Evil

[Bartmanhomer]

Today I spoke to my friend on the phone and we have a long discussion of evil in the world. He also mention that evil is winning so far and pretty soon the world will be destroyed. I told him from a Taoist point of view that good and evil are mixed into one. What's your religious point of view on evil?

[Sean R. R.]

Re: Evil

For me there is no good nor evil. Only Ego, and either the fullfilling or not of the ego.

[habbalah]

Re: Evil

Evil is purely subjective, and often used as a buzzword to stir up emotions. I believe far more that people are generally selfish, rather than generally good or evil.

[anunitu]

Re: Evil

I think the term "Evil" is an excuse people use to claim something outside,when it is the inner human madness that moves down that road to infamy. Not my fault,the evil spirits made me do it....

[EndlessCravings]

Re: Evil

I don't have a religious point on Evil. I don't understand morals and things of that nature. "Evil" really isn't real to me. If I do something and you think it's Evil, that's your perspective, that's just how you see it. I see all these things about people killing others, harming them, messing them up and when I hear people express how that's bad it really does not register with me. I can't mentally understand it. Really I think good and bad, right and wrong, all of that is pretty perspective based. Culture, morals, what your parents ingrained into you makes you determine what is right and wrong in this world, for some people that is.
I had a discussion with my parent today about that. About knowing right from wrong. I know hurting another person makes them cry, but is it really bad? Not to me it isn't.

[THANK...]

Re: Evil

Evil in a spiritual sense is subjective and conditioned as far as I am concerned. I like the way Karl Thorsson explains it in 'Qabala, Qliphoth and Goetic Magic', paraphrased - Good is going towards God, or Faith, Evil is going away from God, or Proof. Evil in the objective world is quite different to me in that I understand it as actions that are harmful such as rape, murder, and slavery. Those actions are irrational and psychotic, thus unacceptable in thought and practice to me. They are also damaging to more than just the victim, but to their loved ones as well. Seeking to harm others is evil, seeking to help others is good, living a life to the best of your ability to survive and thrive is neutral, possibly bordering on good and really not so evil, even if narcissistic at times.

[Juniper]

I told him from a Taoist point of view that good and evil are mixed into one.

Can you explain this a little bit more? I'm not familiar with Taoist views.

[Bartmanhomer]

Re: Evil

Can you explain this a little bit more? I'm not familiar with Taoist views.

Sure. Let see. According to the Tao Te Ching. That's a Yin and Yang. Yin means negative and Yang meets positive. They mixed into one. I hope that explains a bit more.

[EndlessCravings]

Re: Evil

Sure. Let see. According to the Tao Te Ching. That's a Yin and Yang. Yin means negative and Yang meets positive. They mixed into one. I hope that explains a bit more.

Are you saying you can't have one without the other?

[Bartmanhomer]

Re: Evil

Are you saying you can't have one without the other?

Yes. That what's it's said in the Tao Te Ching.

[faye_cat]

Re: Evil

Today I spoke to my friend on the phone and we have a long discussion of evil in the world. He also mention that evil is winning so far and pretty soon the world will be destroyed. I told him from a Taoist point of view that good and evil are mixed into one. What's your religious point of view on evil?

My understanding of the Taoist POV of good vs evil was that if you label something, you have to label something else as the opposite. Ergo, if you label something "good", you must label something that is not "good" as bad". Let me see if I can find the verse that implied this...

Chapter Two:
When the world knows beauty as beauty, ugliness arises
When it knows good as good, evil arises
Thus being and non-being produce each other
Difficult and easy bring about each other
Long and short reveal each other
High and low support each other
Music and voice harmonize each other
Front and back follow each other
Therefore the sages:
Manage the work of detached actions
Conduct the teaching of no words
They work with myriad things but do not control
They create but do not possess
They act but do not presume
They succeed but do not dwell on success
It is because they do not dwell on success
That it never goes away

taken from http://www.taoism.net/ttc/complete.htm

For my personal beliefs, I think that evil is subjective. We may think that a human killing a baby is evil, but when a wild animal does it, it's the natural order of things. I definitely have my moral code, but I realize that my code is not the same as someone's in say, a war torn country, or someone who is in a different tax bracket than me.

I do believe that culturally, there are things that the majority agree on as evil acts (killing children/civilians, especially during war, the Holocaust, what explorers did to indigenous people, etc), and then there are things that vary from the perspectives (just check out the debate forum for some examples lol).

The word itself is also used as a placeholder or catch all to describe human behavior when you are unable or unwilling to analyze it.

[Medusa]

Re: Evil

I have totally done small evil things in my life for the sheer enjoyment of watching someone I dislike have a crappy day. It's quite fun.

[EndlessCravings]

Re: Evil

I have totally done small evil things in my life for the sheer enjoyment of watching someone I dislike have a crappy day. It's quite fun.

Satisfying, aye?

[Medusa]

Re: Evil

Satisfying, aye?

Working retail you find fun ways to make yourself feel good when people are crappy towards you. I mean I'm not killing kittens and sacrificing them to the Dark Lord.

[EndlessCravings]

Re: Evil

Working retail you find fun ways to make yourself feel good when people are crappy towards you. I mean I'm not killing kittens and sacrificing them to the Dark Lord.

I work in retail. I don't get crappy customers often. Or my manager ends up dealing with them. It must be because they get funny acting when customers talk stupid to me. I used to hate kittens.