There Is No Difference Between "Good" and "Evil"

[eves_adam]

You know, after seeing "Jesus Camp" and after visiting at least a half dozen churches in my local community, I don't think there is any real difference between so-called "good" and "bad" people.

I was just watching "Jesus Camp" and finished listening to some nutcase Fischer praise islamic radical fundamentalist suicide bombers who train their children to become warriors in the name of Allah. So, what's the difference between the so-called "evil terrorists" and the so called "holy" evangelicals? They both favor war. They both favor intolerance. And neither engages in even basic thought processes, such as scientific reasoning.

I was watching a MMA video the other weekend with a friend of mine. I looked at the slogans: guns, harleys, blood. And "my" pastor at knucklehead church told the ENTIRE congregation that his favorite pasttime is, get this, polishing, cleaning and reassembling his gun in the event that someone forgot to repay a loan. The congregation thought this was funny. What's the difference between the "bad" fighters and the "holy" pastor? None, that I can tell. Except the pastor is worse. The mma fighters only believe in shooting in self defense. The pastor believes in shooting simply out of spite.

And what about lying? The "pastor" at the local church was actually interviewed on television recently. He spoke of the importance of the separation of church and state. Yet, he publicly derides gays and tells his congregation how to vote.

In other words, a number of christian leaders I've encountered are not only as "bad" as "bad" people, but are considerably worse than "bad" people. They advocate violence, they openly lie about their respect for separation of church and state. And their congregations follow.

What is this world coming to.

 

[WatersMoon110]

I don't know if there really are "good" people and "bad" people. I think that almost everyone is a mix of both good and bad qualities.

But I think that there are actions, like stealing, killing, and raping, that are committed by people who don't want those things to happen to them. I don't know if such actions are universally "bad" (well, maybe raping), but I think that they contain an amount of hypocrisy.

I do hope that the pastor you spoke of was only joking about shooting someone.

 

[tapero]

You know, after seeing "Jesus Camp" and after visiting at least a half dozen churches in my local community, I don't think there is any real difference between so-called "good" and "bad" people.

I was just watching "Jesus Camp" and finished listening to some nutcase Fischer praise islamic radical fundamentalist suicide bombers who train their children to become warriors in the name of Allah. So, what's the difference between the so-called "evil terrorists" and the so called "holy" evangelicals? They both favor war. They both favor intolerance. And neither engages in even basic thought processes, such as scientific reasoning.

I was watching a MMA video the other weekend with a friend of mine. I looked at the slogans: guns, harleys, blood. And "my" pastor at knucklehead church told the ENTIRE congregation that his favorite pasttime is, get this, polishing, cleaning and reassembling his gun in the event that someone forgot to repay a loan. The congregation thought this was funny. What's the difference between the "bad" fighters and the "holy" pastor? None, that I can tell. Except the pastor is worse. The mma fighters only believe in shooting in self defense. The pastor believes in shooting simply out of spite.

And what about lying? The "pastor" at the local church was actually interviewed on television recently. He spoke of the importance of the separation of church and state. Yet, he publicly derides gays and tells his congregation how to vote.

In other words, a number of christian leaders I've encountered are not only as "bad" as "bad" people, but are considerably worse than "bad" people. They advocate violence, they openly lie about their respect for separation of church and state. And their congregations follow.

What is this world coming to.

The worlds no different than been all along. That people do wrong stuff doesn't mean no difference between doing good or doing evil.

Huge difference and not sure why people think that non Christians must be evil or bad and Christians must be good, as that's not truth.

People are people and if one is a Christian whatever that person does or does not do is a reflection on himself/herself.

Self righteousness is as heinous as any other sin, and so we just keep walking our walk and let others walk their walk as we can only work on ourselves.

A Christian leader/pastor etc, are no different than any other Christian and when put upon a pedestal as is tendency in this country well, won't be long before someone finds out their sinners just like they are.

 

[Fin12]

You know, after seeing "Jesus Camp" and after visiting at least a half dozen churches in my local community, I don't think there is any real difference between so-called "good" and "bad" people.

