There can be no light without the dark.....right?

[cablescavenger]

To make a point!

Blessings, AJ

If you want to compare Jesus to Josef Fritzl be my guest.

 

[Hexavibrongal]

Because Stalin was a narcissist, yet you made out it was because he was an atheist he committed his crimes. He committed crimes against anyone he didn't trust, or didn't worship him, not just against the religious as you made out.

Couldn't you call anyone who commits these kinds of crimes a narcissist? My point is that atheism alone is not sufficient to prevent these kinds of atrocities against people for what they believe.

 

[look3467]

No. The existence of malice (evil) and the existence of benevolence (good) are logically independent. One can exist without the other.

It is possible that we could not talk about one without the other. But we must not confuse this possibility with the idea that one could not exist without the other.

--Jim G.

Hi, Jim
I agree with your post completely for this reason; the question is choice.

Without the ability to intellectually make choices, biblical-ly speaking: judgments, either good or evil would be useless as in the case of animals who know no evil.

The main theme of the creation of mankind was to make us as gods, to know good and evil.

Our downfall is the flesh being subjected to a world of vanity. Our upside is our conscience of which stems from within to counter the fleshly world.

The only way to exercise both is to have the ability of intellectual choice making; such is the ability of gods.

Blessings, AJ

 

[look3467]

If you want to compare Jesus to Josef Fritzl be my guest.

But if you could only understand. All of mankind's sins, regardless of degree can only be forgiven if all are consumed with forgiveness.

Jesus, consumed them all and nailed them to the cross for you and for me.

He thus had to become all sin, Babylon the Great in order to do so.

You and I are not responsible for our fallen state, thus we are also not responsible for meriting our own salvation, God is.

We are however, responsible for our own actions, good or bad, with consequences.

Blessings, or cursing.

Blessings, AJ

 

[glyphkenn]

The Christian faith has the two greatest cammandments.
Love thy neighbor as thy self. Now whether it is practiced is totally up to each individual sect of Christianity.Not the falt of God, but our own.
Blessings,AJ

The perversion of Christianity starts with the misinterpretation of that commandment . The true wording should be "Love your neighbor as you would want your neighbor to love you". Or love others as you would want others to love you. Where does anyone get that we must love ourselves before we can love others? Self love is almost impossible ,and in most cases unnecessary . Love is one of those words that is defined by the action it invokes. (for God so loved that he gave). That action directed to yourself distorts into selfishness . Love that starts on self usually ends there.

 

[glyphkenn]

Light exists.

Darkness is simply absence of light.


This is proven by the fact that you can bring light into a dark room, but not dark into a light room.

And there can thus be light without dark if light is everywhere.

Bruce

but light is not everywhere , darkness is.

 

[cablescavenger]

But if you could only understand. All of mankind's sins, regardless of degree can only be forgiven if all are consumed with forgiveness.

Jesus, consumed them all and nailed them to the cross for you and for me.

He thus had to become all sin, Babylon the Great in order to do so.

You and I are not responsible for our fallen state, thus we are also not responsible for meriting our own salvation, God is.

We are however, responsible for our own actions, good or bad, with consequences.

Blessings, or cursing.

Blessings, AJ

In your opinion. In mine it never happened.

 

[BruceDLimber]

ut light is not everywhere: darkness is.

So?

I was stating a possibility, not a current circumstance!

Nor is darkness "everywhere," as you can easily determine if you look around (providing, of course, that you're not one of the blind).

Peace,

Bruce

 

[glyphkenn]

So?

I was stating a possibility, not a current circumstance!

Nor is darkness "everywhere," as you can easily determine if you look around (providing, of course, that you're not one of the blind).

Peace,

Bruce

not blind. Maybe the reason for so much confusion about God is He dwells in the darkness . Before us , God was darkness and only darkness. And was quit comfortable in His darkness. His decree-.let there be light-' was Him foreseeing our limitations . Darkness is He and He is Darkness. so see you compliment me be calling me blind. For maybe in blindness I may enter the darkness the is He. I pray for the bliss that blindness brings.

 

[BruceDLimber]

I pray for the bliss that blindness brings.

Be careful what you ask for: you might get it!


Bruce

 

[Tom Terrific]

Does anyone else feel that there should be some sort of "bad" religion to equal out all the good? It seems to me that there should be a dark side, to counter the light, even with the Yin Yang symbol there is a dark and a light. Who represents the dark? Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

I agree with Wilhelmina, that "dark" need not be negative.

But as to the question of good vs. evil ... No, there need not be evil for good to be what it is. Think of evil as absolute zero. Does absolute zero have to exist for motion to be meaningful? Think of evil as the absence of love. Does such absence have to exist for love to be meaningful? Do you have to experience the loss of a loved one for their love to be meaningful?

Good and evil are not opposites; that misconception may be the root of the conceptual problem. Evil is the absence of good, not its opposite. You don't have to have experienced starvation for being fed to be meaningful. Etc.

 

[cottage]

I agree with Wilhelmina, that "dark" need not be negative.

But as to the question of good vs. evil ... No, there need not be evil for good to be what it is. Think of evil as absolute zero. Does absolute zero have to exist for motion to be meaningful? Think of evil as the absence of love. Does such absence have to exist for love to be meaningful? Do you have to experience the loss of a loved one for their love to be meaningful?

