Definition: Evil

as in Devil.

"That which you find offensive, do not do to others." Rabbi Ben Hillel, pre Jesus time.

The "choice" to do otherwise is Evil. It has to involve the decision not to do one's goodest. It also involves the observer or co participant who knows it is not right but, goes along to get along. I find the latter more culpable.

Einstein said the world is full of evil people. The problem is those who (choose) to do nothing about it.

My father repeatedly hung up the phone on Roy Cohn when my father worked for Voice Of America, a Roy Cohn target. As friends chided my father for working with German Rocket Scientist, he would ask what they did during the McCarthy era. I always thought he was cheap but, he never passed a beggar up without giving. Every second is a choice. Tell the truth or fib, even for practice. Cheat another of money. Jump a traffic light. Sleep with your neighbor's wife and take their stuff.

Ok, Slammr?

Moi

moi621 (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:46 pm Definition: Evil

as in Devil.

"That which you find offensive, do not do to others." Rabbi Ben Hillel, pre Jesus time.

The "choice" to do otherwise is Evil.

Moi

You are just confirming the line in my sig: evil doesn't exist outside the mind of man. One person's evil, that which you find offensive, might not be another person's evil, so as defined by you in this, evil is subjective, which is what I'm saying.

Also, having voices in one's head or seeing visions about evil is no affirmation that evil exists. I have managed group homes for the mentally ill. I had one client that regularly carried on conversations with God, and I had others that saw things none of the others of us could see. To them, those things were as real as anything the rest of us observed. One can't always believe one's own eyes. One certainly can't believe visions and the voices one hears in one's head.

I took the guy that regularly talked to God to the horse races along with some of the others once, and asked him, since he had a direct line to God, for the winner in the next race. Unfortunately, if God knew the winner, he wasn't telling.

Slammr (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2011 3:22 pm You are just confirming the line in my sig: evil doesn't exist outside the mind of man. One person's evil, that which you find offensive, might not be another person's evil, so as defined by you in this, evil is subjective, which is what I'm saying.

Also, having voices in one's head or seeing visions about evil is no affirmation that evil exists. I have managed group homes for the mentally ill. I had one client that regularly carried on conversations with God, and I had others that saw things none of the others of us could see. To them, those things were as real as anything the rest of us observed. One can't always believe one's own eyes. One certainly can't believe visions and the voices one hears in one's head.

I took the guy that regularly talked to God to the horse races along with some of the others once, and asked him, since he had a direct line to God, for the winner in the next race. Unfortunately, if God knew the winner, he wasn't telling.

Agreed the concept of Evil is in the mind of man. That is the deity in all mankind. We can disagree on that. My belief.

The basics are common to all.

Unfortunately, a difference of opinion such as one's view of religion may be construed as Evil and legitimizing genocide. People can screw it up. Usually when following a mobs moral compass and not one's own.

Yes there are people who have screwed moral compasses.

The bigger problem is those who see and do nothing about it.

Moi

Ignorance.

That's the root of all evil.

Also remember that a war is when TWO parties are fighting eachother..

I would post a comment beyond this but, 1. I can't post photos here, and 2. This isn't the political board.

--LT

Losethem (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2011 4:08 pm I would post a comment beyond this but, 1. I can't post photos here, and 2. This isn't the political board.

--LT

It's the DEEP DARK CELLAR

Good place to discuss the dark side, eh?

Moi

Perhaps"evil" is a name for what people wisely learn to avoid doing through wisely doing it as an aspect of the only achievable pathway for wisely learning how to actually avoid doing it.

moi621 (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2011 5:32 pm It's the DEEP DARK CELLAR

Good place to discuss the dark side, eh?

Moi

Somehow, I got the impression that his demonstration of pure evil would be the posting of the picture of a certain female politician, which would mean this would need be on the Politics board. I could be wrong, but his post brought that to my mind.

I'd better stop before this discussion gets sidetracked.

YodaNell (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:19 pm Hi, for the religious (Christian in my case), one does evil by not doing God's will or obey His commands (laws). The bible is full of those laws which a Christian writes on his heart (forming his conscience). If your conscience is clear, you are in right standing with God.

