It's common for people to think that they are evil because evil thoughts at times seem to pop into their heads. They might also think they are good because good thoughts at times seem to pop into their heads. The Lord teaches in the Heavenly Doctrines that this is a fallacy – a mistaken idea.
Heaven and Hell 302 teaches this:
“If people believed the way things really are, that everything good comes from God and everything evil from hell, then they would not take credit for the good within them or blame for the evil. Whenever they thought or did anything good, they would focus on the Lord. And whenever they thought or did evil, they would throw it back into the hell it came from. But since we do not believe in any inflow from heaven or from hell, and therefore believe that everything we think and intend is in us and from us, we make the evil our own and defile the good with our feeling that we deserve it.”
How Evil Associate Spirits Do Their Job
To understand how evil spirits affect people, it needs to be mentioned that all people have at least two good spirits and two evil spirits associated with their own spirits. Good associate spirits try to influence people to do good and to be good. Evil associate spirits try to influence those same people to do evil and to become evil.
It's also important to note that evil spirits and good spirits provide the stimulus to become evil or good. But much more important than the stimulus is the response. People always have a choice, and they are free to choose evil or good. Their response to the spirits determines whether they become evil or good. Plato describes this with an image of a chariot with an evil horse and a good horse, each trying to lead the chariot in its own direction. It is the charioteer that decides which direction the chariot takes. The charioteer is a person dealing with life. Another image that illustrates the importance of people’s choices has two wolves in it. One is evil and the other is good, and they often fight each other. Which wolf wins is determined by which one is fed by the owner.
The evil thoughts that pop into people’s heads do not belong to them. They belong to the hells and their emissaries, the evil spirits. What those evil spirits want is to encourage people to make the evil thoughts their own by the process of appropriation (a term that means taking what belongs to another and making it one’s own).
The prerequisite needed for people to make an evil from hell their own is to know what is evil and good. Without this knowledge people are ignorant and are therefore unable to be evil, for without the exercise of freedom and reason, no appropriation is possible. And people cannot exercise freedom and reason until they are fully adult. Until then they are not able to be evil. They can do evil things, but are not truly evil.
To really be evil, people have to do four things:
1. Do what is evil.
2. Do it because it is evil.
3. Find pleasure in the evil.
4. Justify the evil.
People cannot appropriate an evil unless their evil associate spirits succeed in doing all of the following five tasks.
1. The first task for evil associate spirits is to put evil thoughts into people’s heads. These thoughts stir up the hereditary evils that all people are born with. Hereditary evils are affections for evils of all sorts. The term “affection” literally means “the process of change.” The evil associate spirits are hoping that the person will respond favorably to the evil thoughts and become evil.
Hereditary evils are then tendencies to evil. They are also potential evils. They will become actual evils only when people have appropriated those evils. Until then the evils do not belong to the people.
2. The second task is for the evil associate spirits to encourage people to entertain those bad thoughts by finding some pleasure in the thoughts. This is the beginning of appropriation. The desire to become evil is stronger.
3. The third task for the evil associate spirits is to encourage people to act out the evil in their bad thoughts. Doing evil strengthens the evil tendency to be evil.
The actualization of that evil is then close to being finished. But there are two more tasks for the evil associate spirits to do:
4. The fourth task is for the evil associate spirits to stir people’s pleasure in the evil action. This response leads people to do the evil again, and then again.
5. The fifth and final task for the evil associate spirits is to entice people to justify the evil. Justification is the process of claiming that what is evil is just, and even good. When people justify an evil, they have appropriated that evil. The evil then belongs to both the evil spirits and to the people. The evil is actualized. An element in justification is the confirmation of that evil. With confirmation (meaning the process of making something very firm) people will not be likely to change. For example, confirmed atheists are not likely to change their beliefs.
If people cooperate with their evil associate spirits, each step results in increasing their evil tendencies and eventually evil actions. With each step in the process of appropriation, it gets harder for the people to repent and then reform their lives. Still, repentance and reformation are always possible, even when a confirmed evil has been appropriated by people. The Lord is pure mercy and will remove that evil, but only with extreme effort on the part of the people.
How Good Associate Spirits Do Their Job
What has been written about the tasks of evil associate spirits applies also to the good associate spirits in their effort to have people appropriate goods from the Lord, and so become good. It is the same process. The good thoughts that pop into people’s heads do not belong to them. They belong to the Lord and His emissaries, the good spirits. What those good spirits want is to encourage people to make the good they are thinking their own by the process of appropriation.
The prerequisite needed for people to make a good from heaven their own is to know what is good and evil.
To really be good, people have to do four things:
1. Do what is good.
2. Do it because it is good.
3. Delight in the good.
4. Give the Lord the credit for the good.
People cannot appropriate a good unless their good associate spirits succeed in doing all of the following five tasks.
1. The first task for good associate spirits is to put good thoughts in people’s heads. These thoughts stir up the hereditary goods that all people are born with, and the heavenly remains that people receive whenever they feel loved. Hereditary goods and heavenly remains are affections for goods of all sorts. Again, since the term “affection” literally means “the process of change,” the good associate spirits are hoping that the person will respond favorably to the good thoughts and become good. Hereditary goods and heavenly remains are then tendencies to good. They are also potential goods. They will become actual goods only when people have appropriated those goods. Until then the goods do not belong to the people.
2. The second task is for the good associate spirits to encourage people to entertain those good thoughts by finding some delight in the thoughts. This is the beginning of appropriation. The desire to become good is stronger.
3. The third task for the good associate spirits is to encourage people to act out the good in their good thoughts. Doing good strengthens the tendency to be good. The actualization of that good is close to being finished.
4. The fourth task is for the good associate spirits to stir people’s delight in the good action. This response leads people to do the good again, and then again.
5. The fifth and final task for the good associate spirits is to encourage people to give the Lord credit for the good they did. Taking credit for the good instead of giving the Lord credit is not good. When people give the Lord credit for doing good, they have appropriated that good. The good then belongs to both the good spirits and the people.
Whenever people have appropriated good, the Lord places that good from heaven into their natural minds, replacing the opposite evil that the Lord has put to sleep, as when the dragon in the story of Jason and the Argonauts is put to sleep.
