Why is there evil in the world?

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rjmamula14
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Why is there evil in the world?

Post by rjmamula14 »

Just throwing the question out for thoughts. My pastor brought it up in yesterday’s service in light of the recent mass shootings. He himself said he didn’t have an answer.
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Firebird
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Re: Why is there evil in the world?

Post by Firebird »

I'm not sure if anyone has an answer. Some might argue it's the whole yin yang thing or good vs evil, day vs night. (Like Luke...come to the darkside.)
So, I have often wondered if there really is a half good half bad sort of scenario really happening out there and if there is...then there is just as much good out there as there is evil.
The other thing is the tipping point theory, when it gets too much on one side the whole thing changes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipping_point_(sociology)
What if we backed up a few decades and had a :inlove: Love- In :inlove: where peace, flowers and music ruled the day?
Remember make love not war? We should start another movement!
It's been hard on our youth, (and hard on everyone) but especially the young who have such malleable minds that we are spawning generations of people who have ptsd, with no help in sight. The mental health of the world is at stake. And who is going to address that? It's a really frightening prospect.
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supremz
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Re: Why is there evil in the world?

Post by supremz »

I think evil is just the corruption of good. If you have something as simple as fire, you can easily see it can be used for vital as well as destructive purposes. The same goes for all four elements. Star Wars really does a good job at simplifying the conflict so anyone can understand it, and while some would say Lucas kind of dumbed it down by the time he made the prequels, I think there is something valuable in distilling the eternal conflict so it is undeniable.

All Sith are fallen Jedi, so they were once trained in the ways of the force and trusted to use its power before they discovered it can be used against itself, and as Vader himself says, "Fear is the power of the Dark Side," so it is always giving in to their passions that turns them evil. The Jedi, on the contrary, are stoic and disciplined. They don't try to influence fate. I don't know where evil originated, but that is probably my best guess as to what causes it.
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Firebird
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Re: Why is there evil in the world?

Post by Firebird »

I could even venture to wonder if it wasn't set forth as truth by the Xtians. Rather than just calling something black or white, let's give it this heavy handed meaning that has only extra been extrapolated and expanded upon ever since?
“There are things known and things unknown and in between are the Doors.”
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“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”
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supremz
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Re: Why is there evil in the world?

Post by supremz »

Firebird wrote: Mon Jun 13, 2022 1:15 pm I could even venture to wonder if it wasn't set forth as truth by the Xtians. Rather than just calling something black or white, let's give it this heavy handed meaning that has only extra been extrapolated and expanded upon ever since?
I wouldn't say so, since there were already Persians and Indians that had black-and-white morality long before Jesus supposedly existed. Christianity is an easy target because they are so loud about their beliefs and have so badly turned away from being a persecuted minority to a persecuting majority that it makes them easy to blame.

Jesus and his followers were the first to invert the pagan morality, however, so that strength and courage became "evil" while weakness and subservience became "good". As you can expect, this had a huge change on people's consciousness, which led to the fall of Rome. Even today, someone is considered "good" as a person because they are nice, and possess benevolent characteristics.

Just as the values changed, the gods of old turned into "demons" for possessing those sinful qualities.

I don't know if anyone is familiar with Friedrich Nietzsche, but his works are recommended reading if this interests any of you at all.
JahaRa
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Re: Why is there evil in the world?

Post by JahaRa »

My problem with this question "Why is there evil in the world" is that every society has a different definition of evil. In our society we would consider it evil to kill a baby because it is female, but there have been societies where that was acceptable. If you follow one religion, evil is defined one way and another religion defines it differently. Some people think certain human traits or predispositions are evil, it is easier than trying to understand someone different from you.

So, rjmamula14, what is your definition of evil?
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Corbin
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Re: Why is there evil in the world?

Post by Corbin »

(Personal opinions only)

AND DEATH SAID: Show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy?

Paganism does not generally deal in defining absolutes but in recognising equilibrium, as a belief that follows nature and it's cycles, its ebbs and its flows.

That said, in mysticism, one of the first practical steps in understanding universal concepts is by dividing them into absolutes. Such parted waters strain ready to break and remingle because extremes are artificial constructs - paradoxes align.

Good and Evil as FORCES is a Zoroastrianism dualistic conciet that filtered down to all polarised religions. As a pagan I don't hate Christianity but I do see it as a religion of easily defined absolutes - and without wishing to offend anyone - a religion for children to understand and not question.

If evil or good exist anywhere or in anything in the world it is in the WILL. There is the world as it is and the world as we we have it be. Its a painful truth.

------

"I shall be good when I WILL be good"
supremz
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Re: Why is there evil in the world?

Post by supremz »

I don't think good and evil are mere moral values that can be determined subjectively, however. There definitely must be an undeniable standard that you can evaluate and measure for others to see. Determining what that standard is has been the role of religion and philosophy since ancient times. I don't think the absolute truth about it has been discovered yet, but certainly it exists. I don't ascribe that it's just a matter of opinion.
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