Underdog and Overcoming Evil with Good

Recently, I was watching the old TV show Underdog with my two sons, and we came across an interesting episode where Underdog faces off with the Witch of Pickyoon. Like most episodes, Polly Purebred is captured and Underdog has to save the day, but this one was a little bit different. The Witch of Pickyoon, a wicked witch obsessed with being the most powerful person in the world, attempted to leverage Polly by putting her under a spell that would make her sleep for a thousand years. Underdog, always motivated to save Polly, faced a difficult decision as the Witch wanted him to steal diamonds to make her rich and to lead her army so she could enslave the population. If Underdog wouldn’t bend to her demands Polly would remain under the spell.

This dilemma was difficult for Underdog. Would he commit evil so that good might come of it, or would he hold fast to his principles and risk Miss Purebred's life? The creators of the show highlighted the difficulty of this dilemma for the protagonist by showing the townspeople saying, “If Underdog steals diamonds, he would be just as wicked as the witch!” The episode resolves with Underdog refusing to do evil and not compromising his principles, even if it cost him his beloved Polly. He gives her a kiss goodbye, and just like in every fairytale, true love's kiss breaks the spell and sets everything right.

This cartoon show from the 60s highlights an important truth in God’s word that we all need to heed and apply to our lives. Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” The Christian ethic is not that “two wrongs make a right,” but that evil can only be overcome by good. We must avoid lesser evils to try to accomplish what is right, and we must do what is right—no matter the cost—and trust that God will take care of the results. Our part is obedience; God’s part is the result.

This truth was affirmed when “The Hellhound of Abolition,” our sixth president John Quincy Adams, said, “Duty is ours; results are God’s.” When we have been wronged, it is often easy to meet fire with fire, so to speak, or sin with sin. But God gives us a different standard. When someone offends you, it may be easy to retaliate by telling a lie, cheating, stealing, or gossiping, but God requires us to fight evil with righteousness. When we have been wronged, it is not an excuse to do wrong in return; rather, it is mandated that we do what is right. In these dilemmas, we must tell the truth, be diligent, and stand firm without compromise.

When real evil makes an appearance in our lives, it is often tempting to find a lesser evil to combat the greater evil. But we must remember the observation of the townspeople when Underdog was faced with the great dilemma: “If Underdog steals the diamonds, he would be just as wicked as the witch!” This is true in our lives as well. When we choose lesser evils in response to greater evils, the only thing we accomplish is bringing more evil into the world. Bringing more evil into the world doesn’t defeat evil; it simply gives us more evil.

So what shall we do? We must be like Underdog and remain uncompromising in the face of evil, no matter the cost. We also must apply Romans 12:21 to our lives: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” When evil confronts us, we must seek to do good. No matter the area of life, no matter how big or small the moral dilemma, no matter the cost of doing right, we must remember that establishing righteousness is the only way to overcome evil. When we meet evil with evil, we are being overcome by evil. So today, be like Underdog and do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good!