How do atheists explain 'good' and 'evil' ...... ?

Question

Athiests.......I honestly would like to know how you explain why some folks are 'good' - and why some are 'bad' ? Serious answers, please.....

This is a black and white world !! When we talk about evil people we are talking about folks who steal, kill and destroy.....who seem to have no feelings of fair play. How do we explain this? And, how do we explain the people that lay down their lives to help others ??? Serious answers, please......

We do indeed live in a black and white world.....a world of absolutes. Right is right and wrong is wrong. Evil is bad and good is good. Man is man and woman is woman. No one is all good, that is true......we all have times of being 'bad'. But do truly 'bad' folks have 'good ' moments? Folks who have chosen to steal, kill and destroy? WHY have they chosen this way? Why do others choose to live good lives? I have yet to see a good answer to this....laying aside any 'religious' influence. What do YOU think, honestly? And, where did evil come from ? Where did goodness come from? If you do not have any faith in a supreme being, what can you say that will be a satisfactory answer? Has science come up with any good answer? Does nature give us any clues? Just because folks say we do not live in a black and white world...that does not make it true. Right is right and wrong is wrong......if you don't believe this, just try breaking the law sometime.

When I say 'no one is all good'.....that is also an absolute.....since evil exists to draw good folks away from their 'goodness'. How many of you atheists out there want to do good all the time, but are discouraged because you can't? People of faith find the same TRUTH. We have an explanation for this.........I want to know what YOUR ideas are ??? People of faith believe that all God created was and is good...but that sin perverts it. GOODNESS, in its original form was absolute!!

Answer 1

Evolution certainly can't account for it. There must be an appeal to a higher power. Only God could have determined the standard.

Answer 2

You have this backwards. The Catholic Church were the first ones to decide that Evil and Good were two separate camps. This was then passed to virtually all of the Christian churches (they all started with Catholics anyway)

Essentially, Evil was a social construct that was principally used to describe Pagan worship in a way that would help to remove the local competition for congregation.

The more people attending Church the more donations - the more donations the richer the church got- the richer the church got the richer the church hierarchy got. ipso facto - you don't go to Church because you are a Pagan ergo you are doing evil things.

This is partly why Christmas and Easter do not fall with the actual dates the represented events are supposed to have happened - Pagan rituals were absorbed and so if you attended the pagan version rather than the Church version you were Evil.

Other religions are much less definite than the Machiavellian Christian Churches. Islam refers to evildoers rather than evil. Evil is not an entity or condition it is an act by a person.
Buddhists refer to actions that are without merit as being acts that have evil in them
Pagans see evil in the way that you treat people - the act rather than the essence of the individual.

All religions EXCEPT Christianity assume that people are basically good and get it wrong - some more so than others. The fact that the Catholic church has disseminated the belief of original sin that we are born with (and has been adopted in all Christian faiths hence -baptism, confirmation etc) is actually a shrewd business move by and organisation driven by profit - ie - get them young and you will keep them forever. Much like a drug dealer.

Good and bad are social judgements. In the 80's conspicuous consumption in the UK was 'good' because it showed success and success showed effort ergo - it was good. Now it is a bad thing because we are all supposed to be 'socially responsible'.

Views of good and bad are a flux not a constant - until you understand that good and evil are nothing to do with religion and are entirely social or economic constructs you cannot position yourself to make judgement. In the end we are all judged by the way society sees our actions and whether or not we believe that we were acting in a good or bad way is irrelevant.

Finally, if you are a true believer you cannot see good or bad in anyone. In order to see either you must make a judgement. Paul warns us about this (let him without sin...) and indeed even Jesus is recorded as saying that His Father will judge them it is only our job to help those that we can. Stop worrying about the judgement of others and concentrate on the actions of you. Be what you believe is virtuous and good to others and you wont be far wrong - which is what the Pagans originally told you to do.

