concept of good vs. evil

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salvashen
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concept of good vs. evil

Post by salvashen »

I am sorry if this is in the wrong forum, but it seems to go here since it didn't exactly fit anywhere else. I was on go-gaia.com, and online forum anime site and someone brought up the topic of Good and Evil. This what they asked:

"my question to you is: is there really such thing as good and evil? can something be pure good or pure evil?
my personal opinion is no. but i what to see other's veiw. if you say yes, please try to give examples of good vs. evil. thnx"

What do you think?


my opinion:

I think, as in Harry Potter, "there is no good and evil, only power, and those who are too weak to seek it".

Forgive me if I misstated the quote. Anyway, only religion and law gives one an idea of "good" or "evil". Law tells us it is wrong to kill, but is it really? However, if you consider good as in necessity, was it necessary to kill someone? What was the purpose? If something has no beneficial purpose to the individual's survival, could it considered "evil" or "bad"? Please assume that I am tying both "bad" and "evil" together under the same definition.

But, if one's survival depended on a person's death, would it still be immoral to kill them? Some would say no, some yes. However, we kill animals to eat, would it be bad to kill a human in order to life safely?

In life, without religion or law, there is no "good" and "evil" because in nature, none exists, only survival.
Beauty is truth, truth beauty. ~Keats

In consequence of the film of familiarity and selfish solicitude we have eyes, yet see not, ears that hear not, and hearts that neither feel nor understand. ~Coleridge
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Post by BigGunna »

As far as a personal trait allot of people may lean to one side or another. I don't think it's so much labeling someones character, rather just an explanation as to their motivation. A good person would do for others as an evil one has thier own intentions. It's also an emotion, sometimes you you can feel good or evil partaining to a situation. Like a spidey sence if you will. But in say, anime, it's a plot device, a driving force. One cannot exist unless the other was working against it.

True survival is paramount and it creates interesting scenarios. Relating to an earlier post about the Ten commandments I think everything is open to interpretation. We can say, thou shalt not kill. However, people still support killing devices like a seemingly useless war? Wouldn't that be just as evil? But if you were a soldier on the field and someone is shooting at you don't just sit there with your rifle.

Humans are not really candidates for realating to a nature perspective on good evil. Since we can pose such a question of good and evil we must be aware of what we are doing. We must also remember in nature there is damn chi, Life Death, Good Evil, the Hunter and the Hunted. You're just given a small role in a scene in this huge play of life. I think there is really a good and evil because I've went through both extremes. But that's just me, I'm sure the peeps have other experience with it.
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it's in our nature

Post by TahoeJazzLover »

The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do good; His ears are open to their cries for help.
But the Lord turns His face against those who do evil; He will erase their memory from the earth.
Psalm 34

There is definately good and evil. We like to think that mankind is basically good. But God's Word says that all people are under the power of sin.

As the Scriptures say,"No one is good-not even one. No one has real understanding; no one is seeking God. All have turned away from God;all have gone wrong. No one does good, not even one."

Think of it this way. Are you capable of living a sinless perfect life? Can you go for one day without having a mean thought about someone or being jealous of someone? Have you ever stolen something that wasn't yours? Be honest. It's in our nature to sin.

Here's a story. There once was a scorpion and a turtle sitting on the side of a riverbank. They both wanted to get to the other side. The scorpion asked the turtle if he would give him a ride on his back across the river.

The turtle said "Why would I do that? If you are sitting on my back you will sting me and I will die".

The scorpion said "Why would I sting you? You are my ride across the river and I can't get there without you." This made sense to the turtle, so he agreed to give the scorpion a ride across the river.

You guessed it, midstream, the scorpion began to sting the turtle repeatedly. As the two of them were drowing together, the turtle questioned the scorpion as to why he would sting him when he said he would not.

The scorpion answered back "I couldn't help myself... it's in my nature."

It's in our nature too. Man was created to have fellowship with God, but because of his sin nature he is prevented from that fellowship. Our sin has separated us from God to such a degree that we cannot know Him personally and cannot experience His love without His help. God knew this from before the beginning of time, and that's why He knew we would need a Savior. The payment for sin is death. Jesus died in our place, he lived the sinless perfect life that we could not. The awesome news is by placing our faith in what Jesus did for us, we are seen as righteous through God's eyes. We become righteous through Jesus Christ.

If you really want to know about good and evil, read the Bible. God is the authority on the subject.
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is just to love, and be loved in return.
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Post by DarksideZero »

But, if one's survival depended on a person's death, would it still be immoral to kill them? Some would say no, some yes. However, we kill animals to eat, would it be bad to kill a human in order to life safely?
you forgot to mention we kill plants to eat. don't forget that. if you want to say a life is a life human or not remember, Life feeds on life, plants as well as animals die for your continued existance for the sake of survival... morally you can always choose to die instead of live off anothers death... but then again.. you can't live without killing something anyway.... unless you get personal photosynithisis going.... the cycle of murder continues..... so what difference does it make if your talking carrot. cow or human.... life is life... is your sin greater if you have to kill a person to live verses snuffing that carrot?

what

is there really such thing as good and evil?
yes but it is purely conceptual, they are ways of expressing how we percieve events...

can something be pure good or pure evil?
no, good and evil are not muatually exclusive forces they are dependant on the other one just for us to conceive of the ideas behind em, if you were to hypothetically eliminate all evil from something, your really just changing the referance points for what is good and what is evil. after all, what is light, without darkness? what is shadow, without flame?

good and evil are oppisite ends of the same force... you really can't have one without the other....
there is no good and evil, only power, and those who are too weak to seek it".
really its how you use power that defines good or evil. think of it like this, I have the power to speak, the power to walk, the power to leave, power to stay, see its not a matter of quantity its just what you do... you can crush an insect under your foot , or step next to it instead..... either way you had the power to do either.... but one destroys and one protecs, one aids and the other hinders, its just a matter of positive or negative energy........ but you always have power of some kind it doesn't matter if your seeking more, just what you do with what you have
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Post by TahoeJazzLover »

so what difference does it make if your talking carrot. cow or human.... life is life... is your sin greater if you have to kill a person to live verses snuffing that carrot?


Let me try to enlighten you to what God's Word says:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.... Then God said, "Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came. And God said, "Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal-livestock, small animals, and wildlife." And so it was. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to reproduce more of its own kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, "Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life - the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals."

God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals." And God said, "Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given all the grasses and other green plants to the animals and birds for their food."

And so it was. Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way.

from the book of Genesis

God created man to be masters over plants and animals and gave us reasoning, which plants or animals do not have. My cocker spaniel is very smart, but doesn't know the difference between good and evil. God did not give plants or animals the ability to reason. When God created us in His own image, He gave us free choice - the ability to reason.

In Romans 2:15, it says "... the work of the law is written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness..."

God made man with His law written on our hearts. We already instintively know the difference between good and evil.

But in John 3:10 it says: "Their judgment is based on this fact: The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished."

Isaiah 5:20 states: Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark...

As far as what we eat or drink Mark 7:15 says: "You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do!"

We do know the difference. The question is can we admit it?
The greatest thing that you will ever learn
is just to love, and be loved in return.
-Nature Boy Eden/Ahbez
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