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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Presence of evil

793 replies

beachcitygirl · 17/01/2022 14:03

Aibu to ask if you've ever felt yourself in the presence of evil. Following on from
The intuitiion thread.

I once met a friend of my ex in a coffee shop. The man was nothing but civil & friendly. Soft spoken & was an ex police officer. My then husband was there also.
I went to the loo & spent ages as something about him made me feel afraid. I stress it was just a feeling. Zero untoward behaviour.
Many years later he was arrested & found guilty of violent rape.

Has anyone else ever sensed evil? (For want of a better word)

OP posts:
Egghead68 · 17/01/2022 16:44

My flat mate at the time once told me she thought a new boyfriend of mine “sucked all the warmth out of the air”. She was quite right. A few months later he showed himself to be a complete gaslighter and cheater.

PupInAPram · 17/01/2022 16:45

When I was a teenager I felt an utterly terrifying presence move through our house and upstairs. It was the middle of the night so everyone was in bed. This presence came into my room and stood by the bed. I have never been so scared, before or since and I'm now in my sixties. It moved on, stood briefly by my stepfather then round to the other side of the bed and stood over my mother. It stood by her for what felt like ages, and then left. Very shortly afterwards she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I'm not into woo. I'm also an atheist. I believe in what I can see or what science can prove. I have never experienced a presence of evil except for that one time. I guess it was a, coincidental, teenage night terror.

EmmaPaella · 17/01/2022 16:45

I think we are just programmed to be highly sensitive to the possibility of danger. I sensed something like this when I went to the top of the Twin Towers. I couldn't wait to get down. But it was an extremely high, famous building. I grew up with IRA bombings in the news and I suppose it felt like an obvious target for a bomb. Like any remote place or road might feel dangerous, or any very old place with a sense of history may feel creepy.

CoronaKidd · 17/01/2022 16:46

Oh and the leader of a local church who used to be Father Christmas for the playgroup every year really gave me the chills…He went to another country on holiday and was duly arrested upon entry at the airport for sexual crimes against children.

JarvisCockersRightEyebrow · 17/01/2022 16:47

@Gonnagetgoing

evil and dread - downstairs at a pub in the city but in toilets - found out afterwards it used to be cloisters for monastery.

also in toilets (ha same thing!) in a building in Canterbury - said to be where Knights Templar were plotting to kill I think Thomas a Beckett.

Ooh, which building in Canterbury please?
ThackeryBinks · 17/01/2022 16:48

There is an old tourist attraction close to us. My DP loves going because his Grandad took him a lot as a child. I had the worst feeling on going there. I started to feel like it was an evil place, I thought maybe it was haunted. I actually said to DP I was sorry I just didn't like it there and it gave me the creeps. Something really really awful happened there a few weeks after I told DP I didn't like it. It turns out the place was being stalked by an obscene predator. He is now in prison.

PeopleBakwas · 17/01/2022 16:51

There is no such thing as an evil presence.
There is no devil or saint.
We are the devil or the Saint or in between.

If you are in touch with your own instinct and not ruined it with alcohol, drugs and junk food, then it's easy to detect a good or bad person, good or bad intentions, as everyone has the same capabilities and it's our nurturing that allows our good conscience to stay away from the evil a human is capable of.

A human is never bad, a baby isn't born bad. It's the nurturing and the society that is evil.

Plus, all murderers are mentally ill, this reason should never be allowed to escape justice.
(Only self defence murders should be considered)

Lanique · 17/01/2022 16:52

@Thelnebriati 🤣 ooo a scary cushion! Now why didn't I think of that?!

Dearblossom · 17/01/2022 16:52

Yes. My ex used to run a late night bar in another part of the world where we were living at the time. I can think of 2 separate individuals who came in the bar and gave me that feeling of dread/evil/fear. One was a mercenary. The other went onto order the kidnap and murder of a dear friend. I always trust my instincts now even if what I am coming up with seems totally extreme. Life is stranger than fiction.

This morning I woke up with a sense of dread that my friend in hospital was in trouble unless I rocked a few boats. I felt that chest pounding, bone knawing feeling of impending 'death' I had felt abroad all those year ago. I did something about it. Boats duly rocked.

blyn · 17/01/2022 16:53

I have felt it in the past. Was seriously creeped out.

Gonnagetgoing · 17/01/2022 16:53

@JarvisCockersRightEyebrow - Conquest House. It had poured with rain all that day when I was in Canterbury and this was the icing on top of the cake - was there visiting a friend.

