When does a belief become evil?

[Ken-1122]

Thus the question, when does a belief rise to the level of being evil?

When the belief inspirers one to act on their evil beliefs to the detriment of others

 

[RDKirk]

When the belief inspirers one to act on their evil beliefs to the detriment of others

True beliefs dictate subsequent actions.

 

[partinobodycular]

True beliefs dictate subsequent actions.

Ah, but who's to decide which beliefs are "True", other than the person holding them? Now an omniscient being might be able to tell which one's are true, but as far as I know, none of us mere mortals are omniscient. Therefore what's permissible in the defense of one person's beliefs must be permissible in the defense of every person's beliefs.

It kinda comes down to the golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you don't want others to be extreme in defense of their beliefs, then don't be extreme in defense of yours.

Otherwise, you reap what you sow.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

But that becomes a very treacherous path to navigate, because often the defense of a righteous belief looks exactly the same as the defense of an evil one.

Can you give an example?

 

[stevil]

Thus the question, when does a belief rise to the level of being evil?

And secondly, are there any beliefs that you think rise to that level?

Everything is a belief. You believe the moon exists. If you didn't believe the moon exists you would think others are somewhat crazy when they talk about the moon.

But there is a distinction between justified belief and unjustified belief. A justified belief is based on evidence and has no plausible alternative. There is a whole lot of evidence that points to the moon existing, the alternative isn't very plausible, especially when people can look up at night and see this bright shiny ball in the sky.

But unjustified beliefs are different. They have a lack of supporting evidence and they have plausible alternatives. To choose to accept this belief then the beholder is choosing to ignore the plausible alternatives. They are choosing to be close minded.
Saying I believe that aliens have visited earth is the same as saying I refuse to accept that there is a possibility that aliens haven't visited earth.

Some people use "faith" to help them formulate beliefs. Faith is "optimism" for example you have faith in yourself that if you invest time into learning something that you will be able to eventually achieve what it is that you are learning. You don't know if you will be able to achieve it, there are two possibilities 1. you achieve it, 2. you don't achieve it. But you have faith (optimism) and you choose to believe (ignore the possibility that you might fail) and you go for it anyway.

There is nothing inherently evil about this process of thinking.

 

[timothyu]

Did Jesus teach us to argue/rebel or to simply speak our truths? Why cannot people simply speak their truths without having to resort to calling others "demonstrably wrong"? Perhaps it is the latter that are not content to simple sow seeds as the parable tells us to do, but insist on determining how they also grow. That attitude of attempting to prove others wrong instead of putting the effort into why oneself is right, has led to every skirmish known to mankind and is typical of our anti-Christ characteristic of self.

 

[RDKirk]

Ah, but who's to decide which beliefs are "True", other than the person holding them? Now an omniscient being might be able to tell which one's are true, but as far as I know, none of us mere mortals are omniscient. Therefore what's permissible in the defense of one person's beliefs must be permissible in the defense of every person's beliefs.

It kinda comes down to the golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you don't want others to be extreme in defense of their beliefs, then don't be extreme in defense of yours.

Otherwise, you reap what you sow.

By "true beliefs," I'm talking about beliefs that the individual truly holds, rather than merely giving political or intellectual assent.

If a person truly believes in his mind and heart that, say, everyone around him is a vampire, that belief will be reflected in his actions.

So an evil belief, truly held, will be reflected in evil actions.

 

[Ken-1122]

True beliefs dictate subsequent actions.

I don't know if that's always the case. I know a lot of people who know (for example) right, but due to character flaws and short comings, they do wrong anyway. Sometimes we believe one thing yet still do another

 

[RDKirk]

I don't know if that's always the case. I know a lot of people who know (for example) right, but due to character flaws and short comings, they do wrong anyway. Sometimes we believe one thing yet still do another

I'd question whether their belief is truly held.

"Knowing right" doesn't mean they truly believe it matters to be right, which means they don't truly believe it's right.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

It seems as if the world has become very divided lately. Conservatives versus liberals. Anti-immigration versus open borders. Anti-vaxxers versus vaccine advocates. Black lives matter versus blue lives matter.

Now it's true that such differences are normal, and have always existed, but it seems as if lately the hostility between opposing positions has become more and more acrimonious, and that people reach that state of acrimony much more quickly. To the point that some in each camp believe that the opposition isn't just wrong, but that their beliefs, or their intentions are actually evil.

