[omgitsrick]

If you mean some people will be inherently evil despite their upbringing and environments? Maybe, even siblings raised almost identically differ alot sometimes in their morality or reasoning. Sure no one is "born evil" but some people might be more prone to it.

[godking]

Originally Posted by Revolution

Mods: this is not a religion thread!! Ok, anyway . . .
As a lawyer, I've been exposed to a lot of depravity in my time, and it makes me wonder about a question I once asked a law professor of mine: are we anything more than the sum of our genetics and experience? If the answer is no (as my law professor theorized it is), then how can we justify the criminal justice system as a means of "punishment?" Incapacitation, yes, deterrence, yes, but punishment/retribution?
I do in fact believe there is some "higher" thought process. To paraphrase Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court (I don't know the exact quote), it does not take a highly developed sense of morality to recognize that there is something profoundly wrong with raping, torturing, and killing a child. (If memory serves, the death row defendants in that case were there because they jointly raped a 10 year old, then murdered her by suffocation -- they stuffed her underwear down her throat to asphixiate her. Yes, you read that correctly.)
But it's tough to quantify evil. You might not rank some idiot KKK loser from 80 years ago very high, but what would that loser do if he had the dictatorial power of, say, Hitler? He would probably try to kill all blacks, Jews, Catholics, homosexuals, etc. So is he "worse" than a murderer and torturer like, say, BTK? Or how about Dahmer, who was so obviously mentally ill?
So, can we actually quantify evil? And does evil, even in a non-religious sense, even exist?
(BTW, I'm nursing a pinched nerve. My mind is wandering. Cut me some slack for the ugly Saturday night question )
--Rev

All people consider murder rape and stealing to be evil. Not all people consider the same things murder rape or stealing .

[KONG-D'SNT-TAP]

Originally Posted by Pridelives

People are largely a product of their envoirnment, evil doesn't exsist.

Hitler spent four years on the front lines in trenches of WW1, he was mentally disturbed, not evil.

This is the Lib garbage that is taught on college campuses across Amercia.....


Even though they are only words that are used to describe, without Evil there would be no Good. There would be no basis of reference on the difference of the 2.... You need both or neither would exist... Like night and day... How would there be day without night.. Its philisophical to say the least.

[genecop]

Originally Posted by KönigTiger

Personally,I think Hitler is portrayed as a one dimensional monster. People would label him as a butcher or a tyrant. I think he did what he did because he genuninely cared for his people and his heritage. It was all about preserving the white race and keeping it strong. He did it in a bad way,yes but who here can really argue that in some sick way,what he did was noble...for his people anyway.

BTW:I just knew that this topic would eventually lead to Hitler/Nazis. Com`on,Stalin anybody?

noble? i think many would disagree, including myself

[enginekid]

This entire idea of "do you believe in evil?" is silly. Asking this is like asking "do you believe in the sun and the moon?". These ideas are taken from crazy nihilistic people who write books like "beyond good and evil".


We all know good and evil acts occur all the time and the humans doing them are the actors responsible. This is a known thing it isn't something we may or may not believe in like Aliens or something. What you should ask is, do you believe there are forces outside of a humans perception that guide and influence us. Ie: Angels and Demons. I personally believe there are. Becuase I believe everything in the Bible is true.

There are good hearted people who have compassion for others and though they are not without sin, they have an inner moral compass that guides them. They do good acts and they treat others the way a person should be treated. They care as much about another persons well being as their own. If someone needs help they will help them without wondering whats in it for me? These people however can and sometimes expose themselves to people and ideas that influence them into changing into a bad person.

And there are evil hearted people who have no compassion for others and their lives are saturated in sin. They have no inner moral compass to guide them. They do evil acts and treat others anyway they wish regardless of the consequences, and regardless of the pain it might inflict. All they care about is themselves. if someone needs help they will wonder whats in it for me. they will secretly not want to help at all. These people can at anytime wake up from their unhealthy life and becuase of good people or influences they can change into a good person.

read the screwtape letters by CS Lewis. it shows you how a person can be influenced.

[cable guy]

evil is a word that we invented and what is evil is determined mainly by a societys particular perspectives-e.g. female circumcision would be considerd "evil" in many societys but not some. I propose that there is backwardness and ignorance as opposed to evil.

[cable guy]

evil is a word that we invented and what is evil is determined mainly by a societys particular perspectives-e.g. female circumcision would be considerd "evil" in many societys but not some. I propose that there is backwardness and ignorance as opposed to evil.

[busdriver01]

Thank god for college kids. Otherwise evil would still exist.

[Jay Pan ROKK]

Evil exist, no doubt about it.

[Jay Pan ROKK]

This is the greatest threat atheists face, the deny God, so they must deny evil in the way, then it gets them, they fall in the trap where only few survive.