Evil Is As Evil Does

[VonNoble]

Is evil the absence of good?

Or is evil simply people and actions (hideous people and hideous actions) that I simply do not understand?

Is the outcome of terrorizing situations always bad for the survivors?

von

[panpareil]

Evil is what you dislike. Good is what you like.

Some people claim the opposite. They see a greater good in something they dislike, but they still like that instead.

Some claim that it is something else, something absolute, no matter what anyone likes or dislikes.

I dislike that.

Edited March 8, 2012 by panpareil

[Crzyme]

I do not personally believe in devil or demons and the like, but I sure do believe in evil humans. I believe most are out to cause harm to other living beings, because that is what makes them feel better about themselves. Some are the bully's and mean girls at school, and harm with words and intimidation more than any other weapons but they are still evil, hateful and mean to other humans. Some evil people are physically, mentally, sexually and/or spiritually abusers who feel better about themselves by causing harm to those weaker than themselves. some are evil humans who cause harm in the chase of money or power and do not regard the lives they lay waste to along their path. Some evil humans kill other human beings.

So can good come from any of the acts committed by evil humans, sure it can but not from the evil humans rather from those harmed who then (lives changed) over come the harm caused and use that as a catalyst to make something good happen. Of course the opposite is also true, evil acts upon good people can indeed change them to the point that they also in turn harm other humans often in the same manner to which they were harmed.

Anything is possible as long as one is still alive with brain and body capable.

[Brother Kaman]

I believe that "evil" only exists in a religious context. Otherwise, it is just gross misbehavior or perhaps a mental illness or aberration. It takes us back to an old question of, "Are there different levels of sin?" Is a liar evil or just a sinner? Is a murdering butcher who eats his victims evil or just a sinner?

[Songster]

I believe that "evil" only exists in a religious context. Otherwise, it is just gross misbehavior or perhaps a mental illness or aberration. It takes us back to an old question of, "Are there different levels of sin?" Is a liar evil or just a sinner? Is a murdering butcher who eats his victims evil or just a sinner?

From this lay man's perspective.... Evil is a definite force that exists, and those that allow that force power and influence over their lives are capable of performing heinous acts against others. As for the different "levels of sin".... IMO, the "sin" is a definitive indicator of the extent that the individual has surrendered control of their life. If you choose to, you can "Surrender to the Dark side, Luke.", and you can expect your behavior to reflect your choice.

[Dan56]

I agree that there is a difference between evil and sin. God creates evil in the form of calamity, but He did not create sin. Evil does not discriminate, bad things happen to good people. Jesus said; "Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay.." (Luke 13:4) Evil might be described as the absence of peace, and sin is the absence of good.

[Qryos]

~ Interesting thoughts. Thank you all you do make me think...

Words & personal definitions, so different sometimes, huh?

I never thought as 'evil' as a religious-only word. { I'm not religious. }

Or is evil simply people and actions (hideous people and hideous actions) that I simply do not understand?

~ Thank you Von War is an example of what I cannot understand. I believe that war is evil. Death, pain, torment, destruction...

I do understand that sometimes good people for what they feel are good reasons are involved in such, but the entire concept of 'war' is evil to me.

It's gotten to be a pretty small planet with the amount of humans & the technology & all

& I just feel it's time to make-up the bunkbeds { so to speak } & everyone share their s'mores & stories with no more fighting about pillows & such.

I know, siblings & cousins are always going to fuss, but if ya can't play nice, don't play...

[Crzyme]

I believe that "evil" only exists in a religious context. Otherwise, it is just gross misbehavior or perhaps a mental illness or aberration. It takes us back to an old question of, "Are there different levels of sin?" Is a liar evil or just a sinner? Is a murdering butcher who eats his victims evil or just a sinner?

