At 10:07 PM 7/7/02, William T Goodall wrote:
>on 5/7/02 9:28 pm, Dan Minette at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Sonja van Baardwijk-Holten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Sent: Friday, July 05, 2002 2:56 AM
> > Subject: Re: Religion and ethics
> >
> >
> >> Robert Seeberger wrote:
> >>
> >>> There is good in the world and there is evil. And while the world is
> > not
> >>> painted black and white, I do believe there is some responsibility to
> > to a
> >>> member of a civilisation to fight against evil. And perhaps against
> > those
> >>> who enable it.
> >>
> >> Define 'evil', define 'good'.... :o) I think that you'll find that it is
> > very
> >> much context dependent.
> >
> > Evil is the willful causing of harm to people or the delibrate refusal to
> > stop preventable harm. Good is the willful causing of benefit to people or
> > the delibrate stopping of harm.
> >
> > I'll agree that in many real life situations, the effects of actions are
> > uncertain. Actions may cause both harm and good, and reasonable people may
> > differ on the balance.
> >
> > What I am talking about is the existance of truth: some actions are good
> > and some are evil. It is evil to kidnap a young girl, torture rape and
> > kill her. It is good to run into a burning building, risking your life so
> > that many more may live.
> >
> > Do you also believe that good and evil are just a matter of opinion?
>
>It is a matter of fact that different societies in different times and
>places have decided that different things are good or evil, and to different
>extents. So either good and evil are matters of opinion or most (all) of the
>people who ever lived were (are) unwittingly evildoers.
>
>I find the former view more useful than the latter, since it makes more room
>for discussion.
>
>And what is the matter with opinions? It is 'just a matter of opinion' that
>Shakespeare is a better writer than Sidney Sheldon (say) - so what?
>
>It is much better for people to argue about opinions than to blindly accept
>authority.
Which do you think the so-called "suicide bombers" are doing?
--Ronn! :)
"Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country and two
words have been added to the pledge of Allegiance... UNDER GOD. Wouldn't
it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer and that would be eliminated
from schools too?"
-- Red Skelton
