from one thing to the next in a dreamlike state. I wondered whether all of this was a nightmare. I was told I had to contact a funeral home so that his remains could be picked up once the