Good and evil....

[morning-star]

what are your views on good and evil??

Personally I believe that there is no one or thing (or God) that is pure good or pure evil. Good and evil are defined by human morals, rules and disciplines, an action can either be good or evil, due to what culture you are raised and what morals you hold, that action can be seen in different ways. Just because someone does a lot of bad/evils things do not mean he/she is pure evil.
E.G. Take the Nazis who killed thousands of people then went home to a loving wife and kids to whom they loved and cared for etc.

 

[kadzbiz]

what are your views on good and evil??

Personally I believe that there is no one or thing (or God) that is pure good or pure evil. Good and evil are defined by human morals, rules and disciplines, an action can either be good or evil, due to what culture you are raised and what morals you hold, that action can be seen in different ways. Just because someone does a lot of bad/evils things do not mean he/she is pure evil.
E.G. Take the Nazis who killed thousands of people then went home to a loving wife and kids to whom they loved and cared for etc.

I started a similar thread a while ago and got some very interesting replies. I'm sure that thread had Nazis in it too, oh boy. And just on that point, sometimes people do things because they have no choice ie. their own families may be at risk of death if they didn't tow the line. I agree with your personal belief too.

 

[Willamena]

what are your views on good and evil??

Personally I believe that there is no one or thing (or God) that is pure good or pure evil. Good and evil are defined by human morals, rules and disciplines, an action can either be good or evil, due to what culture you are raised and what morals you hold, that action can be seen in different ways. Just because someone does a lot of bad/evils things do not mean he/she is pure evil.
E.G. Take the Nazis who killed thousands of people then went home to a loving wife and kids to whom they loved and cared for etc.

Everything is defined by humans.

 

[wizanda]

"Every action causes, an opposite and equal reaction"
So show your kids, “don't do that, as watch them hurting them self’s doing that daft thing”...Then the Children see it is bad.....so is it?....
If someone has a rougher upbringing, they are normally a more stable person....yet some will say that is bad and don’t you wish to be ‘normal’, so is that good?....as it depends on their actions within it all....
I would call it learning to rock a dingy standing up, before the storm hits....
So where or what is bad and good, is more down to the effort and out come of any event...
To many peoples pass blame, and forget they have 3 fingers pointing back at them self’s….

 

[Cordoba]

Humans have free will

We can choose to do good, or we can choose to do evil

If we had no free will, we would not have had these 2 main options

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Good and evil is a dichotomy created by being emotional beings in a (at least partially) deterministic universe.

 

[Cordoba]

There is Goodness in All, but it's our free will in using them which makes a difference

Fire for example may be used for good purposes, like cooking, or used for evil purposes like for harming others

All things are created with wisdom and with an ulterior purpose.

http://www.readingislam.com/servlet...agename=Zone-English-Discover_Islam/DIELayout

 

[rojse]

There is no such thing as good or evil. No person sits in their fortress of doom, cakling evilly while wandering how they will impart misery on their fellow man. People have their own motivations in whatever they do. What they do might not be "good" for one party, whether it be people, animals, or environment, but the same event is good for another group of people, animals or environment. It's just our personal viewpoint that makes us decide whether something is evil or not.

 

[morning-star]

There is no such thing as good or evil. No person sits in their fortress of doom, cakling evilly while wandering how they will impart misery on their fellow man. People have their own motivations in whatever they do. What they do might not be "good" for one party, whether it be people, animals, or environment, but the same event is good for another group of people, animals or environment. It's just our personal viewpoint that makes us decide whether something is evil or not.

well thats the whole point.Something can be good for others and bad for someone else that is why I said it depends on your upbringing and cultures as well as your faith which gives you the morals to what you personally think is right and wrong. Good and evil was created by people’s ideas or right and wrong.

What are people’s views in saying that God is all good and loving? I you say no one is pure good or pure evil then how can God be pure good?

 

[kadzbiz]

.....What they do might not be "good" for one party, whether it be people, animals, or environment, but the same event is good for another group of people, animals or environment.......

Really? And for whose good is raping and mutilating a child to death?

 

[morning-star]

Really? And for whose good is raping and mutilating a child to death?

in our society it is wrong yes. But what if some other worldly race came to earth and for them that is the norm?? that would be because they have completely different views and lives etc.

 

[kadzbiz]

in our society it is wrong yes. But what if some other worldly race came to earth and for them that is the norm?? that would be because they have completely different views and lives etc.

Well, you said for another group of people, animal or environment, I assumed you meant Earthly. If you're going to bring in hypothetical entities to back up an argument, then you're struggling.

