Religion

marylandblue

(12,344 posts)

67. I actually don't think there is such a thing as evil

Tue Oct 2, 2018, 01:12 PM

Oct 2018

See Nietzsche's "Beyond Good and Evil" for more on that. I also don't think free will is necessary. Nietzsche also questioned free will.

Ideas like "we need suffering to grow" are based on our experience in a world where suffering is unavoidable. But an omnipotent, omniscient being would have had the power and knowledge to create a world where we have free will but suffering is avoidable, or at least significantly more limited than it is now in various ways Given enough technology, we might one day be able to create such a world ourselves, so I don't see why God couldn't do it.

Why does free will require that you be able to cause suffering? Back to the chess game. Yes you can violate the rules and make people upset, but the suffering is mild, if it even can be really called that. But it also usn't a world where everyone is perfectly happy all the time.

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Religious women push lawmakers to investigate Kavanaugh, suspend confirmation [View all] guillaumeb Sep 2018 OP

Yes! whathehell Sep 2018 #1

Religious leaders and voters are standing by their man Voltaire2 Sep 2018 #2

Classic whataboutism on display. guillaumeb Sep 2018 #3

Further proving you have no idea what that word means, and only want to use it as a weapon. trotsky Sep 2018 #4

And is this example good news? guillaumeb Sep 2018 #6

Both. trotsky Oct 2018 #24

Agreed. guillaumeb Oct 2018 #109

guillaumeb, saidsimplesimon Oct 2018 #102

Given that 81% of white evangelicals voted for Trump.. Permanut Oct 2018 #53

Good for them. Sadly, they are too few and too powerless to MineralMan Sep 2018 #5

Why so cynical and depressive? guillaumeb Sep 2018 #7

Slavery should never have existed at all. MineralMan Sep 2018 #8

Cynical and typically insulting. guillaumeb Sep 2018 #9

Sometimes I tolerate. Other times I do not. MineralMan Sep 2018 #10

Add to the cynicism and insult a lack of understanding. guillaumeb Sep 2018 #11

It should not be necessary. MineralMan Sep 2018 #12

Slavery is/was free labor. guillaumeb Sep 2018 #13

Goodbye. You make no sense. MineralMan Sep 2018 #14

That "week" was certainly short. guillaumeb Sep 2018 #15

And how is that your business? MineralMan Sep 2018 #18

Complains about people being cynical. Act_of_Reparation Oct 2018 #25

There is no free labor. Even slaves must be housed and fed, or MineralMan Oct 2018 #33

I agree with the second part, but not the first qazplm135 Oct 2018 #31

Well, I don't know of any examples of non-religious MineralMan Oct 2018 #32

I'm pretty sure that mankind pre-religion had slavery of some sort qazplm135 Oct 2018 #34

Assuming that earlier civilizations were non-religious isn't MineralMan Oct 2018 #35

supernatural belief and organized religion are not the same thing qazplm135 Oct 2018 #36

There is no bright line between those two things. MineralMan Oct 2018 #37

Do you really think qazplm135 Oct 2018 #38

No. I think they developed alongside each other. MineralMan Oct 2018 #41

well but I didn't say religion I said organized religion qazplm135 Oct 2018 #43

Organized religion require organized societies. MineralMan Oct 2018 #45

We know very little about pre-civilization cultures. MineralMan Oct 2018 #42

why didn't God give a Commandment about slavery edhopper Sep 2018 #16

He kind of did give a commandment about slavery. Mariana Sep 2018 #17

So God is good with slavery edhopper Sep 2018 #20

It is clear that God considers slaves to be property Mariana Sep 2018 #21

certainly the group of men qazplm135 Oct 2018 #39

But since many say they were edhopper Oct 2018 #40

no qazplm135 Oct 2018 #44

Why assume it would be at least as ethical as us? Mariana Oct 2018 #46

Because to qualify as a God qazplm135 Oct 2018 #47

What is it about omniscience or near omniscience Mariana Oct 2018 #48

I can easily imagine qazplm135 Oct 2018 #49

You can imagine it. Mariana Oct 2018 #50

Yes I can imagine far worse qazplm135 Oct 2018 #52

Pretty interesting how there's room for a "mixed bag" in a universe created by a perfect designer. Act_of_Reparation Oct 2018 #54

not really qazplm135 Oct 2018 #55

None of them fit with an omniscient omnipotent perfectly good God marylandblue Oct 2018 #56