I really like the way you put this, I have been struggling to find ways to talk to people who want to know my beliefs yet can not see past their own to truly hear what I have to say even when it is they who ask and this is a very defined way to explain how I feel about evil

As for the sin question, not being a bible follower I do not personally believe in the concept of sin, however I am at a loss when I talk to people who do believe a sin is a sin is a sin and that no difference is found between a liar and a butchering cannibal.

[Brother Kaman]

I really like the way you put this, I have been struggling to find ways to talk to people who want to know my beliefs yet can not see past their own to truly hear what I have to say even when it is they who ask and this is a very defined way to explain how I feel about evil

As for the sin question, not being a bible follower I do not personally believe in the concept of sin, however I am at a loss when I talk to people who do believe a sin is a sin is a sin and that no difference is found between a liar and a butchering cannibal.

I catch a lot of flack from many people when I say that even Hitler was only evil in a religious sense. Hitler was a crazy man. He was totally insane from my point of view. I also believe that if someone misbehaves like he did, that insanity is not an excuse or defense and he needed to be permanently removed from society. By removed, I mean with a bullet to the head that he quite willingly did himself. If anyone is so crazy as to do things which are largely considered evil by many, then they should be removed from society permanently. Lethal injection, bullet to the head, the method does not matter as long as the end result is the same.

[revtimothybland]

First of all, while I agree in principle about Hitler being flat out insane, yet only truly evil in a religious sense, You have to keep in mind that he was only a front man, and that the Nazi Party, which was around before he was, put him in power because of his charisma and insanity. If you go back in time and kill him as a child, the Nazi Party would have just found someone else. As for the insinuation that all people like him should be permanently removed, my wife has a response to that; "Anyone wishing to purify the gene pool with bleach should start with their own."

Removing some people from society just because they are crazy won't change the fact that we're going to get crazy people in our society. Period. The only way to know for sure is to wipe everyone out OR, my preferred method, give them a fair trial with ample evidence, convict them of the crimes accused, then, and ONLY then, execute them, if the crime was punishable by death. We'd have one of the best justice systems in the world if it wasn't so corrupt. Of course, if you HAVE to kill someone to protect someone else, that's a different story.

As for the nature of Good and Evil and Sin, Good and Evil are concepts that The Source, being the creator of everything, embodies. I, personally, don't like to think of them as Good and Evil. Rather, they are Order and Chaos. Too much Order can be akin to current concepts of Evil, but so can too much Chaos. One must find a happy medium, which is closer to what we think of as Good. Laws are good, and without them, we'd be in a very chaotic landscape. But too much Law, and you have Chaos beating down the doors to be let in, as well as what we consider Evil acts done in the name of preserving Law and Order, which is just as bad as the more Chaotic kill to survive. One man's Freedom Fighter is another man's Terrorist, you know.

Sin is purely religious. A Sin is defined as the breaking of a tenet of a religion, sort of like committing a crime, and many older societies used religious tenet as their system of Law and Order. So, by today's standards, petty theft (a misdemeanor) is a "Sin"; ironic, considering "Thou Shall Not Steal".

In summary, the true nature of Good and Evil is, in my humble opinion of course, entirely speculative, and can change with the times or simply by swinging the judgmental pendulum the other way. No man is the villain of his own story, and just because someone is evil by our standards doesn't mean that they think it so. I believe the True Evil lies in not being able to see all sides of an argument before making a moral choice one way or another. I, for one, can see you point of view on Hitler, however, I wouldn't have killed him myself unless he tried to kill me first, I caught him in the act, or he was put on trial and found guilty with ample evidence first. I think he was a gutless coward for killing himself (with poison, by the way, not a .45 caliber injection of lead to the brainpan) instead of facing up to his actions at trial, or at least going out fighting, like a MAN. NOOOO, he had to take cyanide. Coward.

Sorry, sidetracked.