 

[PureX]

Humans have free will

We can choose to do good, or we can choose to do evil

If we had no free will, we would not have had these 2 main options

But we first would need to be able to recognize what action will produce a "good" outcome and what will produce an "evil" outcome. And it's in this capacity that we humans fall short so easily.

Also, as has already been stated, good and evil are relative value judgments, meaning that they're dependant upon the person doing the evaluating. So although we do have choices, we often have no idea what the outcome of those choices will be, and the value of the outcomes will differ depending upon who's evaluating them.

None of this excuses us from responsibility for the negative effects of our actions, but it makes a strong case for the need of forgiveness, all around.

 

[morning-star]

Well, you said for another group of people, animal or environment, I assumed you meant Earthly. If you're going to bring in hypothetical entities to back up an argument, then you're struggling.

may I piont out that I wasn't the one who brought that idea up in the first place it was rojse.....

 

[Cordoba]

But we first would need to be able to recognize what action will produce a "good" outcome and what will produce an "evil" outcome. And it's in this capacity that we humans fall short so easily.

Also, as has already been stated, good and evil are relative value judgments, meaning that they're dependant upon the person doing the evaluating. So although we do have choices, we often have no idea what the outcome of those choices will be, and the value of the outcomes will differ depending upon who's evaluating them.

None of this excuses us from responsibility for the negative effects of our actions, but it makes a strong case for the need of forgiveness, all around.

Lets say that there are issues where there is a consensus on what is good and what is evil (like theft, murder, cheating, lying, ... etc is evil, whereas honesty, charity, helping others, ... etc are good), and other issues which may be considerate a "grey area" that is open to more than one opinion

Forgiveness is important and we should learn to forgive others for their mistakes, and at the same time improve the way we use our free will in order not to negatively affect others

Doing good deeds and helping others is one of the secrets of a happy life

 

[kadzbiz]

may I piont out that I wasn't the one who brought that idea up in the first place it was rojse.....

Sorry, I checked the posts again. Yep rojse quoted it initially and then you seem to quote it yourself as well.

 

[daemonikus]

good and evil in order to be defined in the first place must held up to a certain standard. so what is the standard then? thats wehre it becomes personal. your standard may be the bible, the laws of your country, your own morals that you have developed, etc. there are some commonalities though. most will agree that murder, rape, paedophilia, theft, etc are considered 'evil'. however there could be cases made for the good in those situations. think of the death penalty. i would consider that murder but many would qualify it as 'justice'. our motives are rooted in selfishness either way so its a very subjective thing. good and evil are open to so many interpretations. christianity and islam would say that homosexuality is evil, governments (at least most) would say that drugs are evil, a vegetarian might believe that eating meat is evil. both aspects are in each of us. its how we interpret things in our minds that determines our own ideas of what is good and evil.

 

[Blindinglight]

Good and Evil are nothing more than words, that are highly subjective to bias and culture references.
The average German certainly wouldn't have considered Hitler to be an evil man. Alot of people thought the Beatles were evil, especially after John's remark of them being more popular than Jesus.
And at one point in time, it was considered evil to think the earth is not the center of the universe.

 

[JayHawes]

There is more than good and evil. There is the Malignant, and the pure evil and then the bad. Then there is the good, and then the holy, and the blameless. The blameless are thsoe cute babies born every day.

God is good, Evil is rebellion against God. There are different stages of rebellion.

 

[morning-star]

good and evil in order to be defined in the first place must held up to a certain standard. so what is the standard then? thats wehre it becomes personal. your standard may be the bible, the laws of your country, your own morals that you have developed, etc. there are some commonalities though. most will agree that murder, rape, paedophilia, theft, etc are considered 'evil'. however there could be cases made for the good in those situations. think of the death penalty. i would consider that murder but many would qualify it as 'justice'. our motives are rooted in selfishness either way so its a very subjective thing. good and evil are open to so many interpretations. christianity and islam would say that homosexuality is evil, governments (at least most) would say that drugs are evil, a vegetarian might believe that eating meat is evil. both aspects are in each of us. its how we interpret things in our minds that determines our own ideas of what is good and evil.

this is basicly what I was originally trying to put across but in fewer words….at the end of the day it’s down to the person, and their views, there isn’t always a clear line between good and bad.

JayHawes put: “God is good, Evil is rebellion against God. There are different stages of rebellion.”

Are you referring to the fall of satan or the rebellion of Lucifer? Or do you mean evil is anyone who goes against your religion/ God? Does that make me evil because of my faith??