For the non-religious, evil is defined as disobedience of the land's law. Doing wrong (breaking t

Slammr (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2011 6:17 pm he Law - rob a bank) is doing evil to society.

Somehow, I got the impression that his demonstration of pure evil would be the posting of the picture of a certain female politician, which would mean this would need be on the Politics board. I could be wrong, but his post brought that to my mind.

I'd better stop before this discussion gets sidetracked.

(There is nothing God or Bad, but thinking makes it so.) <---<<< slammr's sign off

O.K., here we go.

What is evil?

slammr says whatever you "think" that it is... ("...thinking makes it so...")

So, if you think that it is bad, it is bad. On the other hand, if you think that it is good, that makes it good. This is social relativism. Good or bad depends upon social context. "Thinking" good or bad by a majority of society labels something good or bad.

However, what of individualism? What if society changes? What then?

If, on the other hand, we adopt standards of good and bad, then who has say-so over the standards that we adopt? Are the standards permanent? May they be changed? If they are, or they may be changed, then we are back to social relativism.

Now for YodaNell,

If God sets the standards, then WHO is God's spokesperson? Which "Holy Scripture" is the unerring word of God? Is it the Koran, The Bible, the Talmud? Which book? ...are there more than one? ...and if you say this, but I say that, then who is in error? Or, are neither in error?

What of the 'little voice' inside or even 'the thought' that makes you think, "...that's just not right."

Is this Social Relativism? ...or, is it something deeper?

Is it the result of a functioning mind, or, the result of a functioning spirit?

Is there, as Gilbert Ryle railed against, actually a "...ghost in the machine?"

So if you want to justify something to yourself, be careful.

YodaNell, What did Jesus say that was "THE" unforgivable sin? Both in this world and in the world to come? You know the scripture, don't you?

slammr, to set your own standards makes YOU a God. You are your own God. Does this mean that YOU have power over whoever you want to exert your will upon?

Or, NOT?

I think that I would vote for standards, but I would be REAL careful in what those standards are...

To be safe, my standards would be the United States Declaration of Independence, Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

However, the KEY to the Standards is the interpretation of the documents. Who interprets them, or, do we do that interpretation?

So, we are back to Social Relativism again.

So, which came first, Standards or Social Relativism?

When God commanded to Israelites in the Bible to kill every living thing in a town right down to the livestock what is this...? a standard...?, or a social relativism command? (...as in they were EVIL...) (...apparently both the sheep AND the Jackasses...)

When Jesus Christ admonishes, "...let he who is sinless among you cast the first stone..." Is this a standard? ...or, is it Social Relativism? (...as in GOOD...) (...or was she just TOO Good-looking of a HO to kill?) (...as in "...this is just not right..."?)

...we don't stone HOs here...

(Or, is it O.K. to stone moi because he is just an old man...?)

WAIT! WAIT! WAIT...! moi is already STONED.

SCRATCH THAT!

nevermind!

slammr, are we thinking yet? If you ARE, INDEED thinking, are you determining STANDARDS?

What of the young woman who drove both of her children into a lake and then tried to blame it on a black man?

What of the woman in Florida whose dead child was not even reported missing by her?

What of the "freedom riders"? (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperie ... domriders/)

What of the RIOTS over the Rodney King verdict? (http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/ ... 31,00.html)

Whose STANDARDS?

WHOSE thoughts?

...are choices EVIL?

...or, are they GOOD?













...if there IS NO evil, then there can be no good.

...or, if there is not evil, is EVERYTHING good?

O.K., here we go.

A-1 (imported) wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2011 8:15 pm slammr, are we thinking yet? If you ARE, INDEED thinking, are you determining STANDARDS?

If you weren't so in love with hearing yourself talk, you might have noticed that I'm saying evil is a man made concept and that it only exists in the mind of man. I have not, in any of these posts determined any standard for it.

That was my supposition, and I started this thread to see if anyone had a different concept of evil. As usual, you've run off at the mouth without saying anything. Nothing you've posted answered the question: does evil exist other than in the mind of man?

Are you thinking yet? Do you ever think before you start posting?