why are there so many evil people in the world?

expos4ever

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Statistics related to poverty & crime do not measure the emotional state of people, nor do these factors determine the emotional state of people.
Wow - how can you possibly believe that poverty is not a significant determinant of emotional state? Yes, it is possible to be poor and strong emotionally, but there is no question that poverty creates emotional stress.
 
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expos4ever

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A society that is rapidly discarding the values and morals of the past is reaping evil consequences in the lives of many people.
This is an interesting point. I politely suggest that the notion that morals in the past were better is, for the most part, a myth. Do you realize how poorly women were treated in the past? How much more common slavery and violence was? How poorly animals were treated?

I am not suggesting there has not been downward movement on some moral metrics. But, on the whole, I think it is pretty clear that humanity is becoming more ethical with time, not less.

As just one example: public torture was common practice about 500 years in Europe. Now it is unthinkable.
 
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ananda

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So life is just about the pursuit of happiness?
In essence, though many short-sighted individuals erroneously conflate short-term pleasure with long-term happiness, which is where many unskillful activities originate.

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.
My ultimate source is myself, and observations of my own activity.

Can you name one activity that you engage in that is not done to increase sukha and/or decrease dukkha?
 
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stevil

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Sure you do. Failing to worship and obey God, failing to praise Him shows the condition of your rebel heart.
I have not seen and not heard and hence I do not believe your god exists apart from in many different flavours within the minds of people who take great pride in having not seen, not heard and yet still believing.

How can I obey something that I have never seen nor heard nor read anything written by such an "authority"?
My heart pumps warm blood, it does not know how to rebel against anything.
 
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stevil

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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.
This is quite often the problem when discussing things in some contexts with some Christians.
Although we are using the English language, some of the words and terms have different meanings to the Christians as to the non Christians. So we talk past each other.
And noone wants to clearly define the terms...

I might think of "evil" as being an act that is harmful, destructive, unnecessarily painful to an unwilling "victim". e.g. torturing people or animals.

Whereas the above is claiming that evil is "lacking a belief in a particular god" i.e. not being a Christian. Rather than calling people evil, why don't they just call people non Christians? Be much less confusing and confrontational.
 
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ICONO'CLAST

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Tinker Grey,
Hello TG

One cannot rebel against that which does not exist.
Yes, But all rebellion is against God who is the creator.
You living in creation breathing God's air and failing to worship and obey Him is rebellion.


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

people do this all the time until the last day. then this;
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
 
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Tinker Grey

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Tinker Grey,
Hello TG


Yes, But all rebellion is against God who is the creator.
You living in creation breathing God's air and failing to worship and obey Him is rebellion.




people do this all the time until the last day. then this;
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Your god doesn't exist. I am not in rebellion to your non-existent god. And, the bible is wrong.
 
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ICONO'CLAST

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I have not seen and not heard and hence I do not believe your god exists apart from in many different flavours within the minds of people who take great pride in having not seen, not heard and yet still believing.

How can I obey something that I have never seen nor heard nor read anything written by such an "authority"?
My heart pumps warm blood, it does not know how to rebel against anything
.
The problem is we are born guilty already In Adam.
We are to live perfectly before God and we cannot do it.
God himself came to earth to live the perfect life required at the judgment.
Everyone who will believe will be saved.
Not everyone will believe. Multitudes will.
 
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Tinker Grey

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The problem is we are born guilty already In Adam.
We are to live perfectly before God and we cannot do it.
God himself came to earth to live the perfect life required at the judgment.
Everyone who will believe will be saved.
Not everyone will believe. Multitudes will.
There was no Adam. No one will be saved regardless of what one believes. There is neither anything to be saved from nor anything to be saved for.
 
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ICONO'CLAST

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Your god doesn't exist. I am not in rebellion to your non-existent god. And, the bible is wrong.

Not to you. A blind man can say the sun does not exist, but if he stays in the sun too long, he will get burnt despite his fruitless denial. If you do not repent and believe the gospel, you will find yourself being cast into the second death with others who denied that
There was no Adam. No one will be saved regardless of what one believes. There is neither anything to be saved from nor anything to be saved for.
Now you are free to rebel, and yet scripture describes you like this;
Psalm 14 King James Version (KJV)
14 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.


psalm50:

16 But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?

17 Seeing thou hatest instruction, and casteth my words behind thee.

18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.

