Why is it that when you call evil "evil" so many ignorant people think it is bigotry?

Question

Calling evil "evil" is no more bigotted than calling water "water." Why are so many people ignorant to what bigotry really is?

Answer 1

There are two reasons that I can think of. First, many people, especially those sharing western culture, no longer have a shared notion of what evil is. Most westerners seem to feel that "evil" is a matter of choice, it is relative to the person's preferences, wants and/or desires. So, while *I* might consider rape an evil, someone else deems it a matter of pride. My wrong is someone else's right -- or so the argument goes.

Second, and a bit more subtle, is that most westerners now grant the positive existence of evil. This is so different from the Irish of 750 AD, say, for whom evil was a privation, or a marring of the good. One could talk about good without talking about evil, but one could not talk about evil without talking about the good. A subtle, but important difference.

HTH

Charles

Answer 2

Well, the first problem is that "evil" is a human concept which changes over time. We now consider many normal things from centuries ago as "evil" today. If you heard of someone tossing their baby into the river because it was deformed, you would most likely consider that an evil act. However, this was once a common practice in many societies. Do you think that everyone thought slavery was evil? We do now, but not back then. So "evil" can be measured differently from society to society and across the span of time.

The second problem is that what you consider evil may not be so to other people. Some people think abortion is evil, others think it is wrong but not evil, and some believe neither of those to be true. So "evil" also has personal connotations.

As for bigotry, aren't you actually practicing bigotry when you assume that your definition of evil is the only right one?

Answer 3

What is evil? Is there an absolute "Evil"? Or is there "relative evil"?

Take for example "thou shall not kill". But what about legitimate self-defense? What about armed police officers? What about soldiers in a war? What about a surgeon having to choose between the live of the baby of the life of the mother?

Lots of people, religious, non-religious or anti-religious, have been thinking, agonizing, writing and debating on similar questions during all history of man.

" [...] it is hard to find any act that was not acceptable in some society. The Greeks held favourable views regarding homosexual relationships between male youths and adult men. Less than 150 years ago the United States of America, Great Britain, and many other countries practiced brutal slavery of the African race that lasted for over 400 years. The Nazis, during World War II, found genocide acceptable, as did the Imperial Japanese Army with the Nanking Massacre. Today, there is strong disagreement as to whether homosexuality and abortion are perfectly acceptable or evils." (Wikipedia, "Evil")

But if someone denies the existence of dilemma's, has the monopoly on the evil business, and never hesitates in calling something good *or* evil, chance is he's either a fool, a bigot or a God.

Answer 4

It depends on whom you are calling "evil." If someone decides to steal their grandmother's savings just because he/she is a shiftless lazy person, then he/she is evil.

According to my dictionary, evil is "morally objectionable behavior." Bigotry is "intolerance of any opinions differing from one's own." When something ceases to be an opinion and becomes a fact, you have the right to state it thus.

Many people are ignorant to what bigotry is because they have neglected their dictionary and/or do not have moral principles of the sort you subscribe to (for instance, a raper). The next time someone yells at you for being a bigot, show 'em the dictionary. If you're in the right, that ought to be enough evidence on your account to absolve you of blame.

Answer 5

I think it's mostly because the Christian churches have convinced their members that evil is good - that it is sanctioned by the Bible. For the most obvious examples, take the right-wing Christian anti-abortion and anti-homosexual movements. Many Christian churches not only accept but actually reward the evil done in the names of those movements. The result is what you see here: Christians complaining of bigotry when we point out that it is evil to lie in support of attacks on reproductive rights and homosexuality. It's political correctness at its worst.

Answer 6

Everything and I mean everything has to have a fault attached to it. If a person commits murder, it is all about his/her upbringing or any trauma that may have happened in their lives. Welcome to the world of liberalism.

Bigot and racist, are two of the most mis-used words in this great country of ours. And, again, thank the liberal, ultra-left, for that. They are the biggest name callers in the history of the world but claim not to be. That is changing though because even many of the true liberals are fed up with this to.
And how is using the terms, bigot or racist any different than calling US citizens communists during the fifties? No difference whatsoever.

Answer 7

I think it depends on what you call evil.
For example, if you randomly choose a set or personality traits and label them as evil, even though they do no harm to anyone, then I can see why people would call that bigotry.
I think this is probably more what you are talking about, because nobody argues with the real evil people....murderers, child molesters, etc....

Answer 8

It depends on a) your reasoning at arriving at the conclusion that something is evil, and b) the way you go about making your point. Simply believing that something is evil is not necessarily 'bigotry', but prejudice will often inform the way one arrives at this conclusion, and the way one chooses to respond.

Are you talking about something specific? The Jews, perhaps?

Answer 9

A bigot is a prejudiced person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities differing from his own .

So calling a homosexual an abomination is definitely bigotry.

Answer 10

Because the concept of evil greatly varies from person to person, culture to culture, religion to religion. I personally feel that the Christian missionaries in India are evil, but there will be many who will disagree with me...