I do like Canterbury!

Gonnagetgoing · 17/01/2022 16:54

@PeopleBakwas

There is no such thing as an evil presence. There is no devil or saint. We are the devil or the Saint or in between.

If you are in touch with your own instinct and not ruined it with alcohol, drugs and junk food, then it's easy to detect a good or bad person, good or bad intentions, as everyone has the same capabilities and it's our nurturing that allows our good conscience to stay away from the evil a human is capable of.

A human is never bad, a baby isn't born bad. It's the nurturing and the society that is evil.

Plus, all murderers are mentally ill, this reason should never be allowed to escape justice.
(Only self defence murders should be considered)

What on earth are you on about??!!
berryconfused · 17/01/2022 16:55

F

User1isnotavailable · 17/01/2022 16:55

Not so much sensed evil but get 'a feel' for people and mostly correct.

lightnesspixie · 17/01/2022 16:57

Bookmark

Kanaloa · 17/01/2022 16:57

@PeopleBakwas

There is no such thing as an evil presence. There is no devil or saint. We are the devil or the Saint or in between.

If you are in touch with your own instinct and not ruined it with alcohol, drugs and junk food, then it's easy to detect a good or bad person, good or bad intentions, as everyone has the same capabilities and it's our nurturing that allows our good conscience to stay away from the evil a human is capable of.

A human is never bad, a baby isn't born bad. It's the nurturing and the society that is evil.

Plus, all murderers are mentally ill, this reason should never be allowed to escape justice.
(Only self defence murders should be considered)

How does a Burger King stop you detecting whether somebody is a good person or a bad person? What affect does junk food have on you to do this?
Saz12 · 17/01/2022 16:57

I wonder how often the “there’s just something about him/ her that I don’t trust /creeps me out” really just boils down to prejudice. A bit like a more subtle version of those awful people who claim “I’m not racist, but there’s just something about that Megan Markle I don’t like”.

EG men who aren’t good at making appropriate eye-contact... they often seem to make people feel threatened but it’s just a social skill that’s not in our cultural norm that makes them seem “off”.

Rnt95 · 17/01/2022 16:59

Yes. I had a shopping delivery once and the man who delivered it was perfectly polite but I just had this internal feeling of horror. Just that he was 'wrong'. He went to pass me some bags and I honestly wanted to recoil. Haven't had a delivery from the same store since in the fear he might come again. No idea why!

Gonnagetgoing · 17/01/2022 17:00

@PeopleBakwas

There is no such thing as an evil presence. There is no devil or saint. We are the devil or the Saint or in between.

If you are in touch with your own instinct and not ruined it with alcohol, drugs and junk food, then it's easy to detect a good or bad person, good or bad intentions, as everyone has the same capabilities and it's our nurturing that allows our good conscience to stay away from the evil a human is capable of.

A human is never bad, a baby isn't born bad. It's the nurturing and the society that is evil.

Plus, all murderers are mentally ill, this reason should never be allowed to escape justice.
(Only self defence murders should be considered)

@PeopleBakwas - I know an ex nun actually - therefore no alcohol, drugs and junk food.

She mentioned to me that once when she was at a church after she'd recently exited her convent that there was a man who always used to attend the church services and attend confession.

One day he didn't turn up. It came to light that he had actually murdered someone (hadn't confessed to that mind you) and was in prison.

She had no idea - he was there sometimes when she attended services, but the priest spoke to him a lot, this man also had helped with fundraising activities and no one thought he was bad or evil. Both these people were in touch with their own instincts so they said.

Also, no all murderers are not mentally ill. Say e.g. a man has beaten and abused his wife all her life, and the wife snaps and stabs him? After he's beaten her black and blue, raped her, threatened to kill her? So she would be mentally ill for murdering him (I believe it'd be manslaughter in this case).

Of course humans and babies aren't born bad and it's down to nurturing and society but sometimes there are certain people you can't change regardless of that, Jimmy Savile for one, he was evil and you couldn't have stopped him doing what he did. Only if he was found out and convicted.

JarvisCockersRightEyebrow · 17/01/2022 17:05

[quote Gonnagetgoing]@JarvisCockersRightEyebrow - Conquest House. It had poured with rain all that day when I was in Canterbury and this was the icing on top of the cake - was there visiting a friend.

I do like Canterbury![/quote]
Fascinating, thank you!

