God by Devine, James 26 February 2002 15:10 UTC
JD: I wasn't raised as a Christian, but as I understand that faith, it's humanity that's the source of evil. (The Devil is most important to the fundamentalists, not the more sophisticated Christians.) "God" gave us free will and we mostly chose to be evil. In my view (as far as I can tell), we also created good (and God), along with the definition of good vs. evil. ^^^^^^^^ CB: "Fundamentally" speaking, the Devil tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Devil made them do it and the Devil "do" exist. But consistent with what you say, the first act of free will, independent of God, is the original sin , in this mythology. The Devil seduced them to use free will. But then the Devil, the Ruler of the World and Earthliness , is also sort of the moving force for materialism, and against idealism and religion. So, then "fundamentally", we materialists and free thinkers are the Devil's children Interestingly with regards to your "good and evil"comment, the forbidden fruit was from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I interpret this myth to mean , paradoxically, that the original sin resulted in the origin of morality ( "knowledge of good and evil"). This is suggestive as perhaps a view through the glass of ancient mythology darkly of the origin of homo sapiens in the origin of culture or symbolling in the form of , for example, the distinction between good and evil, between do's and don'ts. Your view sounds like Marx's. Marx doesn't say God doesn't exist, but that God is alienated man ( which I take to be humanity). And directly to what you say, he says the basis of irreligious criticism is man (sic) makes religion, religion doesn't make man. ( A feminist critique might note that it is indeed men who make religion, not women)