[Brother Kaman]

First of all, while I agree in principle about Hitler being flat out insane, yet only truly evil in a religious sense, You have to keep in mind that he was only a front man, and that the Nazi Party, which was around before he was, put him in power because of his charisma and insanity. If you go back in time and kill him as a child, the Nazi Party would have just found someone else. As for the insinuation that all people like him should be permanently removed, my wife has a response to that; "Anyone wishing to purify the gene pool with bleach should start with their own."

Removing some people from society just because they are crazy won't change the fact that we're going to get crazy people in our society. Period. The only way to know for sure is to wipe everyone out OR, my preferred method, give them a fair trial with ample evidence, convict them of the crimes accused, then, and ONLY then, execute them, if the crime was punishable by death. We'd have one of the best justice systems in the world if it wasn't so corrupt. Of course, if you HAVE to kill someone to protect someone else, that's a different story.

As for the nature of Good and Evil and Sin, Good and Evil are concepts that The Source, being the creator of everything, embodies. I, personally, don't like to think of them as Good and Evil. Rather, they are Order and Chaos. Too much Order can be akin to current concepts of Evil, but so can too much Chaos. One must find a happy medium, which is closer to what we think of as Good. Laws are good, and without them, we'd be in a very chaotic landscape. But too much Law, and you have Chaos beating down the doors to be let in, as well as what we consider Evil acts done in the name of preserving Law and Order, which is just as bad as the more Chaotic kill to survive. One man's Freedom Fighter is another man's Terrorist, you know.

Sin is purely religious. A Sin is defined as the breaking of a tenet of a religion, sort of like committing a crime, and many older societies used religious tenet as their system of Law and Order. So, by today's standards, petty theft (a misdemeanor) is a "Sin"; ironic, considering "Thou Shall Not Steal".

In summary, the true nature of Good and Evil is, in my humble opinion of course, entirely speculative, and can change with the times or simply by swinging the judgmental pendulum the other way. No man is the villain of his own story, and just because someone is evil by our standards doesn't mean that they think it so. I believe the True Evil lies in not being able to see all sides of an argument before making a moral choice one way or another. I, for one, can see you point of view on Hitler, however, I wouldn't have killed him myself unless he tried to kill me first, I caught him in the act, or he was put on trial and found guilty with ample evidence first. I think he was a gutless coward for killing himself (with poison, by the way, not a .45 caliber injection of lead to the brainpan) instead of facing up to his actions at trial, or at least going out fighting, like a MAN. NOOOO, he had to take cyanide. Coward.

Sorry, sidetracked.

Now I was not saying that all crazy people should be removed from the gene pool. We are all crazy to one extent or another. When one is so crazy as to do what MOST consider evil (Hitler, Dalmer, BTK killer, those who rape and murder little children) then they should not be left in any position where they can be a threat or an expense to society. I am good with my God that I can pull the switch, push the needle, or fire the gun.

[Kimmy]

Is evil the absence of good?

Or is evil simply people and actions (hideous people and hideous actions) that I simply do not understand?

To me, as an agnostic, “good” and “evil” are merely concepts. I do not believe in the existence of any higher being or force that would have the authority to dictate such a thing as a universal “right” or “wrong”.

Is the outcome of terrorizing situations always bad for the survivors?

von

I would say that depends on how you define “bad”. Some people seem to thrive as a direct result of being terrorized or use their traumatic experience to help others.

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

IMO, to the extent that "good" exists in the abstract, so does "evil." One is not the absence of the other. What they are, I can't say.

[Youch]

Is evil the absence of good?

Or is evil simply people and actions (hideous people and hideous actions) that I simply do not understand?

Is the outcome of terrorizing situations always bad for the survivors?

von

I think people with discernment are capable of making the right decisions in the face of emotions to the contrary. Eh????

I do not find it rational to assert that because I don't accept evil it must therefore be because I don't understand it.

Discernment and judgment are important and real things. Moral rationalization is important also, but only in the aspect that it is a huge danger to anyone wanting to live in a discernable, sustainable, fair and real world.

