Is God responsible for EVIL in the world?

[whitebb2727]

curious as to what others say, especially christians...

Yes and no.

My Christian views have changed a bit over the years.

I believe it to be like anything else. For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

Without evil there can be no good. Vice versa.

 

[whitebb2727]

well i have to disagree, because without god allowing evil in the world, we would not have it.

god created us in his own image so he must have some built up frustration inside. we must have inherited his ability to hate. cause he hates things in the bible, it says so...

God is vengeful. God is spiteful. God asked people to do some messed up stuff.

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

IF there is a god, he's responsible for evil in the world, in that he unleashed man on the planet. he had to give us free will, or else whats the point of our existence? if there was no evil, no option but to be good, we'd just be mindless insects with no other choice in the matter.
some people think it's a test, and maybe it is, but not in the way they seem to think. it's not just temptation....it's the opportunity to overcome the temptation. the opportunity to rise above the common choice and use the enlightenment we're supposed to be gifted with.

 

[Skeet Kuhn Dough]

He never said evil doesn’t exist tho

He did.

"own definition of our animalistic tendencies, "evil."

To him the word evil is "animalistic tendencies" what I say is what scientists say.

No, I didn't say that it doesn't exist. If your head wasn't so far up your own ass, Buddha2525, you would've seen my point. I feel like mankind has created evil, and it is our own definition of it that makes it so hard to understand.

In America, during the first and mid part of the twentieth century, it wasn't uncommon for a female to marry before she was 15. That's unacceptable these days. To some people, it is evil to kill other animals and consume their flesh. To others, it is an everyday fact of life that we kill animals and consume their flesh. Human beings certainly decided for ourselves what is good and evil. Evil certainly exists, but it is defined by us what that truly is. So yeah, like when chimpanzees (not bonobos) go out in a war party looking for lone male chimps from other groups to kill, it isn't unlike humans going out to war. Ants do the same thing, as do wasps and bees. It is an animalistic tendency. The difference between us and the other animals is our ability to think and comprehend. We reflect on our actions. That is how and why we created "evil." Our capacity for empathy taught us that "I wouldn't want that shit happening to me and my family. It's a bad experience." We later just started calling it evil. Yeah, conceptual or not, evil definitely exists.

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

different can be scary, but the same can be too....a different species doesn't compete with you for food (probably) they don't use the same type of shelter you do, may not travel the same paths you do, they don't compete with you for mates.....in general, different is less of a threat in a lot of important areas than the same is....

 

[Chunky Stool]

No, I didn't say that it doesn't exist. If your head wasn't so far up your own ass, Buddha2525, you would've seen my point. I feel like mankind has created evil, and it is our own definition of it that makes it so hard to understand.

In America, during the first and mid part of the twentieth century, it wasn't uncommon for a female to marry before she was 15. That's unacceptable these days. To some people, it is evil to kill other animals and consume their flesh. To others, it is an everyday fact of life that we kill animals and consume their flesh. Human beings certainly decided for ourselves what is good and evil. Evil certainly exists, but it is defined by us what that truly is. So yeah, like when chimpanzees (not bonobos) go out in a war party looking for lone male chimps from other groups to kill, it isn't unlike humans going out to war. Ants do the same thing, as do wasps and bees. It is an animalistic tendency. The difference between us and the other animals is our ability to think and comprehend. We reflect on our actions. That is how and why we created "evil." Our capacity for empathy taught us that "I wouldn't want that shit happening to me and my family. It's a bad experience." We later just started calling it evil. Yeah, conceptual or not, evil definitely exists.

Your hypothesis has merit, but I think evil has many more facets -- and it's relative.
Some things are considered "evil" until circumstances arise that negate the badness and make it more palatable.
War is a good example of this, as is poverty to a lesser degree.
How many times have you heard people say they did what they did because their kids need to eat?
Is murder OK if you or your family is starving?

Maybe it depends on WHO you murder.

And we've gotta define exactly what "starving" means. Being hungry isn't necessarily "starving"...

 

[Skeet Kuhn Dough]

Your hypothesis has merit, but I think evil has many more facets -- and it's relative.
Some things are considered "evil" until circumstances arise that negate the badness and make it more palatable.
War is a good example of this, as is poverty to a lesser degree.
How many times have you heard people say they did what they did because their kids need to eat?
Is murder OK if you or your family is starving?

Maybe it depends on WHO you murder.

And we've gotta define exactly what "starving" means. Being hungry isn't necessarily "starving"...

I very much agree with what you've said. You may have actually helped me to better understand a way to convey my meaning. Absolutely, evil is very much a relative idea. It's definitely not evil to steal a loaf of bread to feed yourself and/or your family if you/they are starving and there is no other course of action. It is, however, kind of evil to steal a loaf of bread simply because you want to turn around and sell it so that you can go buy some bourbon. That being said, I really do think that what is defined as evil is dictated by the human condition under a given circumstance or long-term situation.

