what is your perspective of evil?

Question

What do you believe is evil?

do you even believe that there is evil?
why or why not?

Answer 1

Evil is anything that is not good (duh!)
Some people think there is no evil. So, does that mean rape is good? Is addiction wonderful? Does it spiritually fullfill you? Evil is anything that "dirties" the soul.
Someone said that if there were evil, you could measure it. Do we have to get a scientific answer for EVERYTHING???? Do you have to have graphs and numbers and measurements to convince you that there really is evil?
Look on the news! War, murder, rape, thievery, fraud...... are they good????

Answer 2

"Good" and "evil" are moral constructs and as such, can either be accepted or discarded. Even so...

I believe most would be hard-pressed not to be able to isolate an incident in their lives where someone acted from a place of pure "goodness." Meaning, the action was done for the pure benefit of the other while expecting nothing in return. No strings attached. A simple act of goodness which benefited another while desiring nothing in return.

Unfortunately, I have not only experienced the goodness that people can express and give to another, but the opposite. So even thought I often have difficulty with the notion of "good & bad" or "saintliness & evil," evil does exist - thankfully, in it's pure form, not all that much when compared to the goodness people can express towards each other.

Pure evil, in my humble opinion, is something that lacks humanity. It is the ability to behave and act without conscience or a modicum of concern for the other. It is completely self-serving and it is exacted by any means possible. Clinically, it could be called "psychopathic" in nature and spiritually it could be defined as "inhuman." In truth, animals behave better than those who could be defined as evil.

My 2 cents.

Answer 3

Evil is a human construct. I don't believe in good vs. evil in a theistic or supernatural sense. Humans are torn between primitive but still strong biological/psychological drives related to self interest and the adaptations of being social animals with advanced intelligence that live in societies. For example, it may have been an evolutionary advantage for males to abduct and rape many women as that resulted in leaving more offspring. Today however, we realize that there are other considerations such as the feelings of others, retaliation between people when one harms another or their family, rights of the individual, the resources needed to raise children to be well functioning contributors to the society, etc.... As a woman I find the idea of rape repugnant and I would want that person punished. I don't however, see them as evil in a satan vs. god religion sort of way. I see it as someone with poor impulse control and psychological problems should not be able to get away with harming others in an enlightened society. You can use other examples such as stealing in the same way.

There are also people who do things that are just so cruel and wrong without real apparant purpose. I have used the word evil to discribe this but not in a theistic way. I think these people are psychologically deranged by some biological problem or experiences that made them act that way. I don't think that means they should be not accountable for their harm.

I reject the notion of behaviors that don't infringe on the rights of others or harm them as sinful or evil. As an example, I have had Christians tell me premaritial sex is sinful. I lived with my boyfriend for two years before we married. I do not see that as a sin. I think that experience was pivotal in knowing he was the right person to spend my life with. We have been happily married over seven years now. I also don't see birth control as a sinful thing. The pope is fallible, the planet is fillable.