I don’t… Grin

Gonnagetgoing · 17/01/2022 17:05

@Saz12

I wonder how often the “there’s just something about him/ her that I don’t trust /creeps me out” really just boils down to prejudice. A bit like a more subtle version of those awful people who claim “I’m not racist, but there’s just something about that Megan Markle I don’t like”. EG men who aren’t good at making appropriate eye-contact... they often seem to make people feel threatened but it’s just a social skill that’s not in our cultural norm that makes them seem “off”.
@Saz12 - certain people regardless of who they are - even if you don't know much about them and regardless of their race/skin colour etc give off an unlikeable vibe, a smug vibe either.

Unfortunately (hate to derail this thread) - Meghan Markle has always given off a slightly smug vibe - regardless of anything else, her smile to me on the whole has always come across as insincere.

Whereas, e.g. Camilla Parker-Bowles (Duchess of Cornwall?) has always to me, seemed sincere in her manner and smiles, regardless of what she's actually done (e.g. had affair with Prince Charles). The British public should really hate Camilla for what she did to Charles and Di's marriage, but generally, we don't! Maybe that's due to time, things have died down and apparently I read recently William used to have screaming rows with her daughter (who's kept out of the public eye).

torquewench · 17/01/2022 17:06

On holiday with friends we bumped into a colleague (actually her CEO) of one of my friends, who was with his friends (all in their mid to late 40s) on a golfing trip. I instantly got a bad feeling about of them (the others were paralytic and just annoying). We were invited to have a nosy round their (very fancy, posh) villa which was across the road from the bar we were in, which we'd been dying to have an excuse to nose about all week. We were all sat on the pool deck chatting when the one I had a bad feeling about tried to give me a drink, which I politely refused as I hadn't seen him pour it, and he hadn't offered the others anything. He didn't seem to take offence. Literally 30 seconds later he sat beside me, grabbed my wrist and whispered in my ear that he was going to break my arm. Wasn't going to wait around to find out whether he was joking so we left immediately without looking back.

Beseen22 · 17/01/2022 17:10

My DH is listener and I am a talker. We were at Christmas as newlyweds and my uncle's mother was there. She was a bit posh, not particularly pleasant and maybe a little racist. In the car on the way home my DH who never had any 1-1 conversation with her said "there's something really off about her, she's an evil woman". My DB and I laughed and said she was a bit grumpy but harmless but he wasn't convinced.

2 years ago she passed away and it all came out that her husband had an affair when her kids were young and when he left she made all her children chose whether to be with her or their dad. The eldest was 12 and wasn't prepared to not speak to her dad ever again so her mother cut her off and hasn't had anything to do with her since. My uncle was only 8 and has never been allowed to know anything about his father or his sister. She played the 2 remaining boys against each other and their whole upbringing was jealousy and ultimatums. Neither have had their own family or been able to hold down a job (now in their 50s) as they had to be constantly there for her. Very presentable, church going lady but not a very nice woman.

MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry · 17/01/2022 17:12

Unfortunately (hate to derail this thread) - Meghan Markle has always given off a slightly smug vibe - regardless of anything else, her smile to me on the whole has always come across as insincere.

Whereas, e.g. Camilla Parker-Bowles (Duchess of Cornwall?) has always to me, seemed sincere in her manner and smiles, regardless of what she's actually done (e.g. had affair with Prince Charles)

Maybe that’s to do with the fact that Camilla grew up in and was well practised in that world, was very comfortable in it and her ease was apparent- it was her world. whereas Megan markle very much didn’t grow up in that world, nor even the UK and spent her adult years under the Hollywood glare, having to continually earn her place and so developed a “celeb” persona that of course isn’t her natural personality, and doesn’t fit so naturally with the world she then moved into and was clearly not as at ease in as camilla- who grew up in it- was.

MedusasBadHairDay · 17/01/2022 17:20

@Saz12

I wonder how often the “there’s just something about him/ her that I don’t trust /creeps me out” really just boils down to prejudice. A bit like a more subtle version of those awful people who claim “I’m not racist, but there’s just something about that Megan Markle I don’t like”. EG men who aren’t good at making appropriate eye-contact... they often seem to make people feel threatened but it’s just a social skill that’s not in our cultural norm that makes them seem “off”.
I imagine there's a degree of it, but also pattern recognition will play a part. Eg. red flags that women who've been in abusive relationships might recognise in a man who hasn't yet revealed his full self.