The Real Root of All Evil

[Kilgore Trout]

Fear and greed.

Anything else, including religion, are merely tools in the implementation of evil - not the root cause.

That being said, religion is a tool which seems to be particularly well-suited for making people willing to do evil.

 

[ChristineES]

Maybe evil is the root of all evil. But then we'd have to define what is evil.
Is it the action? Or is it the thought that causes the action in the first place.
Take Columbine- I certainly don't condone what those young men did, but they were teased for years- did that cause them to have enough hatred to kill all those people- including some who did not tease them? Or was the teasing just used as an excuse to go on a rampage?

 

[ChristineES]

Oh, and I do believe that greed is a very big reason for violence and unhappiness in the world, too. Fear is caused by ignorance. Ignorance is easily cured- if the person is willing.

 

[lockyfan]

Satan is the root of all evil

anything that comes from him, does not originate with God and therefore is eveil

That inclides his biggest puppet. False religion

 

[BucephalusBB]

That inclides his biggest puppet. False religion

Wich is, ofcourse, every religion but yours..

I am not sure about greed, but no way can fear be the root of evil. Fear has helped the human kind to much allready..

 

[SpiritualBeing]

I'm very sorry, brother, but I do not agree with what you are saying. I believe that the root of evil is Satan, and that he tries with all his might to get into the hearts and minds of others.

I believe that greed is one of the many forms of evil that Satan wil take, but fear is a natural reaction that we all feel. Fear is not evil, fear tells us that we are human. it is an emotion that God has given us to make us stronger.

Are you saying that all of the Jews who were imprisoned in Auschwitz, Sobibor, Dachau etc are evil? Because I can asure you, they will have been scared and filled with fear every day of their existence in these places.

Just something for you all to think about.

:candle:

 

[Caladan]

Fear and greed

Im assuming that you are talking about a certain type of fear, so while misplaced and manipulating the unresolved fears of a public may cause atrocities. healthy fear is rooted in sound survival instincts.

 

[Seven]

Satan is the root of all evil

I'm very sorry, brother, but I do not agree with what you are saying. I believe that the root of evil is Satan, and that he tries with all his might to get into the hearts and minds of others.

The evil we see in the world can easily be explained through human nature, there's no need to fall back on Satan. The problem is plenty of the evil in the world is done by good people with good intentions. I think ignorance might be at the root of a lot of evil.

 

[lunamoth]

Greed, pride, jealousy, etc., all those things that we used to call sin. In short, those actions that alienate us from God and each other.

 

[sojourner]

Sarah Palin?
:run:

 

[3.14]

wrong its brag rights greed and fear are just means of getting brag rights

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

I'm ok with greed, probably because of my days studying Objectivism. But then again, greed to me is merely a strong desire while some have defined it as a desire so strong it causes a person to take what they desire without care for the consequences. I disagree with this definition, the reactions to the desire should not be included in the definition as it implies the reactions are beyond the control of the person making them, thus allowing them to blame greed for their actions. Their reactions are entirely voluntary.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Im assuming that you are talking about a certain type of fear, so while misplaced and manipulating the unresolved fears of a public may cause atrocities. healthy fear is rooted in sound survival instincts.

Indeed.

Saying fear is a root of all evil, doesn't imply all fear is evil.

 

[MoonWater]

Indeed.

Saying fear is a root of all evil, doesn't imply all fear is evil.

Correction, it implies it, but it doesn't MEAN it.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Correction, it implies it, but it doesn't MEAN it.

It neither implies it, nor means it.

 

[MoonWater]

It neither implies it, nor means it.

It implies it. Naming it the root of evil suggests that it is part of that evil, just like the roots are part of a tree. To call something a root of evil says that if you were to get rid of it that evil would be eliminated. It connects the two together and for most people that is enough to name both as bad things. Thus the implication, as an implication rests within the mind of the person hearing the argument. However it does not mean that as the meaning rests within the mind of the person making the argument, and the person making the argument isn't necessarily trying to prove that the root itself is as bad as the "tree"

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

It implies it. Naming it the root of evil suggests that it is part of that evil, just like the roots are part of a tree. To call something a root of evil says that if you were to get rid of it that evil would be eliminated. It connects the two together and for most people that is enough to name both as bad things. Thus the implication, as an implication rests within the mind of the person hearing the argument. However it does not mean that as the meaning rests within the mind of the person making the argument, and the person making the argument isn't necessarily trying to prove that the root itself is as bad as the "tree"

While this is a popular way of looking at the meaning of "root of", it is not the intended meaning, IMHO. For a better understanding of what this means look at the meaning of "Root Cause Analysis", (RCA).

Root cause analysis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I think those who are trying to identify the root of all evil are trying to perform an RCA on evil. Take a look at it from that perspective and see if you come to different conclusions or the same conclusion but for different reasons.

 

[SpiritualBeing]

The evil we see in the world can easily be explained through human nature, there's no need to fall back on Satan. The problem is plenty of the evil in the world is done by good people with good intentions. I think ignorance might be at the root of a lot of evil.

I'm not starting an argument over something like this, but I must say that the way I am reading what you have written, it sounds as if you are writing off Satan as a fallback. I believe that Satan is real, as is written in the Bible, the spoken Word of God. If Satan is not real, and is merely a fallback, then how do you explain all of the sin in the world. For, if there was only good and God, then there would be no sin.

:candle:

 

[Charity]

Sometimes evil comes as a thought but how you choose to act on the thought is what determines it to be evil or good. Evil does not come from God but it is present in the heart of some people.
For instance some people like a serial killer may know it's wrong to do the things they do, some even want to get caught so they will be stopped from doing the evil things they do.....Even though some people love the person they kill or do evil to, they have evil in their heart and for some reason they aren't able to stop, they aren't able to reason....
It would take a heartless person to stand and shoot or stab their own parents, or siblings......I think an evil thought may come to mind but your heart has the ability to rule, unless of course you are heartless.....

 

[Bishadi]

Fear and greed.

Anything else, including religion, are merely tools in the implementation of evil - not the root cause.

That being said, religion is a tool which seems to be particularly well-suited for making people willing to do evil.

i say 'selfish isolation'

such as many are in belief that they are separate from 'the garden'

that we are not born, bound too or 'created' from mother nature (God)

that is why the old story shares man is 'away from the garden' (God)

all based on selfishness (choice)

find all bad can be idnetified by observing the rules;

measure all choices with:

good: support life to continue (giving of self (energy) for life; live in the contribution)

Bad: loss to the common (taking, stealing, murder, rape, lying, deciet, adultry; all based on selfish gain, pursuits and actions)

'we the people' ....... conscious life, are what can 'think' we are separate from nature/existence/GOD........ and "cause actions against it all", based on choice


instinctive critters don't have these problems.



ever notice a dog can't build nuclear weapons?

'we the people' are the only thing in existence that can be 'evil'


mankind is the cause of all evil ever to exist and it all came by 'choice'