I was just watching "Jesus Camp" and finished listening to some nutcase Fischer praise islamic radical fundamentalist suicide bombers who train their children to become warriors in the name of Allah. So, what's the difference between the so-called "evil terrorists" and the so called "holy" evangelicals? They both favor war. They both favor intolerance. And neither engages in even basic thought processes, such as scientific reasoning.

I was watching a MMA video the other weekend with a friend of mine. I looked at the slogans: guns, harleys, blood. And "my" pastor at knucklehead church told the ENTIRE congregation that his favorite pasttime is, get this, polishing, cleaning and reassembling his gun in the event that someone forgot to repay a loan. The congregation thought this was funny. What's the difference between the "bad" fighters and the "holy" pastor? None, that I can tell. Except the pastor is worse. The mma fighters only believe in shooting in self defense. The pastor believes in shooting simply out of spite.

And what about lying? The "pastor" at the local church was actually interviewed on television recently. He spoke of the importance of the separation of church and state. Yet, he publicly derides gays and tells his congregation how to vote.

In other words, a number of christian leaders I've encountered are not only as "bad" as "bad" people, but are considerably worse than "bad" people. They advocate violence, they openly lie about their respect for separation of church and state. And their congregations follow.

What is this world coming to.

WELCOME TO HUMAN NATURE!

 

[cantata]

I think very few people do things they believe are evil.

It's one of the reasons I reject the concepts of good and evil and try, in general, to express my "moral" feelings in terms of my own preferences, and simple prudence.

 

[gwenmead]

Interestingly enough, I wrote a blog post recently on a very similar topic...

One of the hallmarks of a religious zealot - or indeed a zealot of any stripe - is that they think their actions are somehow fundamentally different and more worthy than the actions of other zealots. Somehow the Christian zealot bombing the abortion clinic thinks he's better and his cause more justified than the Muslim zealot bombing the marketplace halfway around the world, and vice versa.

But it's a good question: does anything really separate these two examples, when it comes down to it? They're both using religious justification to bomb human beings they don't approve of. What's the difference?

"Good" and "evil" are human constructs, in any case. They're based on human values and human needs. I'd say that the actions of both zealots I illustrated above are evil, but they'd probably beg to differ.

 

[DarkCoffeeJazz]

You know, after seeing "Jesus Camp" and after visiting at least a half dozen churches in my local community, I don't think there is any real difference between so-called "good" and "bad" people.

I was just watching "Jesus Camp" and finished listening to some nutcase Fischer praise islamic radical fundamentalist suicide bombers who train their children to become warriors in the name of Allah. So, what's the difference between the so-called "evil terrorists" and the so called "holy" evangelicals? They both favor war. They both favor intolerance. And neither engages in even basic thought processes, such as scientific reasoning.

I was watching a MMA video the other weekend with a friend of mine. I looked at the slogans: guns, harleys, blood. And "my" pastor at knucklehead church told the ENTIRE congregation that his favorite pasttime is, get this, polishing, cleaning and reassembling his gun in the event that someone forgot to repay a loan. The congregation thought this was funny. What's the difference between the "bad" fighters and the "holy" pastor? None, that I can tell. Except the pastor is worse. The mma fighters only believe in shooting in self defense. The pastor believes in shooting simply out of spite.

And what about lying? The "pastor" at the local church was actually interviewed on television recently. He spoke of the importance of the separation of church and state. Yet, he publicly derides gays and tells his congregation how to vote.

In other words, a number of christian leaders I've encountered are not only as "bad" as "bad" people, but are considerably worse than "bad" people. They advocate violence, they openly lie about their respect for separation of church and state. And their congregations follow.

What is this world coming to.

I believe those are your key words, there. THAT YOU'VE ENCOUNTERED.
You're taking the mistakes of those people and applying it to a biased label.