19 Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.

20 Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.

21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.

22 Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

23 Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

 
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ICONO'CLAST

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There was no Adam. No one will be saved regardless of what one believes. There is neither anything to be saved from nor anything to be saved for.
Your sin and unbelief are a product of the first Adam. Deny what you will, but you are going the way of all flesh.
You cannot believe unless God enables you too.
 
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Tinker Grey

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Not to you. A blind man can say the sun does not exist, but if he stays in the sun too long, he will get burnt despite his fruitless denial. If you do not repent and believe the gospel, you will find yourself being cast into the second death with others who denied that

Now you are free to rebel, and yet scripture describes you like this;
Psalm 14 King James Version (KJV)
14 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.


psalm50:

16 But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?

17 Seeing thou hatest instruction, and casteth my words behind thee.

18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.

19 Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.

20 Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.

21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.

22 Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

23 Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

Said ever cult leader ever.
 
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stevil

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The problem is we are born guilty already In Adam.
We are to live perfectly before God and we cannot do it.
God himself came to earth to live the perfect life required at the judgment.
Everyone who will believe will be saved.
Not everyone will believe. Multitudes will.
I don't believe in any of that. There was no first human, no Adam, no Eve.
I don't believe there is such a thing as perfection in the context of humanity.
I don't believe any gods ever came to earth, and there is no such thing as a perfect life.
Saved from what?
Must people don't believe in your god, so what? We don't have to believe as you do. However we do share this planet together, we do share societies together. Can't we just get along with each other as best we can and not worry about our differences?
If your god really does exist, then that is between your god and the individuals your god may interact with, or judge or save or whatever. What business is it of yours, to judge others and tell others how to live and what to believe?
 
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Tinker Grey

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For those just tuning in, my points are these: 1) don't pretend you are honestly engaging in conversation when all you present are assertions from your theology. There is a Christians Only section on this forum for that. 2) Don't assert parts of your mythology as fact and expect no response. 3) Don't tell me that your holy book calls me an idiot. This is not even remotely persuasive. It is insulting. Surely a loving god will call you out for this nonsense on your judgement day. Turn in your witnessing badge. ("Shucks. Only two days till retirement.") ETA: 4) If you present nothing but assertions, expect a response of assertions. Or, to use Hitchen's razor, that which is asserted without evidence may be dismissed without evidence.
 
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ICONO'CLAST

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For those just tuning in, my points are these: 1) don't pretend you are honestly engaging in conversation when all you present are assertions from your theology. There is a Christians Only section on this forum for that. 2) Don't assert parts of your mythology as fact and expect no response. 3) Don't tell me that your holy book calls me an idiot. This is not even remotely persuasive. It is insulting. Surely a loving god will call you out for this nonsense on your judgement day. Turn in your witnessing badge. ("Shucks. Only two days till retirement.") ETA: 4) If you present nothing but assertions, expect a response of assertions. Or, to use Hitchen's razor, that which is asserted without evidence may be dismissed without evidence.
God says you are a fool, not me.
I tell you and offer a warning.
You resist and counter with nothing.
I announce that unless you repent you go into second death.That is how this goes my friend;see for yourself;
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 
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renniks

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In essence, though many short-sighted individuals erroneously conflate short-term pleasure with long-term happiness, which is where many unskillful activities originate.


My ultimate source is myself, and observations of my own activity.

Can you name one activity that you engage in that is not done to increase sukha and/or decrease dukkha?
Wow, what a terrible way to live.
Most every time I do something for some one else it is not done to pursue happiness. And honestly, many things in life are done from necessity, just to survive. I don't work for money or happiness, but because I know it's all ultimately about God and his glory, I can do it all with contentment. When I forget that, it's just chasing the wind.
 
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ananda

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Wow, what a terrible way to live.
Most every time I do something for some one else it is not done to pursue happiness. And honestly, many things in life are done from necessity, just to survive. I don't work for money or happiness, but because I know it's all ultimately about God and his glory, I can do it all with contentment. When I forget that, it's just chasing the wind.
When you "do something for some one else", do you not gain an increased measure of sukha/satisfaction from that act, for yourself?

When we do things in life out of "necessity, just to survive", do we not experience more dukkha as a result, if those things aren't done?
 
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