"Man without God is a beast. Never more beastly than than when he is intelligent about his own beastliness." - Whittaker Chambers
In the days after the Las Vegas shooting, the sophisticated class has cited guns, mental health as the root causes. One article in particular, dismissed those who cited evil as the root cause as sort of simple-minded. Whatever mental health issues men encounter, they are because, knowingly, unknowingly, consciously, unconsciously their own Eden - God rejection.
The more I read about the shooter and his exploits with prostitutes, gambling, indulgence - evil is the only plausible explanation. To the point where indulgence of his appetites created a evil bondage. We do ourselves a great disservice when we dismiss evil as real.
Eden should be read not only as truth, allegory but also as psychology. Eden plays out in the minds of men daily - individually, collectively. Evil is an ever persuasive, sophisticated, shape shifting an energy within the minds of all. Working constantly to move a man further and further away form God until he is capable of wretched acts. God rejection is not achieved in one day, or an hour, but over a lifetime.
As Chambers also said "I want him to understand that evil is not something that can be condescended to, waved aside, or smiled away, for it is not merely an uninvited guest, but lies coiled in foro interno (meaning inside the soul) at home with good within ourselves. Evil can only be fought."
--------------------------------------
Not my words. The words of a wise man I know.