False, and this contradicts the teachings of Christ. This is not the Kingdom of Heaven. Evil will always exist in this world. Therefore we must choose between the lesser of evils.
We do not live in Heaven. We do not live in Hell. Things will never be perfect, nor will they be utterly horrible. This is what God has willed and there is nothing we can do to change this fundamental reality.
No, it is not false.
This is quite a neophyte take on the spiritual state of the world. Refusing to participate and refusing to choose in the lesser of two evils most certainly follows the teachings of Christ, whereas participation and active volition in them is the one that does not follow His teachings.
To choose any form of evil, even a lesser one, is to participate in its perpetuation. This violates the moral principle articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "One may never do evil so that good may result from it" (CCC 1756).
Earth is a place of pilgrimage and testing, where Christians are called to grow in virtue and prepare for eternal life in Heaven. Compromising with evil undermines this purpose.
Matthew 5:48: "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Jesus does not lower the standard for Christians just because Earth is imperfect. Your argument presumes that because perfection is unattainable on Earth, lesser evils must be tolerated. This is a pragmatic view, not a Christian one.
St. Paul explicitly condemns this reasoning:
"And why not do evil that good may come? As some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just" (Romans 3:8). Choosing any evil, even under pragmatic circumstances, betrays fidelity to the Gospel's call to absolute righteousness. Practical decisions sometimes involve mitigating harm, they must not lead to active endorsement of evil. Compromise in morality erodes the foundation of Christian civilization.
The Church’s role is not only to engage with society but also to hold all leaders accountable, regardless of lesser or greater evil. Incrementalism cannot replace prophetic witness.
What do the saints say?
St. John Chrysostom: "A small evil tolerated opens the door to greater ones. He who seeks Heaven must walk steadfastly in the way of Christ, not the crooked paths of expediency."
St. Augustine described Earth as a "battlefield of the two cities" the City of God and the City of Man. While Christians live amid this struggle, they are called to align with the City of God, rejecting even partial allegiance to the City of Man.
St. Basil the Great: "Compromise with sin, no matter how small, is the first step toward the soul’s destruction." St. Basil also said "He who deliberately chooses evil for the sake of some temporal good denies the eternal good."
St. Thomas Aquinas argued that unjust laws or leaders are not binding in conscience: "Human law has the nature of law insofar as it is in accord with right reason, and therefore derives from the eternal law. But when a law is contrary to reason, it is called an unjust law, and has the character not of law but of violence" (
Summa Theologica, I-II, q. 93, a. 3). By extension we as Christians should not endorse unjust leaders and their unjust servants even as a lesser evil.
The true betrayal of Christ lies in choosing expediency over fidelity, even in a fallen world. By refusing to choose evil, no matter the circumstances, we align ourselves with the eternal Kingdom of God and fulfill our calling as followers of Christ.
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