Good and evil are not opposites; that misconception may be the root of the conceptual problem. Evil is the absence of good, not its opposite. You don't have to have experienced starvation for being fed to be meaningful. Etc.

Actually you need evil in order to have 'good' (more properly 'goodness'). Goodness has no meaning whatsoever without evil, whereas evil is a proper condition that can exist on its own account. Any conception of goodness requires a negative state to give it meaning.

 

[Tom Terrific]

Actually you need evil in order to have 'good' (more properly 'goodness'). Goodness has no meaning whatsoever without evil, whereas evil is a proper condition that can exist on its own account. Any conception of goodness requires a negative state to give it meaning.

Cottage, I don't mean to be dismissive, but that notion is based on the idea that understanding and knowledge are based solely on dialectic -- an impossibility, if ever there was one.

Once you appreciate that meaning exists apart from the vehicle used to convey it, substance no longer needs a context to make it meaningful.

 

[cottage]

Cottage, I don't mean to be dismissive, but that notion is based on the idea that understanding and knowledge are based solely on dialectic -- an impossibility, if ever there was one.

Once you appreciate that meaning exists apart from the vehicle used to convey it, substance no longer needs a context to make it meaningful.

Evil doesn't depend upon the existence of 'good' in order to give it meaning. Murder is evil, but not murder is simply the former possibility not enacted: there isn't a state or condition of not murder. However, the term 'good' is dependent upon evil. Conceive of the non-existence of evil. What would the state of 'goodness' comprise? How could one be good when it is impossible to be bad? And now if we reverse the situation, where we have only an evil existence, we find we don't need the correlative 'good' to distinguish this negative state. In sum, the state of evil and badness, eg hurt, injury, disappointment, death or distress of any kind, exists as a proper state, but 'goodness' is merely a descriptive term for the theoretical absence of that negative state; it is not a state in itself.

 

[Tom Terrific]

Evil doesn't depend upon the existence of 'good' in order to give it meaning. Murder is evil, but not murder is simply the former possibility not enacted: there isn't a state or condition of not murder. However, the term 'good' is dependent upon evil. Conceive of the non-existence of evil. What would the state of 'goodness' comprise? How could one be good when it is impossible to be bad? And now if we reverse the situation, where we have only an evil existence, we find we don't need the correlative 'good' to distinguish this negative state. In sum, the state of evil and badness, eg hurt, injury, disappointment, death or distress of any kind, exists as a proper state, but 'goodness' is merely a descriptive term for the theoretical absence of that negative state; it is not a state in itself.

I am not going to drag this out. Again, you are arguing from the perspective that words have substance in and of themselves. You say that the meaning of the word "good" is relative to the meaning of the word "evil," and that therefore good itself, separate and apart from any words we use to describe it, has no independent substance. That's pure crap. Semantics is not reality, and meaning exists apart from the words we use to attempt to convey it. You don't see that, and that's the problem with your argument and your point of view.

From the viewpoint of at least some folks who believe that there is more to life than the words we use to describe it, and that we can know life without those words, it is evil that is relative because "good" describes that which is eternal. However, separate and apart from whether you believe good exists independently or not, your point of view is fundamentally semantic in nature and that is why it fails.

I don't care whether you admit it to me or not, publically. I sort of doubt you will. But, someday, I hope you come to admit it to yourself.

 

[Daviso452]

Why must Dark be bad? Why can't Dark be good? I'm sick and tired of evil and bad being reffered to as "dark." Darkness represents the unkown, and I think for that reason people have come to fear it. Let us not fear the unkown but venture into it! If it causes our destruction let the next generation learn from it! If it brings us great power let us use it wisely! For the Good of Darkness!

 

[glyphkenn]

Why must Dark be bad? Why can't Dark be good? I'm sick and tired of evil and bad being reffered to as "dark." Darkness represents the unkown, and I think for that reason people have come to fear it. Let us not fear the unkown but venture into it! If it causes our destruction let the next generation learn from it! If it brings us great power let us use it wisely! For the Good of Darkness!

well said.

 

[Daviso452]

Can I have frubal now?

 

[look3467]

The perversion of Christianity starts with the misinterpretation of that commandment>>> glyphkenn

The part of loving oneself is not in a selfish way but rather one where one

is at peace with oneself.
Being at peace with one self is having the peace of God enabling us to give of ourselves out of love.
Jesus demostrated it for us. Because He had the peace of God in Him, He could forgive His enemies. Otherwise, not.
Don' t get hung up on " as thy self" meaning. When you have the peace of God in you, it will enable you to love as God has loved you.
Blessings, AJ

 

[look3467]

Why must Dark be bad? Why can't Dark be good? I'm sick and tired of evil and bad being reffered to as "dark." Darkness represents the unkown, and I think for that reason people have come to fear it. Let us not fear the unkown but venture into it! If it causes our destruction let the next generation learn from it! If it brings us great power let us use it wisely! For the Good of Darkness!

Darkness is a lack of spiritual knowledge not night and day.
Light is the revelation of spiritual knowledge lacking in a world of darkness.
Blessings, AJ