 

[eves_adam]

People do one of two things;

a, they do whatever they want to do, then look for a convenient label to justify it

b. they do what they are told to do, and accept whatever label they have been given

The next is very rare;
c. they actually think about what is 'correct' in terms of being good for both themselves and other people

The last is extremely rare;
d. they actually think about what is 'correct' for both themselves and other people, and then ACT in accordance

The following is a theoretical possibility but almost never happens;
e. people act according to what is good for others only, and act in accordance with this principle but are willing to be flexible in thinking according to various circumstances

you ask, how can such a person survive? Others recognize their selflessness and give of their own free will so that they can serve their mission

 

[acropolis]

banalization of evil blah blah blah

 

[tulc]

There Is No Difference Between "Good" and "Evil"

...remind me not to ask you to babysit?
tulc(or make coffee)

 

[PassionFruit]

You know, after seeing "Jesus Camp" and after visiting at least a half dozen churches in my local community, I don't think there is any real difference between so-called "good" and "bad" people.

I was just watching "Jesus Camp" and finished listening to some nutcase Fischer praise islamic radical fundamentalist suicide bombers who train their children to become warriors in the name of Allah. So, what's the difference between the so-called "evil terrorists" and the so called "holy" evangelicals? They both favor war. They both favor intolerance. And neither engages in even basic thought processes, such as scientific reasoning.

I was watching a MMA video the other weekend with a friend of mine. I looked at the slogans: guns, harleys, blood. And "my" pastor at knucklehead church told the ENTIRE congregation that his favorite pasttime is, get this, polishing, cleaning and reassembling his gun in the event that someone forgot to repay a loan. The congregation thought this was funny. What's the difference between the "bad" fighters and the "holy" pastor? None, that I can tell. Except the pastor is worse. The mma fighters only believe in shooting in self defense. The pastor believes in shooting simply out of spite.

And what about lying? The "pastor" at the local church was actually interviewed on television recently. He spoke of the importance of the separation of church and state. Yet, he publicly derides gays and tells his congregation how to vote.

In other words, a number of christian leaders I've encountered are not only as "bad" as "bad" people, but are considerably worse than "bad" people. They advocate violence, they openly lie about their respect for separation of church and state. And their congregations follow.

What is this world coming to.

I still believe people are generally good who are influenced by the bad.

I don't know if I'd say Becky Fischer was praising Muslim extremists, I think she did however respect their devotion. And she also made points about how with Muslims children are trained from a young age to first for the month of Ramadan. I think she was just commenting on their devoutness. However, I still think it was a little bit disturbing.

But you have to realize that not all Christians are not like Becky Fischer or the ones you have describe. But yes, there are those who use the bible to justify their bad actions. The strange thing is, they feel they're doing good when they do this.

 

[DarkCoffeeJazz]

People do one of two things;

a, they do whatever they want to do, then look for a convenient label to justify it

b. they do what they are told to do, and accept whatever label they have been given

The next is very rare;
c. they actually think about what is 'correct' in terms of being good for both themselves and other people

The last is extremely rare;
d. they actually think about what is 'correct' for both themselves and other people, and then ACT in accordance

The following is a theoretical possibility but almost never happens;
e. people act according to what is good for others only, and act in accordance with this principle but are willing to be flexible in thinking according to various circumstances

you ask, how can such a person survive? Others recognize their selflessness and give of their own free will so that they can serve their mission

I guess I'm more of a "C" person, trying to work for "D". I give myself a lot of EPIC FAILS however.
But I'm trying.
And I'm not sure what "E" means, by your own standards anyway.

 

[WatersMoon110]

I guess I'm more of a "C" person, trying to work for "D". I give myself a lot of EPIC FAILS however.
But I'm trying.
And I'm not sure what "E" means, by your own standards anyway.

I think that "E" would be, like, Jesus. Or other very holy people, like the Sufis. Someone who has experienced God, and come back to try and help other people live better lives.

That would be my idea of someone who only lived for others (and, I would say, for God). I don't know if all people, or even many people, are capable of such self-less-ness. I don't think that I am, at least at this stage in my life.

I guess I'm an "A" acting, "C" person who strives to be a "D" person when I can. I don't often do things that I think are wrong (except, at my worst, to myself) and I try to help the people around me. And, when I see things that I think are wrong, I try to stop them as best I can.

 

[Rajni]

You know, after seeing "Jesus Camp" and after visiting at least a half dozen churches in my local community, I don't think there is any real difference between so-called "good" and "bad" people.

