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TreasonousBastard

(43,049 posts)
Sun Aug 29, 2021, 06:07 AM Aug 2021

Over in the atheists group the question was raised about God being evil... [View all]

https://democraticunderground.com/123059401

I can't reply over there since I was banned when explaining why I am one type of atheist, so I'll put it in here (which is a more inviting forum for several reasons)

It's an ancient Western question, going back earlier than Aristotle, but largely ignored in Eastern religions. The guy doing the video has done his homework, and does mention most schools of thought, but never actually bothers to define "good" or "evil".

He assumes we all accept the two to be opposites, and most of us would think "good" would be, well, the good one. I prefer to see the two as being different ends of the same stick. Think ying yang-- interconnected, codependent duality.

Thinking that way, neither good nor evil can exist by itself. Therefore, God must be both good and evil at the same time. Neither one can exist without the other.

One without the other would mean stasis-- no movement. Nothing. If consciousness existed, it would be bored to death. Since we are certainly not living in a static universe, we here in the West have managed to set up a value system and there's the good stuff and the bad stuff. Good stuff is the stuff that we like and does not hurt us, maybe even gives us pleasure. Bad stuff hurts.

A volcano, by itself, is just an event caused by Earth's shifting mantle. If it wipes out a city, it's a bad thing. If it's a tourist attraction or gives us new knowledge, it's a good thing.

A serial killer rampage is a bad thing for all the usual reasons, and it's a real stretch to find something good about it. But, war puts all that on hold when we play with the idea of "just war" and rationalize about dropping cluster bombs on children's play areas or fire bombing Tokyo and Dresden. At least we have decided nuclear war is off the table (for now).

So, we're trying to stick God into this logical and ethical mess we created, and assigning this God a value somewhere along a scale that we have invented out of thin air. This can, of course, not be done. Many are saying it all goes back to our "free will". Aside from the point that our will may not be as free as we think it is, what does that have to do with the ideas of good and evil or even God?

Been up all night and heading for some racktime, so will leave it here for now.
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Yes, discussing what God is or isn't seems less appropriate in the Atheists group since we are, Croney Aug 2021 #1
Wouldn't defining God qazplm135 Aug 2021 #8
Not necessarily. myccrider Aug 2021 #18
Who said anything about changing your beliefs? qazplm135 Aug 2021 #20
Pardon if I wasn't clear about what I was responding to. myccrider Aug 2021 #22
well first of all qazplm135 Aug 2021 #23
This is my last response myccrider Aug 2021 #24
All I can say is the emergence of IDA on the 16th anniversry of Katrina is perversely ironic... hlthe2b Aug 2021 #2
Well there are a lot of "Bad Things" that they're wishing on me, so... Anon-C Aug 2021 #7
I don't get how your comment relates to mine? hlthe2b Aug 2021 #9
This message was self-deleted by its author Anon-C Aug 2021 #19
According to the Bible, God does it all. Haggard Celine Aug 2021 #3
which, as the OP advances, at least has the advantage stopdiggin Aug 2021 #14
What if this is all a game and we are just avatars? onlyadream Aug 2021 #4
It was actually a subset of Christians who thought of this first localroger Aug 2021 #5
It's all gray. multigraincracker Aug 2021 #6
When you're out-smarted by a talking snake of your own creation? czarjak Aug 2021 #10
Good point! Croney Aug 2021 #21
God gave men and women free will. That is why evil exists. Tomconroy Aug 2021 #11
free will evil stopdiggin Aug 2021 #13
Philosophy is also an appropriate wnylib Aug 2021 #12
You raise an imponderable. TomSlick Aug 2021 #15
Pantheism, eh? Einstein was into determinism. Got that from... TreasonousBastard Aug 2021 #16
I resist the term but yeah, pretty much. TomSlick Aug 2021 #17
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