I think you can drop perfectly good rather easily qazplm135 Oct 2018 #59

I don't know any religious person willing to drop any of the three marylandblue Oct 2018 #60

Deists qazplm135 Oct 2018 #61

I don't know any Deists, it's so 18th Century marylandblue Oct 2018 #63

So define evil qazplm135 Oct 2018 #64

I actually don't think there is such a thing as evil marylandblue Oct 2018 #67

Well he was a super-man...pun intended...but qazplm135 Oct 2018 #70

Well, terminology and nuance aside you do agree with Nietzsche marylandblue Oct 2018 #80

I conclude qazplm135 Oct 2018 #83

Existence has whatever meaning you give it. marylandblue Oct 2018 #85

OK. Act_of_Reparation Oct 2018 #57

what does wrong have to do with it? qazplm135 Oct 2018 #58

I don't see how your IF...THEN has any kind of logic behind it. trotsky Oct 2018 #62

So you can imagine a million different deities all with different qualities. Act_of_Reparation Oct 2018 #65

so you don't think qazplm135 Oct 2018 #66

I think you're wasting our time playing "what if". Act_of_Reparation Oct 2018 #68

Oh I'm clearly qazplm135 Oct 2018 #69

Yeah, that's it. Act_of_Reparation Oct 2018 #71

no qazplm135 Oct 2018 #73

If only. Act_of_Reparation Oct 2018 #77

True qazplm135 Oct 2018 #78

If people knowing things bothers you so much... Act_of_Reparation Oct 2018 #88

Yeah qazplm135 Oct 2018 #89

ba dum tssss Act_of_Reparation Oct 2018 #91

yeah qazplm135 Oct 2018 #92

Really? Act_of_Reparation Oct 2018 #98

There is no requirement for gods to be "Omni" anything. Voltaire2 Oct 2018 #72

I've already discussed the difference qazplm135 Oct 2018 #74

Indifference in an omnipotent deity is pretty damn evil. Voltaire2 Oct 2018 #75

why? qazplm135 Oct 2018 #76

If you had the power to stop suffering but chose to ignore it instead marylandblue Oct 2018 #81

I wouldn't stop all suffering qazplm135 Oct 2018 #82

Then you'd be a bad god and I wouldn't want to enter your heaven paid for in blood. marylandblue Oct 2018 #84

Clearly you operate qazplm135 Oct 2018 #86

No I operate in gray quite well, thank you very much marylandblue Oct 2018 #87

And sometimes qazplm135 Oct 2018 #90

You still have to make your choices and accept responsibility marylandblue Oct 2018 #93

eh, parents create babies qazplm135 Oct 2018 #94

Not always and and not for all purposes marylandblue Oct 2018 #95

actually qazplm135 Oct 2018 #96

Yet.you make black and white statements like "all responsibility falls on the children" marylandblue Oct 2018 #97

Comment on adding "almost" marylandblue Oct 2018 #99

this is a silly comment qazplm135 Oct 2018 #100

It was intended to be silly, but it also had a point marylandblue Oct 2018 #101

Cut him some slack, marylandblue. trotsky Oct 2018 #103

Post removed Post removed Oct 2018 #104

If you could defend your position without resorting to insults, trotsky Oct 2018 #106

A house on a regular walk we take with our dogs has a sign MineralMan Oct 2018 #107

I got the point just fine qazplm135 Oct 2018 #105

If you think I am "hard set" on something or don't want dialogue marylandblue Oct 2018 #108

The assumption that those commandments came from a deity MineralMan Sep 2018 #19

There's no reason to assume that if deities existed, they would not own human slaves. Mariana Sep 2018 #22

I can't imagine what an omnipotent supernatural entity would need MineralMan Sep 2018 #23

Amusement. marylandblue Oct 2018 #26

Surely, a deity is not entertained by human stand-up comedy. MineralMan Oct 2018 #27

You can amuse yourself too, but a trip to the zoo can be fun marylandblue Oct 2018 #79

How nice sanatanadharma Oct 2018 #28

Some men hear or read what they want to hear or read, MineralMan Oct 2018 #29

There are more than 1000 denominations of Christianity Mariana Oct 2018 #30

Lawmakers don't care about women. The relgious ones think women are property. bitterross Oct 2018 #51