I was just watching "Jesus Camp" and finished listening to some nutcase Fischer praise islamic radical fundamentalist suicide bombers who train their children to become warriors in the name of Allah. So, what's the difference between the so-called "evil terrorists" and the so called "holy" evangelicals? They both favor war. They both favor intolerance. And neither engages in even basic thought processes, such as scientific reasoning.

I was watching a MMA video the other weekend with a friend of mine. I looked at the slogans: guns, harleys, blood. And "my" pastor at knucklehead church told the ENTIRE congregation that his favorite pasttime is, get this, polishing, cleaning and reassembling his gun in the event that someone forgot to repay a loan. The congregation thought this was funny. What's the difference between the "bad" fighters and the "holy" pastor? None, that I can tell. Except the pastor is worse. The mma fighters only believe in shooting in self defense. The pastor believes in shooting simply out of spite.

And what about lying? The "pastor" at the local church was actually interviewed on television recently. He spoke of the importance of the separation of church and state. Yet, he publicly derides gays and tells his congregation how to vote.

In other words, a number of christian leaders I've encountered are not only as "bad" as "bad" people, but are considerably worse than "bad" people. They advocate violence, they openly lie about their respect for separation of church and state. And their congregations follow.

What is this world coming to.

One of several reasons I no longer "do" the church thing. God does a great job of looking after my spiritual well-being without a pastor's "help".


.

 

[ACougar]

Well, the silver lining to all this is that your hopefully learning not to put people up on a pedestal, were all a mix of positive and negative traits... progressive and regressive.

That doesn't mean we can't learn from people, look at thier strengths and attempt to make them our own.

There is lot's of good out there and there is lot's of evil out there... it's just that pure good and pure evil are extremely rare, not something most of us encounter on a daily basis.

 

[DarkCoffeeJazz]

...remind me not to ask you to babysit?
tulc(or make coffee)

I can haz coffee?

 

[Beanieboy]

One of the things I loved about the lasted Batman was that Batman was good and bad. That was the theme of the movie, that everyone is good and bad. Usually, each person thinks they are good, and some "other" is bad.
The US sees themselves as fighting on the good side with God, and the Taliban see the US as the Devil, and are fighting on the good side with Allah.
The US has done some terrible things (ie., bombing a site making weapons, that turned out to be an aspirin factory..."Ameeeerica, (&#(&#(**&$ yeah! Coming to save the m(*&(*&(*&&&^Tg day!")

In Batman, there were two ships, one with inmates from a prison, the other with civilians, "Innocent" people. They needed to make a decision when presented with a dilemna, and one watches as those who are good choose to make selfish choices, and those who are "bad guys" make honorable, brave choices.

It is simplistic to think someone evil, and equally unreal and simplistic to think someone "good." Rather, people choose to do good or bad actions, and that changes who they are.

In Jesus Camp, the leader was using fear to motivate the children in a cult-like fashion, claiming that Muslims were the enemy, the world was the enemy, the government was the enemy against God for allowing abortion. They used their children (not of an age of consent) to forward their point, which is simple manipulation of the children and government. Most often, she was saying things like, "This means war," telling the kids to lay hand on a image of the President that bordered on idolatry, etc.

It was an image not of love and mercy, but of conquering, warring, dominance, etc.
Were a Muslim to do the same, she would have a problem with it, but can allow the same things with herself, because she does them in the name of God.

 

[Verv]

You know, after seeing "Jesus Camp" and after visiting at least a half dozen churches in my local community, I don't think there is any real difference between so-called "good" and "bad" people.

I was just watching "Jesus Camp" and finished listening to some nutcase Fischer praise islamic radical fundamentalist suicide bombers who train their children to become warriors in the name of Allah. So, what's the difference between the so-called "evil terrorists" and the so called "holy" evangelicals? They both favor war. They both favor intolerance. And neither engages in even basic thought processes, such as scientific reasoning.

