World View of Religion: The Problem of Good and Evil

The Problem of Good and Evil
When one talks about religion, the issue of good and evil will inevitably, come up. As religious leaders and sacred texts encourage believers to live "good" lives, it has become necessary to determine what is "good" and what is "evil". The BBC Religious Studies (2015) classifies evil into two types: natural evil or the "suffering caused by world events that have nothing to do with humans, and which are to do with the world is" and human evil which is the "suffering caused by humans acting in a way that is considered as morally wrong". The way a religion sees evil all depends on the kind of relationship believers have with their God. The table below summarizes how the ten major religions define what is "good" and what is "evil".
Jainism

Developed 2,500 years ago in India, Jainism sees the path to kevala, through careful observance of non-violent behavior. They must live a life that does not harm another life form. They do not adhere to a God who is a creator, survivor and destroyer of the universe. Their version of heaven is similar to that of the Buddhist Nirvana wherein the believer is liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth and is reunited with all that is. Evil, then, is seen as the cause of all suffering, and that it is the normal state of things in the world. Jains have to experience this evil and through their self-efforts, self-initiative and a continuous striving to overcome evil (or in general, "goodness"), can they overcome it. To overcome evil to reach salvation or kevala.
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Fisher, M.P. (2014) Living Religions Pearson: Upper Saddle River, NJ Fisher, M.P. (2014)

Hinduism

Hinduism teaches that there is an eternal spirit, atman, which undergoes the process of reincarnation. The atman comes into a physical form when a human being is born and is released back into the "cosmos" when a person dies. This cycle of reincarnation is called samsara or illusion. The goal of the human being is to break the cycle and reach moksha where the Hindu is reunited with his God, Brahman.
An important aspect of Hinduism is the concept of karma wherein an individual’s action will always have its consequences, though these consequences may not always come in the same life. Through the law of karma, Hindus see that pain and suffering or happiness and bliss are not imposed by God, but are rather, the results of one’s actions in his/her past life. Evil, then, is a capacity, in as much as goodness is a capacity of the human being. In this sense then, it human beings have the power to alter their destiny by choosing to act morally (according to the scriptures, the Vedas, Upanishads, etc.) or not. Karma and reincarnation, then, are vehicles for justice, one experiences good or bad karma either in this life or the next.
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Buddhism

Buddhism is different from Jainism and Hinduism in that it looks at "good" and "evil" as innate to life – they are two sides of the same coin, and are then inseparable. For Buddhists, all human beings have the capacity to be good or evil, but the "religion" itself does not prefer one over the other. The religion does not impose a definition for what is "good" and what is "evil", and instead looks at the individual context of each human being. What is good for one person, may not be good for the other. Hence, "goodness" and "badness" is gauged on how it actually impacts the life of the individual and those around him.
This is no surprise as Buddhists see this world as impermanent. Like Hinduism and Jainism, the goal of the human being is to break the cycle of reincarnation and reunite with their God, this time, in Nirvana. Hence, the ultimate evil for Buddhists is when a person gets attached to the pleasures and experiences of this impermanent world and they are unable to break the cycle because they can no longer transcend their earthly experiences. But even then, Buddhists will say that the action of all individuals serve a higher purpose and that the inability of a person to break the cycle may actually be "good".

Confucianism

Confucianism is not often referred to as a religion, but is rather a set of codes that one must adhere to in order to live a "good" life. In this sense, it is clear that goodness is all about observing the laws and "evil" is disobeying them. When one disobeys the rules, suffering and pain becomes inevitable. Unlike other religions, however, suffering and pain as a result of evil are not necessarily negative – they are in fact, necessary in order for believers to learn and grow. The importance of following the rules is that it enables individuals to learn empathy and how breaking the rules can in fact cause pain and suffering of the innocent.
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Daosim

In many aspects, Daosim is so much like Buddhism in that it gives importance to living in the moment and realizing that all experiences in the world are nothing more than illusion. For Daoism, the universe just is – it is neither good or evil. Our role...