--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_re...@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Duveyoung <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > Once again, define evil for us... > > "Evil" is a word that people who want to > do something nasty or despicable hurl at > the person or entity they want to do it > to, to make themselves look better. > > That's what it was when hurling the epi- > thet at the "Axis Of Evil," and that's > what it is when someone hurls it at Dick > Cheney. They're trying to make themselves > and the inordinate amount of hatred they > are aiming at him and the bad things they > want to happen to him look "less evil." > > I think that throwing around the word > "evil" is as stupid when done by supposedly > smart people as it is when hurled around by > stupid, fanatical Christians and aimed at > gays or people who have sex or who interpret > the Bible differently. > > In short, I do not believe that any human > being on the planet knows what "evil" is > EXCEPT as an excuse for their own actions. > And since I don't believe in a God, I don't > believe that *any* entity in creation knows > what "evil" is, either. > > Killing? Then Krishna and Arjuna are evil. > Lying? Then Maharishi was evil, many times > over. "Predation?" Then all those Old Test- > ament prophets who told their followers > to take the people they conquered and turn > them into slaves and concubines were evil. > > When I hear someone use the word "evil," > the only thing I usually think is, "Avoid > that person...they're about to make an > excuse for something bad that they plan > to do or want to do or hope to do." > > And I think that my take on hearing the > word "evil" is as good as anyone else's > "definition" of it. > > Go ahead. TRY to define "evil" in concrete > terms. No matter what example you use, I > or others here will be able to find an > instance of someone from religious scrip- > ture doing that exact thing, and being > praised and called holy for it. > > The word "evil" is a thought-stopper. > Those who use it show that their ability > to think probably stopped long ago. > > And those are my thoughts about "evil," > because I can still have them, even after > you hurled the epithet. :-) > > Now riff on them all you want. I promise > not to call you "evil" if you do. > We have had this conversation before, yes?
I believe that there are evil people who do evil things. You recognize them by their lack of conscience and their bad acts. The raping, torturing, murdering psychopath who takes what he wants and does what he pleases at the expense of others is evil. They are not crazy, they are cold and calculatingly rational.