I was watching a MMA video the other weekend with a friend of mine. I looked at the slogans: guns, harleys, blood. And "my" pastor at knucklehead church told the ENTIRE congregation that his favorite pasttime is, get this, polishing, cleaning and reassembling his gun in the event that someone forgot to repay a loan. The congregation thought this was funny. What's the difference between the "bad" fighters and the "holy" pastor? None, that I can tell. Except the pastor is worse. The mma fighters only believe in shooting in self defense. The pastor believes in shooting simply out of spite.

And what about lying? The "pastor" at the local church was actually interviewed on television recently. He spoke of the importance of the separation of church and state. Yet, he publicly derides gays and tells his congregation how to vote.

In other words, a number of christian leaders I've encountered are not only as "bad" as "bad" people, but are considerably worse than "bad" people. They advocate violence, they openly lie about their respect for separation of church and state. And their congregations follow.

What is this world coming to.

You do not know how to take a joke and you do not how to distinguish one very strange group of evangelicals from the other 80 million that are quite normal evangelical people...

I do not think there is much of a point even engaging you in a debate because you have really just buried your head in the sand.

If you do not bother to see a joke as a joke or an extreme minority from the majority you are simply closed to discussion on this.

 

[Stinker]

There Is No Difference Between "Good" and "Evil"

You know, after seeing "Jesus Camp" and after visiting at least a half dozen churches in my local community, I don't think there is any real difference between so-called "good" and "bad" people.

I was just watching "Jesus Camp" and finished listening to some nutcase Fischer praise islamic radical fundamentalist suicide bombers who train their children to become warriors in the name of Allah. So, what's the difference between the so-called "evil terrorists" and the so called "holy" evangelicals? They both favor war. They both favor intolerance. And neither engages in even basic thought processes, such as scientific reasoning.

I was watching a MMA video the other weekend with a friend of mine. I looked at the slogans: guns, harleys, blood. And "my" pastor at knucklehead church told the ENTIRE congregation that his favorite pasttime is, get this, polishing, cleaning and reassembling his gun in the event that someone forgot to repay a loan. The congregation thought this was funny. What's the difference between the "bad" fighters and the "holy" pastor? None, that I can tell. Except the pastor is worse. The mma fighters only believe in shooting in self defense. The pastor believes in shooting simply out of spite.

And what about lying? The "pastor" at the local church was actually interviewed on television recently. He spoke of the importance of the separation of church and state. Yet, he publicly derides gays and tells his congregation how to vote.

In other words, a number of christian leaders I've encountered are not only as "bad" as "bad" people, but are considerably worse than "bad" people. They advocate violence, they openly lie about their respect for separation of church and state. And their congregations follow.

What is this world coming to.

It is evident in your post that you are aware of moral objective good. You knew that these people were not living up to it when their positions that they occupied demanded such from them

 

[lawtonfogle]

You know, after seeing "Jesus Camp" and after visiting at least a half dozen churches in my local community, I don't think there is any real difference between so-called "good" and "bad" people.

I was just watching "Jesus Camp" and finished listening to some nutcase Fischer praise islamic radical fundamentalist suicide bombers who train their children to become warriors in the name of Allah. So, what's the difference between the so-called "evil terrorists" and the so called "holy" evangelicals? They both favor war. They both favor intolerance. And neither engages in even basic thought processes, such as scientific reasoning.

I was watching a MMA video the other weekend with a friend of mine. I looked at the slogans: guns, harleys, blood. And "my" pastor at knucklehead church told the ENTIRE congregation that his favorite pasttime is, get this, polishing, cleaning and reassembling his gun in the event that someone forgot to repay a loan. The congregation thought this was funny. What's the difference between the "bad" fighters and the "holy" pastor? None, that I can tell. Except the pastor is worse. The mma fighters only believe in shooting in self defense. The pastor believes in shooting simply out of spite.

And what about lying? The "pastor" at the local church was actually interviewed on television recently. He spoke of the importance of the separation of church and state. Yet, he publicly derides gays and tells his congregation how to vote.

In other words, a number of christian leaders I've encountered are not only as "bad" as "bad" people, but are considerably worse than "bad" people. They advocate violence, they openly lie about their respect for separation of church and state. And their congregations follow.

What is this world coming to.

But there are still quite clear good and bad given any broad context.