What is "evil"?

[Laureate]

I define it accrding to the definitive context of scripture! How is evil defined in the scriptures?

Well, there are two primary forms of biblical evil עול (agh'vul) pertains to unripe, immature, etc., 'as in not yet suitable to serve a given purpose;

And רע (R'agh) pertains to (spoiled) rotten, inappropriate, etc., as in no longer suitable to serve a given purpose.

hence, you know a tree by the fruit it bears...

Many look at things in life as being good or bad, but forget that having our eyes open to such was forbidden;

The state of a thing can be either good or bad, but the thing by itself can not, it may be expedient (helpful), or inexpedient (not helpful) in a given scenario, likewise things can be appropriate, or inappropriate for a given scenario but the thing it self can not be bad on its own regardless to the scenario.

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

What is the basis for thinking that God is "all good"?

You'll have to ask a believer. It seems to be a common Christian view. The alternative would be compatible with us being fragments of God, as you suggested, but a God capable of evil doesn't sit comfortably with the Christianity I'm familiar with.

 

[ananda]

Jesus.

Doesn't seem to answer the question.

 

[ananda]

"God separate" is an oxymoron.

You said your "God was before creation", which means that creation is God+something else. Therefore, God is separate from "something else" (creation). Alternatively, if creation is part of God, then "God was not before creation".

 

[ananda]

to believe lies leads to evil and to believe the truth leads to good. Lies have their origin in evil spirituality, while the truth proceeds from Good Spirituality.
Lies kill, oppress, enslave and distort The Truth, while The Truth exposes the darkness of the lie and sets free those bondaged by lies. Evil is - anti-Christ - and anti life - within our hearts and minds - and kills us physically and spiritually.

So that or those who are against physical and spiritual life is "evil"?

 

[ananda]

Travel in the land and see what was the end of those
who rejected truth - koran.

For me truth (haq) is - at a mystic level - being, intelligent adherence to being, and respect for life, truth and beauty.

So "truth" = "good"? And if good = being, life, etc. then is "good" that which is creative and sustaining, but destruction is "evil"?

 

[ananda]

My religion:

“Evil is the unconscious or unintended transgression of the divine law, the Father's will. Evil is likewise the measure of the imperfectness of obedience to the Father's will.

“Sin is the conscious, knowing, and deliberate transgression of the divine law, the Father's will. Sin is the measure of unwillingness to be divinely led and spiritually directed.

“Iniquity is the willful, determined, and persistent transgression of the divine law, the Father's will. Iniquity is the measure of the continued rejection of the Father's loving plan of personality survival and the Sons' merciful ministry of salvation.​

To have a "will", one must have access to choices. Is your god limited that he has arrays of choices to choose from?

 

[Laureate]

You'll have to ask a believer. It seems to be a common Christian view. The alternative would be compatible with us being fragments of God, as you suggested, but a God capable of evil doesn't sit comfortably with the Christianity I'm familiar with.

"....shall there be evil in a city, and Ea'huah has not performed it?" [Amos 3:6]

"....What? shall we receive good at the hand of Elohym, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips." [Job 2:10]

I am יהוה [(Ea'huah) lit. Existence], and there is nothing else, there is no Divine authority beside mine: I have been girding you, though you do not recognize it's me:
...there is nothing beside me. I am יהוה (Existence), and there is nothing else.

I form the light, and manifest darkness: I make peace, and manifest evil: I Existence do all these things." Isaiah 45:5-7]

"Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are Elohym: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together." [Isaiah 41:23]

"The fear of Ea'huah is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." [Proverbs 9:10]
Because the Law is predicated on Love, and there is no Love in fear, it is unlawful to be afraid of Ea'huah, thus one might ask, What is Ea'huah fearful of?

According to the song of Moshe, Ea'huah is afraid that the enemy would actually believe they have the ability to lift their arms without Him.