Answer 3

so baisically your saying that the great benevolent god u so adore makes people good and bad? And you say God give free will. So a murderer is the way he is because god made him that way? well if so thats bs. Its people that make people the way they are. Themselves and others around them that influence there thoughts. Evil exists because people arent perfect. You decide what morals you want to live by, not some invisible entity in the sky.

Answer 4

About as well as the rest of us non-Xians out there.

Both my Biologists Parents are Atheists - they are good people who check where things come from before they buy, watch for their footprint on this planet, sponsor 3rd world children, buy Villages Cows as presents for family members, the list is endless.

I defy ANY one out there to suggest that they are "evil" because they don't practise YOUR brand of spirituality.

They have NO problems identifying "good" from "evil" without using your sacred texts.

Is that Serious enough for you ?? Or do you plan to be further offencive tonight?

[Round 2]

This is NOT a black & white world.

What one person views as evil another will view as good. Look at what W is doing in the Middle East. It is EVIL to kill civilians for oil. It is Evil not to support the Aust, US, UK (etc) troupes over there even if their bosses have sent them for evil purposes. There is RARELY a clear line as to what is right or wrong. Anyone myopic enough to see in Black & White misses Grey & the entire colour spectrum.

Yeah I'm serious.

.

Answer 5

May I ask you how do Christians explain good and evil?

I'm sure your not suggesting that all Christians are good and all atheists are evil. That would be ludicrous as we know that you don't have to believe in God in order to be a good person. Also, throughout history, evil has been continuously perpetrated in God's name. Personally, as an atheist, I have devoted my life to helping others. My sibling, who is a believer has devoted his life to robbing and hurting people.

It does seem that you believe that supernatural beings influence the behavior of individuals - that God makes people good and the devil plays a role in making people bad. I think that is an oversimplified way of looking at it as behavior is far more complex than this person is good and this person is evil.

Answer 6

The concepts of good and evil are subjective: what you consider good is not likely to be the same as what I consider good.

I think it's incorrect to divide people into good/evil, because the line between good and evil is not that clear and almost anyone is capable of doing anything, depending on circumstances.

Having said that, I will concede that a small percentage of people choose to do evil, that is, to do things which can only be considered harmful to themselves and others. I don't know why they make such choices and frankly, I don't care. Such people are criminals and should be treated accordingly. Some of them may be rehabilitated, while others need to be locked up for their protection and ours.

Answer 7

"Good" and "evil" is a matter of opinion. In the end there really isn't any good or evil just conflicting opinion. What the majority considers right is normally what is defined as "good" therefore something like murdering your neighbor is "evil" because the vast majority of people would (thankfully) agree that it is simply wrong to do something like that.

If everyone thought it was right to walk up to somebody on the street and shoot them dead I promise you it would be considered "good". (Again thankfully this however is not the case) And the same concept applies to right and wrong, they too are all matters of opinion.

Whatever you hold as "good" someone else believes is pure "evil" I can promise you that too.

Answer 8

Concepts of good and evil have evolved in humans, as in other social animals. Good behavior is judged as behavior which promotes social cohesion, i.e., fairness, altruism, charity, honesty, etc. Evil is judged as behavior that is unfair, deceptive or harmful to others in the social group. Now there is also a counter evolutionary trend, in humans as well as other social animals, where selfish behavior can lead to reward, as long as it is limited to a minority, and does not destroy the larger group. In all social animals then, we see the majority acting good, and always on the lookout for the few who are violating the social good for their selfish benefit, and then punishing said offenders.

Anyone who has studied non-human social animals, from monkeys to parrots, sees the clear parallels between human and non-human concepts of good and evil, as well as social groups comprised of mostly "good" individuals, with sporadic instances of "cheating.".

Answer 9

its the way people feel, as the are two feeling those that feel good and those that don't, the ones that feel good are linked to good action, you can figure out the rest.

But you must realise that the legal system have come from religion anyway and it matters not whether you believe it is evil or not you will get charged with doing something"evil" and it doesn't matter what you think.

I am not Athiest..

Answer 10

Some people have good parents, some people have bad parents. Not everyone chooses to follow the law or think about or help others. Most people do.