Answer 4

My personal point of view on evil is that it's morally dangerous and it can poison our minds into anything that isn't good. Take for example the story of Faustus. When Faustus made a pact with Satan, he had no knowledge that after he does make the pact, his soul is dragged to Hell for eternal damnation. And also in Star Wars III, When Anakin Skywalker gets these negative feelings about his wife dying and he feels that he's not going to be a Jedi Master. And his only closest friend is the Chancellor. Chancellor Palpatine tells Anakin that there's a way to join the dark side. At first Anakin isn't going to do it and wants to kill him but instead he tells the other Jedi warriors about it. The Jedi Warriors confront the Chancellor and they try to eliminate him but no success. When Anakin sees Jedi master Mace Windu about to kill Palpatine, Anakin takes his lightsaber and cuts off Mace Windu's hand and Palpatine finishes the job. Anakin says, "What have i done?" Then Palpatine says, "You're fulfilling your destiny Anakin, become my student. Learn to use the ways of the dark side of the force." Then Anakin agrees to this. Palpatine gives Anakin two missions. 1, eliminate all the Jedis in the temple. 2, Go to the Mustafar system and eliminate the Separatists leaders including Viceroy Nute Gunray. And his 2 evil missions are done. And when Obi Wan Kenobi hears about what happened, he is forced to fight his student and kill him. And what Obi Wan does, he cuts off Anakin's two legs and one hand leaving Anakin to rot in his fiery grave. When Palpatine learns that Anakin is almost dead, he brings him back to the Capital Coruscant. Anakin is in medical help and finally he's in a new dark suit with a mask and a helmet and thus is given a new nick name, Darth Vader. But in Star Wars VI, Luke Skywalker learns that Darth Vader is his own father. When Vader and Luke meet again, Vader takes him the the death star. And Palpatine wants Luke to join the dark side too. But Luke resists the dark powers and finally he and Vader go into a epic lightsaber fight. Luke finally cuts off his father's hand and Palpatine says, "Good, your hate has made you powerful. Now fulfill your destiny. Take your father's place at my side." And Luke says, "Never. I'll shall never join. You have failed. I'm a Jedi like my father before me." Palpatine is enraged and says, "So be it Jedi, if you won't join me, then you will be destroyed." Flashes of lighting comes from the hands and Luke is in pain. Vader gets up and has two choices. 1, He can either let Luke be destroyed. 2, Get rid of the Emperor and renounce his evil ways. He goes with the 2nd choice. Takes the Emperor and throws him down the shaft. In other words, Vader has renounced his wicked ways and rejoins the good side with Luke. And since Vader was dying, Luke decides to burn his body on a pyre known as cremation. So People need to choose carefully on what side they're going to join. The good or evil. And once the decision is made, that's it. And it's been said that on Judgement day, the ones who have kept the commandments of God and the teachings of Christ will be in Heaven. And the ones who did evil deeds, will punished in eternal damnation known as Hell as described in the Book of Revelation.

Answer 5

I don't know if you've ever heard the lyrics to one of the Beastie Boys songs:

"darkness is not the opposite of light, just the absence of light"

Similarly I believe evil is the absence of light.

Answer 6

MANY THINGS. And not just dark and gloomy and wicked feeling type of things---but evil is to name a few: Teen magazines that focus on beauty and sex- TV can be evil- there is much on there that is horrible to watch- and abercrombie and fitch is evil. haha, I know that sounds ridiculous, but look into what they sell and their catalogs and the pictures. Graphic attitude tees--definatley evil. See satan works in many ways, and in many ways to make people think they are anything but evil-yet these things lead others away from God- and that is why satan uses them as his tools. Billboards with models barely wearing clothes--causes men to lust....therefore causing that person to sin. So you see, there is a lot of evil lin this world, and I just named the things that many people do not perceive to be evil. But as the Bible says:
Genesis 3:1
[ The Fall of Man ] Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'
-And satan has been crafty since the beginning. Also:
Job 5:12
He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.

p.s I am not saying if you shop at abercrombie you are sinning, so do not take what I said out of context- I am just saying satan sneaks into these things and we must be careful and have spiritual discernment when it comes to these things. Because many children now a days have attitudes and are snots- and they get away with a lot more. one of satans plans is to make children disobey their parents-- for God commands all children to obey their parents - Ephesians 6:1 --and so satan will do anything to get someone away from God's word.

Answer 7

I try not to use the word "evil", as it implies that I hold standards of objective morality.

Answer 8

People who try to control others are EVIL.

Unless you are mentally incapacitated in some way, NOBODY has a right to boss you around or try to manage your personal private life.

Unquestioning obedience is for slaves.

Answer 9

people do bad things because people allow people to do bad things nobody is pure evil good and evil is a excuse to pass judgement and separate people

Answer 10

Someone or something that repeatedly and knowingly hurt or oppresses others for their own gain or out of nothing but malice and hate.