Edited April 27, 2012 by Happy

[Bro. Hex]

IMO, to the extent that "good" exists in the abstract, so does "evil."

One is not the absence of the other.

What they are, I can't say.

I think that you are "right on the mark" with this, Jonathan,

and not being able to "say exactly what they are"

is the same way that I would refer to "God" (or "the gods", if you prefer).

I do not doubt the reality, but am not able to qualify it.

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

I think that you are "right on the mark" with this, Jonathan,

and not being able to "say exactly what they are"

is the same way that I would refer to "God" (or "the gods", if you prefer).

I do not doubt the reality, but am not able to qualify it.

Thank you.

The classic example of something that can not be defined, is "life." We can name the charactereistics associated with life. They are: growth, ingestion, excretion, respiration, reproduction, etc. What life actually is, we can not say.

There are plenty of other concepts that we can argue about endlessly, without being able to define what they are: Music, Art, Justice, Virtue, etc. I think that Good and Evil belong on this list.

[Bluecat]

I can't apply this term to any human being. I'm willing to say that people do evil things, but not that they are evil.

I equate 'objective evil' pretty much with pain and suffering - which exists everywhere in the material world, as all living things suffer, even without anyone's deliberate actions causing it or inflicting it. There is quite enough of that in the world to keep us all busy, and so much the worse when our actions increase it or allow it to go unchecked when it could be prevented.

And then there is the temptation to do evil, to inflict it on others, or to shrug off the evils which others suffer and which we could do something about.

I read a book a few years ago which pointed out that the Lord's prayer seems to make a similar distinction: deliver us from evil (ie, protect us from evil outside ourselves), and lead us not into temptation (let us not be tempted to do evil). Outside and in.

I was bowled over by that, (especially as it was a book about JRR Tolkien - but Tolkien was of course a devout Roman Catholic, and wrote part of The Two Towers while meditating on the Lord's Prayer, according to his letters).

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

It is because both good and evil are so abstract and difficult to pin down; that traditional symbolism is used. The symbolism of Light and Darkness. The terms can be misleading, but they are easier -- at least for me -- to wrap my mind around them.

There are three "items."

1. Light: . Self explanatory.

2. Shadow: The absence of Light.

3. Darkness: The only example of true darkness that I can think of is a Black Hole. It's gravity will not allow Light to escape. Then again, what is a black hole but ultra dense light?

[Fawzo]

It is because both good and evil are so abstract and difficult to pin down; that traditional symbolism is used. The symbolism of Light and Darkness. The terms can be misleading, but they are easier -- at least for me -- to wrap my mind around them.

There are three "items."

1. Light: . Self explanatory.

2. Shadow: The absence of Light.

3. Darkness: The only example of true darkness that I can think of is a Black Hole. It's gravity will not allow Light to escape. Then again, what is a black hole but ultra dense light?

I am starting to look at evil and good in the light of flow and thermodynamics. Good would be anything that allows love to expand and flow dynamically so that it does not become static. The opposite of Good then would be anything that restricts this energetic flow and causes it to become restricted.

A thought such as "I am" would seem to an attempt to retain this energy into one point and therefor cause an impediment to the natural flow causing a distortion. The more thoughts of 'I am" or self that occur the more distortions and ripples that occur obscuring good.

[Rev. Dr. Michael. DD]

Evil - Noun

1. Morally objectionable behavior

2. That which causes harm, destruction or misfortune

"the evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones"

3. The quality of being morally wrong in principle or practice

"attempts to explain the origin of evil in the world"

Evil - Adjective

1. Morally bad or wrong

"evil purposes"; "an evil influence"; "evil deeds"

2. Having the nature of vice

3. Having or exerting a malignant influence

(Thanks to WordWeb)

Can't say if it is a mental defect or not, but so much evil is around us every day. Even with the efforts of religion to teach the way to God, there is evil among it. So much harm has been done in the "name of God" to man that that is evil in it's self.