How Do You Know What Is Evil?

[lilithu]

I believe that we are born with some type of warning system, it's called our conscience. I think we know whether something is good, bad (evil). The real evil is when we know it's bad but we do it anyway.

I agree.

The Catholic church defines sin thusly:
Sin is an offence against reason, truth, and right conscience...

And even in our criminal court system, we don't consider someone to be "guilty" if they are unable to distinguish right from wrong.

There are some people that have little "conscience", or a warped sense of what is right and wrong, ... Should their conscience be their guide?

Do you mean sociopaths? They do pose a problem. That's why conscience is always balanced by reason, experience, and community. But just because it doesn't work that well for a few is no reason to discard it for all the rest.


(we'll exclude the mentally handicapped here).[/quote]As well you should since cognitive acumen has little to do with moral fiber.

 

[uss_bigd]

Archeology, biology, geology,... science.

too general...

If it occurs in nature it's natural. I don't know how to make it any clearer than that. Marriage isn't "natural," period, but same sex sex is.

Your assertion goes against the nature of how sex is phisiologically speaking.

 

[lilithu]

too general...

And you're too narrow...

Your assertion goes against the nature of how sex is phisiologically speaking.

Um, nope. It doesn't. Millions can attest that it works just fine.

 

[uss_bigd]

Um, nope. It doesn't. Millions can attest that it works just fine.

statistics? you can't make assumptions like that without statistics my friend.

You're backed up with millions of gays, I am backed up by medical facts.

 

[lilithu]

statistics? you can't make assumptions like that without statistics my friend.

You're backed up with millions of gays, I am backed up by medical facts.

No, I am backed by common sense and you're backed by your own biases. There is nothing in medical science that says that same sex sex is physiologically impossible. The very fact that it does occur proves that it's quite possible.

At any rate, we are way off topic. I think I've proven my point that you can quote scripture telling us to "be good and avoid evil" all you want. It still remains that the question of what is good is up to interpretation.

 

[Nessa Nenharma]

I consider evil someone that knowingly causes destruction, injury, suffering, and misfortune.

It still remains that the question of what is good is up to interpretation.

I agree with you. If you judge "good" by what is socially acceptable, then a lot of us aren't good at all. If you look at "good" as what is true and right within any given religion, most have broken a few rules. It all comes down to what you see as morally reprehensible.

Though I will say that some people lack the ability to distinguish good from bad or even evil. This is where "socially acceptable" comes in to play. If most of the people, of any given society, would refrain from the crime in question, then yes, the crime would be deemed bad/evil. This is how we keep order, and prevent ourselves from heading toward chaos.

 

[Tau]

Evil is selfishness pure and simple, not caring about others, any act that is carried out with selfish motives is Evil, Evil you see is all about feeding a hunger whatever that may be and therein lies the fundamental weakness that true Evil is all about...

For example...
Incest is Evil because incestuous acts are usually driven by sexual appetite alone, not love, a selfish hunger, very often the term sexual abuse is more appropriate, secondly children born to siblings frequently suffer from genetic abnomalites, knowing this and then to do the deed anyway means you don't care about the consequences, again selfishness..not to mention the consequences this might have on the wider family.

Thats my take anyway.

 

[Heneni]

There are some people that have little "conscience", or a warped sense of what is right and wrong, (we'll exclude the mentally handicapped here). Should their conscience be their guide?

I think charity was referring to the children of god having a sound inner inconcience. Their conscience acting as a light to what is good and what is evil.

Heneni

 

[Heneni]

Evil is selfishness pure and simple, not caring about others, any act that is carried out with selfish motives is Evil, Evil you see is all about feeding a hunger whatever that may be and therein lies the fundamental weakness that true Evil is all about...

For example...
Incest is Evil because incestuous acts are usually driven by sexual appetite alone, not love, a selfish hunger, very often the term sexual abuse is more appropriate, secondly children born to siblings frequently suffer from genetic abnomalites, knowing this and then to do the deed anyway means you don't care about the consequences, again selfishness..not to mention the consequences this might have on the wider family.

Thats my take anyway.

You make an interesting point. Perhaps its worthwile to try and determine the root of all evil. Like some people say it is money.

I think it is pride. Which results in all the other evil things like selfishness, malice, greed, etc.

Heneni