According to Y'shua, the sins which we perform are performed in our heart, and it is Elohym who says, He will hand those who do not have the Love for Truth over to their own (twisted) delusions, (unwaranted) fears, (immature) imaginations, and (unsound) judgements, and convince them to believe a lie.

This is the most frightening Evil I have ever read in the scriptures.

You'll have to ask a believer. It seems to be a common Christian view. The alternative would be compatible with us being fragments of God, as you suggested, but a God capable of evil doesn't sit comfortably with the Christianity I'm familiar with.

 

[Winken]

Ananda ........

You said your "God was before creation", which means that creation is God+something else. Therefore, God is separate from "something else" (creation). Alternatively, if creation is part of God, then "God was not before creation".

God IS.

 

[zippy2006]

Buddha stated that things are either skillful or non-skillful; everything is subject to birth/creation, preservation, and death/destruction, but none of the three are inherently good or evil.

• So you don't believe in evil?
• Is suffering evil?
• Is ignorance of the four noble truths evil?
• Are cessation of suffering, Nirvana, or Parinirvana good?

 

[Colter]

To have a "will", one must have access to choices. Is your god limited that he has arrays of choices to choose from?

I don't understand that question but we are will concious children of God with the power of choice to either do Gods will or not.

 

[Jeshu]

So that or those who are against physical and spiritual life is "evil"?

Rather lies harm physical and spiritual life and proceeds from evil

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

... According to the song of Moshe, Ea'huah is afraid that the enemy would actually believe they have the ability to lift their arms without Him.

According to Y'shua, the sins which we perform are performed in our heart, and it is Elohym who says, He will hand those who do not have the Love for Truth over to their own (twisted) delusions, (unwaranted) fears, (immature) imaginations, and (unsound) judgements, and convince them to believe a lie.

This is the most frightening Evil I have ever read in the scriptures.

It's strange, confused stuff ('it is unlawful to be afraid of Ea'huah', 'Ea'huah is afraid', 'Elohym.. will... convince them to believe a lie' ?), but frightening?

Although, I suppose if you believed in an omnipotent God of love and compassion who's afraid of not being in control, and deliberately deceives people, fear might be appropriate - if it wasn't unlawful by decree...

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

I don't understand that question but we are will concious children of God with the power of choice to either do Gods will or not.

It's a bit of a Hobson's Choice though - 'believe in me or suffer eternal torment'...

 

[Colter]

It's a bit of a Hobson's Choice though - 'believe in me or suffer eternal torment'...

The concept of eternal torment was devised by the shamans of religion because they didn't have anything better to teach. There is either life eternal or death, cessation of existence and that's after all proffers of mercy have been exhausted. In fact the prosess is ultimately so fair as to win the approval of the survival candidate.

 

[ananda]

... The state of a thing can be either good or bad, but the thing by itself can not, it may be expedient (helpful), or inexpedient (not helpful) in a given scenario, likewise things can be appropriate, or inappropriate for a given scenario but the thing it self can not be bad on its own regardless to the scenario.

Sounds very Buddhist, where things are either skillfull or unskillful.

 

[ananda]

Ananda ........
God IS.

... how does that address my comment?

 

[ananda]

• So you don't believe in evil?
• Is suffering evil?
• Is ignorance of the four noble truths evil?
• Are cessation of suffering, Nirvana, or Parinirvana good?

I guess I don't know what "evil" specifically is.
Suffering serves a purpose, I don't know if it is "evil".
Ignorance of the four noble truths is unskillful, for sure.
Cessation of suffering is skillful.

 

[ananda]

I don't understand that question but we are will concious children of God with the power of choice to either do Gods will or not.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this:

Only those who are limited in space and time have the ability to "choose", because choices imply that the chooser possess a variety of options to choose from. And, if someone has multiple options, then that means that that person is limited, within spacetime.

Therefore, I state that your god seems to be within spacetime, and, thus, limited.

 

[ananda]

Rather lies harm physical and spiritual life and proceeds from evil

So you would say Bad intention is evil?