Are we still within the scope of the op?
I'm not sure...maybe Juan or Q will decide to split this thread. But for now I'll add one thought to the Judas discussion going on.
For a long time I kind of opted out on the idea that evil is real. I have always associated evil with the actions of humans, and don't consider things like natural disasters evil because evil requires choice and intent. So, I always figured that the evil that we do is explained by our brokeness, mental and physical illnesses, experiences that warp us, etc. Further, I fell into the idea that evil is only the lack of good, or the the lack of love. Thus, I considered evil as passive, a hole waiting to be filled by positive/good responses. This is not wholly wrong, but it is also not wholly correct, either.
Some evil arises out of the misapplication of our self-centered survival/competetive instincts, those things that compel us to try to control, gain power, and establish our own security at the expense of other individuals or groups. There are somethings we views as threats without even realizing the basis for our fears, things like homosexuality and the possibility of non-patriarchal societies. We still have our evolutionarily embedded instincts but fail to realize that they no longer apply to our present situation. Spong (yes, Spong again) calls this our 'incompleteness.' We are still a work in progress and much of our evil, not excusably, arises because we don't realize this. Mob mentality that allows such things to happen as lynchings (in the name of righteousness!) and anti-social behaviors both rational (stealing because one is hungry) and nonsensical (kleptomania by the rich heiress) are all evils rooted in our radical self-centeredness.
Other evils are not easily explained by this, namely those evils that arise from inside us and cause self-destructive behaviors: addictions and their lesser cousins, temptations. There is a good reason, biblically speaking, to understand these kinds of evils as associated with demons (and no, I am not trying to make a case for demons as entities here--I'll leave that up to you how you think about these things!). These evils point not so much to incompletion as they do to brokenness, IMO. No amount of pouring of love into the pain caused by addiction can ever cure that addiction, although our love, support, and understanding (not enabling!) are the necessary responses to people possessed by, broken by, self-destrcutive behaviors.
The answer to both of these situations: filling/completeing and healing. I don't know what you call the manifestation of these salves, but I call it God.
No, just 'getting religion' will not wipe out the kinds of evil discussed above. It would be great if it were that easy. But I think the examples of Peter and Judas tell us something interesting and important about evil. No matter who we are, no matter how close to God we are, no matter even that we 'saved,' we all still have the seeds of evil within us. Sometimes it is the combination of evil with a kind of religious self-righteousness that can do the most harm (thinking again of those lynch mobs and the KKK, but also about myself when I ever get on some kind of holy high horse and my words end up hurting others). Evil must not just be driven out...it must be transformed. If the house is swept clean and left empty, there's room for seven more demons when they re-arrive.
There was very little difference between Peter and Judas. Both at some point in the Gospel thought they knew better and wanted to do things their way. They lacked trust in God, trust in Jesus. The difference in my view? Peter brought his seeds of evil into the presence of Jesus:
21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
23Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." (Matt 16, NIV)
Judas? He thought he knew better. Who knows how long he plotted to himself to expose, then betray Jesus? But unlike Peter, instead of bringing it out into the open, he kept the seeds of evil to himself, nurtured them, and they grew until they consumed him.
Jesus did not have to die on the cross, although He 'knew' that He would. At any time Judas could have 'confessed' to Jesus and things could have gone differently. But, as it is for us today, when we keep our evil intentions secret and secretly nurture them, we also tip toward the manifestation of evil. If we don't recognize the potential for evil in ourselves...at all times...we are more likely to fall prey to it.
There's a good reason the Catholic Church has taught confession for all of these centuries.
