From a non-Christian perspective, why is there evil?

[juvenissun]

In Buddhism, evil is anything contrary to the selfless natural order/laws found in the Universe, or the Dhamma/Dharma in Buddhist terms. Trying to fight against this natural order produces pain, suffering, disease, and all things negative. Also, doing things contrary to the connected, non-dual nature of the Universe (basically anything done that increases or divides "I, me, mine" from "you, yours" etc.) also produces the same.

First, it would be quite hard to self-examine on your own action to know if it is evil or not according to your standard. It may take long time to find out and it might be too late to know it.

Second, you can not judge other's behavior based on your criteria. Because you are not them. You can not feel for them.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

They do not know the answer. Because they do not know what is evil.

Yes and when we ask for a definition of evil, no one seems to agree on a decent answer.

Like I said, evil as in, a malevolent force that only seeks to cause harm, does not seem to exist. There is no such thing as evil itself. There are only things that can be considered evil depending on who you ask.

 

[ananda]

First, it would be quite hard to self-examine on your own action to know if it is evil or not according to your standard. It may take long time to find out and it might be too late to know it.

Second, you can not judge other's behavior based on your criteria. Because you are not them. You can not feel for them.

"Do unto others .." is a guiding principle in Buddhism.

 

[juvenissun]

"Do unto others .." is a guiding principle in Buddhism.

What are you going to do unto me?

 

[juvenissun]

Yes and when we ask for a definition of evil, no one seems to agree on a decent answer.

Like I said, evil as in, a malevolent force that only seeks to cause harm, does not seem to exist. There is no such thing as evil itself. There are only things that can be considered evil depending on who you ask.

That is not good.

 

[ananda]

What are you going to do unto me?

I don't know what you mean.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

That is not good.

That's life. I didn't make up these rules.

 

[dysert]

Yes and when we ask for a definition of evil, no one seems to agree on a decent answer.

Like I said, evil as in, a malevolent force that only seeks to cause harm, does not seem to exist. There is no such thing as evil itself. There are only things that can be considered evil depending on who you ask.

Let me get this straight. So when you consider Hitler, Stalin, the 9/11 terrorists, ISIS, etc., you can't imagine evil behind their actions? Do you just see them as a bunch of misguided individuals acting the way they do because they're, what, selfish??? If there's no evil force, why do you think people do evil things?

 

[GrowingSmaller]

We ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, only it wasnt created .... it EVOLVED!

 

[Inkfingers]

Evil is one of those iffy words; to the grass, the deer that eats it is evil, whilst to the deer the lion is evil.

Evil being calamity which strikes, and so is always relative...as what is calamity to one is benefice to another.

The word itself comes from the Proto-Indo-European word Upelo which means to transgress.

 

[dysert]

Evil is one of those iffy words; to the grass, the deer that eats it is evil, whilst to the deer the lion is evil.

Evil being calamity which strikes, and so is always relative...as what is calamity to one is benefice to another.

The word itself comes from the Proto-Indo-European word Upelo which means to transgress.

So are you saying that there really is no such thing as evil?

 

[Inkfingers]

So are you saying that there really is no such thing as evil?

Its an interesting question; Augustine certainly thought it only to be a lack of goodness rather than a thing in itself.

It also depends on how the word "evil" is being used.

If "evil" is being used to mean calamity, then it is relative; as I illustrated with the grass, deer, and lions.

It can however be used to designate morally inferior behaviour in human beings, which is measured on an absolute and not a relative scale (even though our attempts to implement such will always be subject to imperfect human judgement calls).

So that in a purely worldy situation, Evil is entirely relative (the lions, deer, grass, example), but in the light of a recognition of God it is absolute (in that it marks the degenerate from the holy). Recognition of God adds an extra dimension to the definition.

 

[juvenissun]

So are you saying that there really is no such thing as evil?

You need to have a measuring standard first. For an atheist, it does not exist.

 

[juvenissun]

I don't know what you mean.

So you do not know what is evil.

 

[juvenissun]

That's life. I didn't make up these rules.

There IS a way out of it.

 

[juvenissun]

Let me get this straight. So when you consider Hitler, Stalin, the 9/11 terrorists, ISIS, etc., you can't imagine evil behind their actions? Do you just see them as a bunch of misguided individuals acting the way they do because they're, what, selfish??? If there's no evil force, why do you think people do evil things?

Put me into Hitler's shoes, I can fully justify what he was doing. No evil at all.
Do you think most Germans were stupid at that time?

 

[juvenissun]

We ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, only it wasnt created .... it EVOLVED!

Evolution is an evil idea.

 

[dysert]

You need to have a measuring standard first. For an atheist, it does not exist.

Do the atheists here agree with this?

 

[KnowtheSilence]

Do the atheists here agree with this?

I don't.

 

[bhsmte]

Put me into Hitler's shoes, I can fully justify what he was doing. No evil at all.
Do you think most Germans were stupid at that time?

Go ahead, justify it.