Why is it so difficult for some people to have a concept of Evil?

Question

Is it because they don't want to see the "potential" for evil in themselves?

Answer 1

yes.
A sign of human self-maturity is the realization of the infinite potentialities of the self. Just what religion seeks to repress in us.
What religion SHOULD seek to do is help decide WHAT potentialities to manifest(i.e. avoid evil and do good...)

Answer 2

What does this mean? I do not believe there is such thing as "Evil" per se, something that creeps up and makes you do very bad things you shouldn't. That's silly. But it doesn't mean one can't have a concept of evil. It might be defined as acts which disregard the importance of other people's lives to the point of exceptional violence and murder, without either remorse or any rational justification. The further we are from comprehending how a human can commit an atrocious act, the more likely we are to define it as evil. However this is just a convenient category for things we do not understand. I'm not saying they are possibly justifed if only we could see it from the other person's perspective - only that that is how we arrive at a definition of evil. It is very obvious that this encompasses the capacity for evil that exists in us all.

Answer 3

I think it is partially there own motivation not to believe in evil as a reality, I mean, who -wouldnt- want to live in a world ( wether or not it is imaginary ) without any sort of negative consequence??

And partially the religious communities moralization of evil, what I mean is compartmentalizing "evil" to a certain set of actions, thoughts, or objects. Instead of communicating WHY certain things CAN be or ARE evil, they simply follow dogmatic advice, Never understanding the nature of evil themselves, then passing it along to others.

This ( quite understandably ) seems very incredulous to a person who investigates with the question "what is evil" and then they get answers like "sex before marriage is evil" and "becuz God said so"

I would say the fault for evil being "stealth" falls on both the believers and unbelievers alike.

Answer 4

In the first century, a man named Saul was well-known for his disrespectful speech, even for his violent behavior. The Bible says that he was “breathing threat and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” (Acts 9:1, 2) He later acknowledged that he had been “a blasphemer and a persecutor and an insolent man.” (1 Timothy 1:13) Although some of his relatives may already have become Christians, he said of his own attitude toward Christ’s followers: “Since I was extremely mad against them, I went so far as to persecuting them even in outside cities.” (Acts 23:16; 26:11; Romans 16:7, 11) There is no evidence that the disciples tried to engage Saul in public debate while he was conducting himself in that manner.

Why did Saul act like that? Years later, he wrote: “I was ignorant and acted with a lack of faith.” (1 Timothy 1:13)

Answer 5

What is Evil? If you think about it, there are thousands of thousands of ideas about what Good is... so, in relation to that, it must be very hard to label something as Evil. Evil is a very strong word... I don't believe people are evil. Genocides, for example, are evil... but the people carrying them out, and giving the orders? I think they must be crazy, rather than evil.

Answer 6

An Indian friend once said to me that the difference between right and wrong is the thickness of a butterfly's wing. Most of us would consider peadophiles to be evil, but many of them do justify their predation as love.

We all have different values and judgements, so evil is something, to us, that crosses a boundary which shifts from person to person.

Answer 7

Because "Evil", like good bad, right wrong, and other value based descriptions are subjective not objective. It's based on learned behavior and social conditioning not on quantitive data.

Answer 8

Because evil is subjective. What is evil to one may not be so to another.

Answer 9

Bad actions. there iron shackles. good actions. there golden chains.the way to heaven is narrow.know the path of love and understanding. a striving for spiritual knowledge.a heart knowledge, not so much importance set on a head knowledge, my mother told me that.haveing trust & faith in our heavenly father. we must try to do Gods will. evil is in the world so much that people our surronded by it and it ingulfs them. and they think its ok sometimes to do wrong.The prince of the power of the air is so much in control of so much in this world. haveing the spirit of God within you and thru you guidance will follow.with the asking of wisdom will it come to you.Peace.

Answer 10

Because there isn't any evil in them and you're just trying to start something?