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Do you have to be religious to describe Osama bin Laden, for instance, as evil? What better word would you use if you were trying to come up with something that didn't have a moral connotation?
Not all religions have a concept of evil as a force as many Christian sects do. Evil acts are caused by humans. It does not belong to Brhman which is Truth, Fullness, and Eternal.
I describe Osama as a bad dude, very very bad dude and has bad karma.
Was just about to sign off when your thread caught my eye...
Seems you are asking opinion from people who believe in God, and that's not me, but you are also an atheist, so I'm thinking maybe I too can answer a question not really or seriously typically entertained by atheists.
First, I think it does matter, but I'll leave that be for now.
Secondly, back when I was just coming off my younger years of believing in God and then coming to the conclusion no such thing existed, I remember thinking that if there were a God, how could it blame me for thinking what I did? I've only got my "God given ability" to think what I do, so how can I be to blame for figuring things out the way I have? I figured if there was a God, surely it would be understanding and forgiving along those lines. Ultimately, however, it's far easier for me to simply recognize that sort of speculation is really just an exercise of my imagination.
Finally, what you explain is a fair bit of evidence that further convinces me there is no God. The fact that there are so many versions. So many people who believe differently. So many different books and testaments that are selectively adopted or rejected by everyone for all variety of reasons having little to do with facts, reason or truth. It's been a close look at how this dynamic works that makes me extremely suspect of ALL these versions that have lasted all this time, from one generation to the next, for many reasons that defy sound reason, logic and critical thinking.
Fun to think about how to answer your question about the one true God. A little frustrating to read so many different answers provided by people who think they have good reason to think what they do. Many quite different from the next, and we're all here in the west for the most part. No Muslims also throwing in far as I can tell. Not sure I've seen anything from someone who believes in Judaism. I wonder just how many different versions of God actually exist today. Based on how many different holy books?
What does this tell us really? About how people come to believe what they do.
Yes, thanks for your response.
That's exactly what I'm talking about.
I'd go so far as to say that I think every single believer has their own slightly different version of 'god'.
You only have to read through through every thread on here. There's not one person that agrees entirely with another person, even within Christianity. Everyone has their own interpretation.
That's even the accepted given by some (thinking of Gldn's response).
In other words, God seems to be whatever the believer imagines it to be.
Of course the believers trump card is always 'god is everywhere and god is everything'. There's no arguing with that kind of logic.
Not all religions have a concept of evil as a force as many Christian sects do. Evil acts are caused by humans. It does not belong to Brhman which is Truth, Fullness, and Eternal.
I describe Osama as a bad dude, very very bad dude and has bad karma.
I guess in my mind, for the purpose of describing someone like bin Laden, bad=evil.
Do you believe in evil? I thought that was a religionist view.
You seem to be assuming that evil must be a sentient being. I don't think that is true at all. Evil is no more a sentient being than mad, grumpy, or silly are.
Certainly, I believe that sentient beings can be evil. Don't you?
Not all religions have a concept of evil as a force as many Christian sects do. Evil acts are caused by humans. It does not belong to Brhman which is Truth, Fullness, and Eternal.
I describe Osama as a bad dude, very very bad dude and has bad karma.
OK, then to use your preferred terminology, a Creator God would not be a very very bad dude with bad karma.
I guess in my mind, for the purpose of describing someone like bin Laden, bad=evil.
I would rarely use the word 'evil'. To me it carries with it too much religious baggage as if the person is kind of possessed with something. I put it in a similar category of word as 'sin' which I definitely don't believe in.
I think people are good and bad and everything in between.
I sometimes use 'evil' in a tongue in cheek kind of a way that is hard to describe on here. But more in a humorous, not really meaning it kind of a way.
Bin Laden is clearly a bad, bad, nasty scheming person. You are right though, there should be a stronger word that doesn't carry the religious connotations with it.
I would rarely use the word evil. To me it carries with it too much religious baggage as if the person is kind of possessed with something.
I sometimes use it in a tongue in cheek kind of a way that is hard to describe on here. But more in a humorous, not really meaning it kind of a way.
Bin Laden is clearly a bad, bad, nasty scheming person. You are right though, there should be a stronger word that doesn't carry the religious connotations with it.
How about "wicked"? Or it that also too religious in nature? "Bad" is just too general. Seems like when we're talking about a sentient being, there ought to be a word that fits better than "bad."
Yes, thanks for your response.
That's exactly what I'm talking about.
I'd go so far as to say that I think every single believer has their own slightly different version of 'god'.
You only have to read through through every thread on here. There's not one person that agrees entirely with another person, even within Christianity. Everyone has their own interpretation.
That's even the accepted given by some (thinking of Gldn's response).
In other words, God seems to be whatever the believer imagines it to be.
Of course the believers trump card is always 'god is everywhere and god is everything'. There's no arguing with that kind of logic.
Of course not. If every person, even within Christianity, agreed with one another, there would not be any denominations of Christianity. However, according to Google, there are more than 45,000 Christian denominations worldwide.
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