http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6023
2006-08-29 22:20:51 · 9 answers · asked by chained6002 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Absolutley, actually, God did not create evil. He created free will. By creating free will (the choice of wrong and right), evil has to exist. It's like saying there's up but there's no down. You see? Good can not exist if there is no evil. So really, God did not create evil, evil is what came with free will.
2006-08-29 22:27:32 · answer #1 · answered by Confused 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
tl:dr
Evil exists in the same way that something tastes bad.
I don;t like the way that tastes or smells or feels, it feels icky, it tastes bad, it stinks. Behavior and actions are judged the same way: Bad behavior, bad intentions: Intent to harm or disregard for life. That is what an atheist might call evil. Atheists care and love and protect those they're emoptionally attached to. This is a hormonal response.
Your mentor stated himself, and I agree with him; there is a lot science hasn't covered yet, and THAT IS OK! We don't have all the answers! There are still frontiers and mysteries. I would rather associate with someone who is looking for the answers than one who thinks they have found them.
That essay has holes you could drive a truck through. Moreover, its tedious, inflated philosophical rambling. Sorry bub, you're not converting anyone with that tripe.
2006-08-29 22:31:21 · answer #2 · answered by Roadpizza 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is retarded because it assumes that because we all assume murder, theft, and rape is "wrong" in the general sense that someone must have intended for them to be "wrong."
When I throw a stone up in the air, does some all powerful righteous force intend for it to fall down?
Or do I see that it falls down and call that force gravity?
When I poke myself with a knife and see blood come out, do I say God intended that to happen?
Or do I realize my skin is fragile and sharp objects can pierce it?
"Morality" as you call it, is simply rational people seeing certain behavior and assuming that if applied against them would prevent them from using their free will.
Hence things like murder, rape, theft, fraud, assault are "universally" immoral, but things like homosexuality, polyamory, lust, gambling, suicide, etc are debatable.
A rational person can see that the "universals" always result in at least one involuntary party losing their free will whereas the other "evils" result in only harm to themselves.
That they result in "harm" is not debatable (except for homosexuality).
What is debatable is whether the fact they only affect the one(s) voluntarily engaging in that "evil" is worthy of that "evil" being labeled "evil" or "immoral."
Rational people then rationalize that if those "universals" are allowed, then there is a great chance of them losing their free will.
But if those "lesser evils" are allowed, only those that voluntary partake are affected.
That some acts are labeled as immoral universally is a result of us using our logical brains.
It's got nothing to do with accidents or some ominipotent-all-loving being writing universal laws.
It's simply humans seeing and labeling repetitive cause and effect.
That some acts only harmful to those that voluntarily partake are labelled as immoral in the Bible and that some acts that are harmful to those that involuntarily partake are recommended as moral courses of action in the Bible is the height of irrationality.
2006-08-29 22:56:10 · answer #3 · answered by billmack 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Evil actually proves that there is not god. He is either to weak to prevent it, to uncaring to stop it, or both. And if evil exists than god MUST HAVE CREATED IT. And why would he do that?
2006-08-29 22:26:07 · answer #4 · answered by Steve N 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That article hinges on the assumption that morality is absolute. This isn't necessarily the case.
2006-08-29 22:25:43 · answer #5 · answered by sandesmus 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just because someone does not know what morality is does not mean there is a god.
2006-08-29 22:25:40 · answer #6 · answered by upallnite 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So the fact that there are people who dont value life and have no faith that their attitude can change is the proof we need?
......yeah, I knew about it.
2006-08-29 22:22:20 · answer #7 · answered by Cyber 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
evil is proof yup its that type of thinking that keeps this whole god thing going--are you stoned--wait a minute--is weed proof of god???
2006-08-29 22:24:31 · answer #8 · answered by no--yes--maybe 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Woah, the passage is so long.. I only read the first few sentence...
2006-08-29 22:23:37 · answer #9 · answered by escondido_cinnamon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