why are there so many evil people in the world?

[renniks]

IMO the people that "want to see the world burn" are still suffering from ignorance & delusion, as they likely obtain a short-term measure of pleasure from acting upon their delusion, and by not understanding or foreseeing its long-term effects.

So, if we just get enlightened, everything will be fine? And just Who is going to enlighten us?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Obviously a gross misrepresentation. Of course, science has given us things like nuclear weapons and pollution. But, on balance, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks:

Only if you don't consider the proper alternative.

- medicines that dramatically slash rates of early death;
- huge reduction in need for people to perform drudge work;
- incredible advance in access to information and learning;
- general increase in leisure time;
- almost instantaneous communications worldwide;
- significant improvements in the ability to travel on global scales.
- etc., etc. , etc.

There is a dark side to each of these 'advancements'.

There is no denying (except, sadly by many here) that science has brought us global warming. But if the deniers would remove their heads from the sand, perhaps science can save us from this real threat.

Why should science pay attention to deniers?

I politely suggest you have a narrative to defend, and are not evaluating the facts that are right in front of us.

And you are closing your eyes to the negative facts in front of us.

500 years ago, huge percentages of people spent significant portions of their lives enduring dental pain. Do you want to go back to that?

People today endure such pain, mainly because of ignorance or apathy concerning dental health (been there, done that).

 

[OldWiseGuy]

A needed clarification.

We often conflate evil and sinfulness. Sinfulness can be the result of ignorance or moral weakness, while evil is deliberate and usually harmful to others. Of course both are determined by Godly standards alone. Mankind generally dismisses sinfulness and is very tolerant of evil.

 

[ananda]

So, if we just get enlightened, everything will be fine? And just Who is going to enlighten us?

The degree we are able to perceive and understand causes & effect clearly with foresight determines the degree of our skillful behavior. The degree we are unable to perceive and understand determines the degree of our unskillful behavior.

 

[Rajni]

A normal, sane person killing a baby. Is that clear enough?

What normal, sane person would deliberately kill anyone
without justification, just for the sake of being "evil"?

-

 

[miggles]

it's because they have demons in them.

 

[Tinker Grey]

it's because they have demons in them.

Not a thing.

 

[stevil]

it's because they have demons in them.

What is a demon.

 

[creslaw]

‘You’re evil if you don’t believe what I do’...

Not sure how well you understand Christian theology but being evil in the sight of God is related to believing (John 3:19-21). It doesn't necessarily mean you are an evil person in the secular sense.

 

[creslaw]

Poverty not related to suffering? Come on now.

Statistics related to poverty & crime do not measure the emotional state of people, nor do these factors determine the emotional state of people. Conditions such as loneliness alienation, anxiety, & depression are more related to the type of society we create than to a person's economic status. A society that is rapidly discarding the values and morals of the past is reaping evil consequences in the lives of many people.

 

[Allandavid]

Not sure how well you understand Christian theology but being evil in the sight of God is related to believing (John 3:19-21). It doesn't necessarily mean you are an evil person in the secular sense.

Then the answer to the original question in this thread is easy, isn’t it...?

Not everyone believes what others believe. Simple.

 

[Strathos]

What is a demon.

Christian demonology - Wikipedia

 

[Allandavid]

What is a demon.

The guy out of Good Will Hunting...?

 

[ICONO'CLAST]

I don't hate god and I don't rebel against god.
Just as I don't hate fairies and I don't rebel against fairies.
Just as I don't hate Darth Vader and I don't rebel against Darth Vader.

Sure you do. Failing to worship and obey God, failing to praise Him shows the condition of your rebel heart.

 

[renniks]

The degree we are able to perceive and understand causes & effect clearly with foresight determines the degree of our skillful behavior. The degree we are unable to perceive and understand determines the degree of our unskillful behavior.

Who defines what skillful behavior is?

 

[renniks]

What normal, sane person would deliberately kill anyone
without justification, just for the sake of being "evil"?

-

Was Hitler insane? Was Manson insane? Was Timothy Mcveigh insane? Manson, maybe. They all killed for reasons they thought were justified, but were just really just evil.

 

[Ophiolite]

Lol, you know what I'm talking about.

Thank you for crediting me with the gift of telepathy. Sadly it's not one of my superpowers.

Perhaps I should apologise for not making my point clearer. I'll attempt to present it without metaphor, analogy, allegory, or other rhetorical devices. (I shall probably fail, I already feel a simile coming on.)

You noted:

Why pick out the most unlikely scenarios?

Why did you pick the most (superficially) extreme of scenarios? Why did you fail to describe key aspects of the scenario? Why did you assume that your readers would all have comparable backgrounds and viewpoints? Etc. Etc.
Implicit in your choice of scenario is an assumption that evil is an either/or. There are no gradations of evil. Evil is an absolute. Good and Evil are binary alternatives. I'm not convinced that is true. I suspect you aren't either, but your scenario implies it. I wanted to point that out.

A normal, sane person killing a baby. Is that clear enough?

I'm not sure that normal, sane people kill babies, but that's just my uncertainty. It may not be significant.

So, not knowing the why, would you try and stop them or just assume it was somehow justified?

My probable attempt to stop them would have no relationship whatsoever to my assessment of the evil of the act, or of its perpetrator. Your question fails to address the possible evil of the act, but seeks to determine whether or not I am evil, stupid, or sociopathic. I don't think that's relevant. (Of the three the middle one is the closest fit.)

 

[ananda]

Who defines what skillful behavior is?

We do. Since it is clear that the summum bonum is to seek, increase, and establish sukha and to eliminate dukkha, skillful behavior involves any speech, action, or thought which leads one's self & others towards that goal.

 

[Tinker Grey]

Sure you do. Failing to worship and obey God, failing to praise Him shows the condition of your rebel heart.

One cannot rebel against that which does not exist. Indeed, one cannot rebel against that which one does not believe exists, even if it actually does exist.

 

[renniks]

We do. Since it is clear that the summum bonum is to seek, increase, and establish sukha and to eliminate dukkha, skillful behavior involves any speech, action, or thought which leads one's self & others towards that goal.

So life is just about the pursuit of happiness? Blessed are the poor ,blessed are the desperate, blessed are you when men speak evil against you.
We would not, and do not, naturally think that way, which is why we need an ultimate source to show us, what good and evil truly is, otherwise we end up with this new age nonsense.