Published by USA Today
published September 18, 2008

Dealing with Evil: Candidates Disagree

Where does evil dwell: in the devil or in mankind?

by Cathy Lynn Grossman

Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. credit: Mark Avery, Reuters

God either causes or allows "major tragedies to occur as a warning to sinners," say 20% of U.S. adults.

While 43% say most evil is caused by the devil, 47% disagree–a statistical tie.

But most (68%) would not say human nature is basically evil.

So where does evil dwell–in the devil or in mankind? The Baylor survey allows for overlapping views; it finds 36% strongly agree with both statements.

Presence of evil

Percentage of U.S. adults who agree that:
% Disagree % Agree % Undecided
Most evil in the world is caused by the devil 47 43 10
Most evil in the world is caused by mankind 7 89 4
Human nature is basically evil 68 25 7

Source: The Baylor Religion Survey, the Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University. Based on a survey of 1,700 U.S. adults conducted in fall 2007 with a margine of error of ±4 percentage points. Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.

"Those who believe God causes or allows bad things to happen did not speak in terms of tragedies being God's fault," says Baylor sociologist Christopher Bader.

Bader says people told him that "tragedies are our fault. We have sinned as a nation and God has stood aside and allowed terrible things to happen."

At his Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency, the Rev. Rick Warren asked the presidential candidates: "Does evil exist?" Both candidates said yes.

Sen. Barack Obama said it is "God's task" to "erase evil from the world" but "we can be soldiers in that process."

Sen. John McCain said, "Evil must be defeated," and linked it entirely to "the transcendent challenge of the 21st century–radical Islamic extremism."

God sometimes allows major tragedies to occur as a warning to sinners.
Group% Disagree% Agree% Undecided
Total 46 40 14
Evangelical Protestant 33 55 12
Black Protestant 32 59 9
Mainline 53 33 14
Catholic 48 36 16
Jewish 64 20 16
Other 55 34 11
None 71 6 23
God sometimes causes major tragedies to occur as a warning to sinners.
Group% Disagree% Agree% Undecided
Total 68 17 15
Evangelical Protestant 62 25 13
Black Protestant 61 30 9
Mainline 72 12 16
Catholic 70 13 17
Jewish 76 4 20
Other 72 12 16
None 72 6 22

Source: The Baylor Religion Survey, the Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University. Based on a survey of 1,700 U.S. adults conducted in fall 2007 with a margin of error ±4 percentage points.

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