 

[Bugeye]

To me, God is the collective consciousness. Evil is a description of an action /intent but not a power or force unto itself, more a negative byproduct of free will. We can choose to be in light or darkness, but not both at the same time.

 

[Tim1987]

I'm gonna suggest "God" definitely isn't evil.
People who force, and impose their opinions on others most definitely are.
Respect goes a long way.....

 

[Chunky Stool]

I'm gonna suggest "God" definitely isn't evil.
People who force, and impose their opinions on others most definitely are.
Respect goes a long way.....

Which god are you referring to?
If it's a Christian denomination, most of them aren't too keen on tolerance.

Ever heard of the city Jericho?
Do you really understand what it means to "put a city to the sword"?
Ethnic cleansing isn't cool, no matter how you spin it.

 

[Tim1987]

Which god are you referring to?
If it's a Christian denomination, most of them aren't too keen on tolerance.

Ever heard of the city Jericho?
Do you really understand what it means to "put a city to the sword"?
Ethnic cleansing isn't cool, no matter how you spin it.

I dont believe there is a "God" at all, if you must know.
You can take that how ever you like. I respect your opinion. But i have mine.
Its about respecting other peoples beliefs, and not trying to convert someone, or joining some crazy crusade.
Free will is something everyone deserves. But I personally believe there is a good, and a bad.

 

[Chunky Stool]

I dont believe there is a "God" at all, if you must know.
You can take that how ever you like. I respect your opinion. But i have mine.
Its about respecting other peoples beliefs, and not trying to convert someone, or joining some crazy crusade.
Free will is something everyone deserves. But I personally believe there is a good, and a bad.

It is not logical to speak about something, then claim it doesn't exist.

 

[Tim1987]

It is not logical to speak about something, then claim it doesn't exist.

Aaahhh but i used inverted comas, and was answering the heading to this thread.

Saying that is like suggesting i shouldn't have the right to speak my mind about how i perceive creation, and life itself.

Again i respect your opinion.

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

It is not logical to speak about something, then claim it doesn't exist.

and yet, here we are talking about one of the most illogical things in existence....it's a popular topic, as it's one of the one's we all have to face....common ground no matter who you're talking to.

 

[Chunky Stool]

Aaahhh but i used inverted comas, and was answering the heading to this thread.

Saying that is like suggesting i shouldn't have the right to speak my mind about how i perceive creation, and life itself.

Again i respect your opinion.

That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?

 

[Venus55]

Enter “god”, the bible, religion, church, worship..... war.

I don’t believe in religious god/s. Evil is a noun (or adjective) used to describe purposeful and intended wrong doings. Or even to describe an unexplainable and overwhelming feeling of “badness”.
That’s all.

 

[Overgrowthegov]

curious as to what others say, especially christians...

Absolutely. In fact when what we call god extracted our universe outside of time and space, we knew then that it was evil because it would do that! So yes God is evil as fuck. And petty. And jealous. and vengeful. And loving and compassionate? That last part is what the Jews said. Who knows the truth.

 

[whitebb2727]

That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?

Not really. A question was asked and answered.

I mean you don't believe in God but still answering the question.

Unless I missed something.

 

[dannyboy602]

Kind of interesting having a conversation about evil and then trying to quantify evil while insisting there isn't a god. I'm not religious, but I also don't believe in evil. When a dog mauls a person, is it evil? When that pet chimpanzee mauled that lady and ate her face off, was it evil? Human beings are animals, just like any other creature on planet Earth. The difference between us and other animals is that our brains are so much more advanced. We can conceptualize, through empathy, something called "evil," or something called "goodness." At the end of the day we're a slave to our internal instincts.... greed, which is really just our natural instincts pushing us to "win." Food, sex, reward. Just like a wolf pack has its alpha dog, humans are driven to dominate, just like a chimps do. Our amazing brains allow us to dwell on these thoughts, while an alpha male chimp wouldn't think twice about destroying a rival, nor would he dwell on it. Our ability to conceptualize our behavior and create deep thought, or, critical thinking, about our actions, in fact "creates" evil, or, rather, our idea of evil and what it means. So, yes, in a very real sense, mankind has created evil, or at least our own definition of our animalistic tendencies, "evil."

Essentially humans have a big ego. Almost all of them. We think we are the center of the universe. And in some respect we are.

 

[Chunky Stool]

Not really. A question was asked and answered.

I mean you don't believe in God but still answering the question.

Unless I missed something.

I will concede that god isn't evil because he doesn't exist.
But he cannot be good for the same reason.

Unless I missed something.