Thus the question, when does a belief rise to the level of being evil?

And secondly, are there any beliefs that you think rise to that level?

As a Christian, I'm going to have to go on record as one of those types who asserts that a belief rises to the level of being evil when it asserts itself on a social level and catalyzes the person holding it to further think and act in ways that are contrary to how God would want us to think and act ...

Oh, for sure! There are beliefs today that rise to that level, but also being that I'm an existentialist and a bit of an epistemological skeptic, I expect that I'm going to have a difficult time pinning those beliefs down through rationality and critical thinking in any way that seems compelling to those who only supper on today's reigning Zeitgeist.

Still, I suppose if we look hard enough, we can quickly find one or two little tidbits of evil belief that I think we may all agree on and are ... indeed evil (or are, at the least, utterly dysfunctional).

 

[timothyu]

Sometimes we believe one thing yet still do another

That's so we don't get it into our heads that we are somehow not human.

 

[timothyu]

Still, I suppose if we look hard enough, we can quickly find one or two little tidbits of evil belief that I think we may all agree on and are ... indeed evil (or are, at the least, utterly dysfunctional).

Luke 16:15, Romans 12:2

 

[partinobodycular]

Can you give an example?

On the face of it that seems like a very reasonable request, but what if I were to offer abortion as an example of an evil belief. You as a Christian may sincerely believe that abortion is evil, and therefore certain actions are justified in the defense of that belief. But someone else may believe the exact opposite, and like you they believe that certain actions are likewise justified.

But what you're really asking, or should be asking, isn't what beliefs people are justified in defending, but rather, what actions are they justified in taking.

Barry Goldwater famously said that "extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice", but what if what you consider to be an attack on your liberty, someone else considers to be a defense of theirs? In such a case, using the same reasoning, both of them are justified in using extremism.

Which is why I said that it makes for a treacherous path to navigate, because the only way out of this conundrum is for at least one side to accept that extremism, even in the defense of liberty, isn't justified.

That's an awfully difficult cheek to turn.

 

[The happy Objectivist]

It seems as if the world has become very divided lately. Conservatives versus liberals. Anti-immigration versus open borders. Anti-vaxxers versus vaccine advocates. Black lives matter versus blue lives matter.

Now it's true that such differences are normal, and have always existed, but it seems as if lately the hostility between opposing positions has become more and more acrimonious, and that people reach that state of acrimony much more quickly. To the point that some in each camp believe that the opposition isn't just wrong, but that their beliefs, or their intentions are actually evil.

When it's irrational.

Any belief that denies the absoluteness of reality is evil.

Any belief that is based on mysticism is evil.

Any belief that promotes self-sacrifice is evil.

Any belief that rejects individual liberty is evil.

Mysticism = a claim to knowledge by some non-rational means.

Evil= that which makes life unlivable or destroys the life of a rational being.

Liberty= freedom from the initiation of force.

Sacrifice=the giving up of a value for a lesser value or for no value at all.

 

[SkyWriting]

Thus the question, when does a belief rise to the level of being evil? And secondly, are there any beliefs that you think rise to that level?

Sure. This is not evil:

Matthew 7:12
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Luke 6:31
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 

[CatsRule2020]

It seems as if the world has become very divided lately. Conservatives versus liberals. Anti-immigration versus open borders. Anti-vaxxers versus vaccine advocates. Black lives matter versus blue lives matter.

Now it's true that such differences are normal, and have always existed, but it seems as if lately the hostility between opposing positions has become more and more acrimonious, and that people reach that state of acrimony much more quickly. To the point that some in each camp believe that the opposition isn't just wrong, but that their beliefs, or their intentions are actually evil.

Thus the question, when does a belief rise to the level of being evil?

And secondly, are there any beliefs that you think rise to that level?

2 Timothy 4:3-4
King James Version

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.


The secular world likes to think that they came to recognize Objective morality on their own. They did not. They only recognize Objective moral evil because much of it was made easier to see due to it being codified in the New Testament.

The above scriptures are an example of people having been exposed to Objective morality, but in the future, they would discard sound Christian teaching, in favor of teaching that would stir up their negative passions.
Their beliefs became sinful the instant the people indulged in these teachings.