The Devil Virus: How Evil Spreads and How to Stop It

Evil behaves like a virus. It spreads through acts of violence, abuse, and hatred, taking root in one person and replicating itself through another. Most who do evil have themselves been wounded—traumatized so deeply that the harm takes on a life of its own. Of course, many people respond differently to trauma. Instead of passing on the pain, they commit themselves to breaking the chain.

But when evil is passed on, it functions like a contagion. Like a biological virus, its sole purpose is replication. Abuse, hatred, violence—these are the carriers by which the virus spreads. When a person is overtaken by it, their mind and actions can be hijacked, just as viruses hijack healthy cells to reproduce themselves. The victim then becomes a new host, who in turn harms another, until the cycle is broken. This is what the Bible calls “the sins of the fathers” passing down through generations. Today, we call it intergenerational trauma.

Here’s the brilliance of Jesus’ teaching: “You have heard it said, ‘An eye for an eye,’ but I say, turn the other cheek.” Retaliation is how the virus spreads. “An eye for an eye,” as Gandhi said, “leaves the whole world blind.”

To turn the other cheek is not to be passive or submit to harm, but to refuse to vilify the personhood of the other. The moment you demonize them, the virus has entered you. Evil feeds on hatred, and an essential part of its diabolical plan is to get the victim to hate the perpetrator - and in that way, it is assured of endless replication and life. Refusing to return it is the only way to break the cycle.  (I know, easier said than done, but Jesus gave us the prescription and yet almost all of us refuse to take it).

What may look like weakness is actually the deepest strength. It is how immunity begins.