I don't believe in evil...

I don't believe in evil as being an external source... I don't subscribe to the chrisitan view of a devil being the source of all evil (or a god being the source of all good).

That's just all too convient for me, eg:

"oh, it's not my fault I killed someone, the devil made me do it"

And you're not able to take credit for your own actions, eg:

"well it's great that I've helped raise all this money for children in need, but I could not have done it without god".

Sorry, but that's all utter bullshit. IMO.

Everything can be viewed in a light of either good or bad, depending on how you look at it, and what your background is... One persons good is another persons evil..

 

Well said that man.... every one needs to realise they are responsible for their own actions - good or bad...

However, disagree somewhat with the last bit - take Hitler for example - i doubt there is anyone in the world anywhere who wouldn't agree he was evil - even if they supported his views and agreed with his actions.

 

Sure, we look at what he did and think "what a bad man", but look at it from his perspective, he was doing what he felt was right for his people. He viewed jewish people as evil, so he was doing what he felt was right...

And look at all the 'good' that has come as a direct result of what he did... before the second world war a lot of america was very anti jewish (what's the word, I can't remember, anti-semantic or something, i can't rememebr), what about all of the technology that has been made available because of the second world war.

You also need to remember that history is written by the winners, if germany had won the second world war, they would be looked upon as heroes.... but instead, the alliance won (with a lot of help from america, who herself was largly unaffected by the war), so we're the heroes.

It's all a matter of perspective, evil does not exist in the world, there is no such thing, things can only be labeled as good or evil based on your own perspective, and how they effect you.

(PS, i just want to point out that I'm not a hitler fan or anything, and yes, if need be, my own perspective of him is that he was evil... but that's only my perspective, what about all the neo-nazis in america, you can be sure that they don't share my view of him - so who's right? we can't both be right? - you see what I'm saying?).

 

Maybe evil is in the eye of the beholder.
The World of Dan, I love your "Can't we all Coexist?"

 

Thank you.. if you like that, you'll love this: http://theworldofdan.co.uk/blogger/2004/10/day-i-shall-both-smile-and-cry.html

 

Life is Love.
What is "wholesomeness" to you?
Without the dark, there can be no light...

 

If you want to believe in god, then that's up to you... but I don't... So please don't try to use god, because that's just going to make me laugh.

Evil does not exist, it's nothing more than a persons perception of events..

sure, things like child molestation is pointless, and every decent folk would agree that it's bad (IMO), but it's not evil.

As for suicide bombers, they are doing what they believe to be right, to help them get their point across to the world, in the only way they know how... is it wrong?? well, I think it is, I don't believe in killing people. but it's not evil.

Christans used to think that witches, wiccans and pagans are evil... they are not, they just live their life by a diffrent set of rules.

As for the comment on being anti-evil or evil.. grow up... the world is not black and white... everything has it's posatives and negatives...

 

I don't believe in evil, either.
Thank you for posting this.

As far as evolution of consciousness... sometimes things have to become very dark outside to make visible the light within.

Love is what motivates all beings, from within, regardless of accepted external fears. Suffering occurs when one feels disconnected the from the whole.

 

Life is all knowing, a "higher being". The only part you can talk to and be answered by is you. Life loves you, it will always be there for you. In that sense, for me, Life is "god", whatever that word means, and since we are all a part of life, we are all sacred, we are all "needed".

 

as usual, i'm totally with you on this one man, as me and sooo many people in america are very much like what you just described... i am just now waking up that there is sooooo much complete BULLSHIT thats Always going on beyond my little reality, i have just begun to open my eyes, and as sad as it is to say, i don't think i could ever percieve all the evil and suffering that DOES go on in the world, that IS going on RIGHT NOW, even as i type this post.

 

But don't you see, that's just your own perception of events. You've got your own little box, and within that box you've made your own rules, and you can't accept anything outside that box. To you, if something agrees with something in your box, then it's good, and therefore white (for want of a better word, lets please not bring race of peoples skin colour into this, that's not the point i'm trynig to make). If it's outside your box, then it's evil, or black (again, nothing to do with race, just an example). And that's fine for you. for your own moral guidelines, and how you want to live life.

But if you open your eyes to the world, you'll see the world is not black or white.. it's all diffrent shades of gray. Heck, it's not even just that, but a whole spectrum of colours. Each with their own meaning. But just because you don't understand something, or don't agree with it, that does not make is bad. Everything has diffrent levels of good and bad.

You know what, I'm too tired to got into it right now, but give me a while and i'm going to write an article on this for my website, which I'll link to from here... Anyone else here that does NOT believe in evil, i'd be keen on your feedback and input for this article.

 

good and bad are just the way it is man, thats life, north and south, yin and yang, the list goes on forever... try telling rape or starve victims that its just their subjective perception thats causing them suffering.

 

As much as I feel sorry for them, and have compassion for them, the world does not revolve around them, and on the grand scheme of things, they mean very little...

Sure, it sucks that they have been raped, and if at the time I had been able to stop such an event, I would do. But had you not thought that because of being raped, they might not grow into stronger people. (What does not kill you makes you stronger).

Sometimes the most 'evil' events can have posative outcomes, and that's what I'm talking about. if something was 'evil', then everyting they did would be evil, but that's not how the world works...

 

Right! hmm.........

 

I can't tell if you agree with me, or if you're being scarcastic.

PS, I know this might be a hard concept for christans to understannd, they have had their head filled with info of an all loving god, and an evil devil, and so trying to forget that concept is hard for them.. but think of this... (not that I believe in him myself, but..) god created everything, including the devil... and so if god knows only love, why did he even allow lucifer to rebel, and become evil?

Everyone has the ability to do both good and bad (and one persons good is another persons bad).. and it's within themselves... it's not an external force.

 

Best wishes on your article. Perhaps these links will provide a key or two.

http://www.friendsjournal.org/contents/2004/0104/feature.htm

http://www.unsolvedmysteries.com/usm394943.html

http://perdurabo10.tripod.com/id371.html

http://www.manataka.org/page268.html

Oh, Alan Watts has a great chapter called 'The Game of Black and White' in his short novel entitled "The Book: On The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are" that would provide some quick reading fun.

All seemingly opposite pairs come from and merge back into unity. Yin and Yang for example from Wu-chi. The Dance of Life... comes from the freedom of being able to choose between the millions of colored options.

 

Sylvanlightning, thank you for the links... these should prove interesting reading.

 

Sure, its a pleasure. This is a very current topic. I'm sure a number of people will be interested in your post.

 

Very interesting thread, I'd like to add a bit:

Good vs. Evil, Yin vs. Yang, Positive vs. Negative, Construction vs. Destruction, all of these dichotomies are simply interpretations of the observable balance in the universe. There is no such thing, act, gesture, organism, etc. that is "all good" or "all evil", regardless of what connotations may have been attacthed to those terms by Christianity, or any other religion for that matter. Such an object would go against the composition of the universe. There is no "one-sided" coin, there has to be a balance somewhere.

The point is that good is evil, evil is good, and they cannot exist without each other. It's all part of the paradoxical nature of the universe, the "cosmic joke" if you will.

 

AreYouExperienced. Yes, I agree with you. I believe in universal balance, and that's what makes the world go around. But in saying there is no such thing as evil, I'm also saying there is no such thing as good. 'Good' and 'evil' are just labels that we put on things based on our own point of view. everything has the ability to be 'good' or 'evil' because eveything is part of the universe, and the universe is in balance. Do you see what I'm saying? There is no rule book out there saying that A,B & C are good, and X,Y & Z are evil, because 'good' and 'evil' don't exist. They are just labels.

Lets go back to the rape thing. Rape is an 'evil' thing (notice my use of the evil lable to describe rape, I think it's a terrable thing). So therefore, the person who commits the rape must also be 'evil'.. so what are we going to do? Say to him "You're evil, therefore you must be punished", and leave it at that? Blaming 'evil' for all the rapes he's committed? Or are you going to try and understand this person, and find out why he does what he does? maybe he was abused as a child? maybe he has a mental problem? Maybe it's the only way for him to orgams? Now I'm not saying that this person should not be punished... but often, is treatment not better than punishment? And if you can learn about this rapist, and why he does it, you can then learn about other rapists, and why it happens, and before you know it, you might even find a way to spot potential rapists by their actions, an get to them before they can cause any harm.

Do you see what I'm saying?