What is Evil and what is Good?

[_huckelberry]

What are evil deeds? I really would love an actual list of every evil act.
What are the attributes of, or what makes, an evil man?

What are good works?

I am mostly interested in what believers believe works of evil or evil people are. My belief is that what people think is evil is rooted in their current culture/religion, norms, customs and laws.

I think there are details of a list of evil acts which would depend upon current custom. That would part of the reason that making a complete list of bad acts is not really a possible task. There is such huge number of various actions people might do, how could you complete a compendium of whether each one is bad or not? There might be thousands and thousands of actions not really much good or bad.

I received a second hand explanation about evil from a friend teaching some classes at the penitentiary. He found a bank robber who liked to tell stories of exciting car chases and escapes. My friend enjoyed the stories but after a while could not help but to ask him, "this sounds exciting but still, you rob banks then get stuck back in prison, why do you do that?" The explaination in reply was pretty simple, " because I like how people jump to do what you say when you point a 45 in their face"

[_Jersey Girl]

Hi huck! :-)

Now let me try you...

I received a second hand explanation about evil from a friend teaching some classes at the penitentiary. He found a bank robber who liked to tell stories of exciting car chases and escapes. My friend enjoyed the stories but after a while could not help but to ask him, "this sounds exciting but still, you rob banks then get stuck back in prison, why do you do that?" The explaination in reply was pretty simple, " because I like how people jump to do what you say when you point a 45 in their face"

So if the guy suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder or Bi Polar, what's his responsibility in terms of evil deeds?

[_Jersey Girl]

mikwut,

Okay, I will try you with this.

Marilyn McCord Adams gives the example of a "young Muslim mother in Bosnia who was repeatedly raped in front of her husband and father, with her baby screaming on the floor beside her. When her tormentors seemed finally tired of her, she begged permission to nurse the child. In response, one of the rapists swiftly decapitated the baby and threw the head in the mother's lap." This isn't "bad", or mere "wrongdoing" it immediately strikes us and our intuition as gross wickedness and evil, it is different in kind and in degree from bad acts that we encounter on a daily basis. The good is discerned from this faculty as well, we immediately perceive the depths and degrees of generosity, compassion

What if those captors were psychotic? What responsibility do they hold?

mik? I know I'm likely asking the impossible, but don't write a book, okay?

;-)

[_mikwut]

Hi Jersey,

What if those captors were psychotic? What responsibility do they hold?

I believe to a degree the faculty I mentioned in my description attenuates itself to a lack of proper functioning. We don't perceive evil with the caveat you present. Evil as I described exhibits and is perceived within a framework of proper and normal functioning. Aberration from this obviously balances itself with against personal responsibility. Intention and will are built in to the descriptive framework I listed. Obviously a theistic framework that perceives evil demands free will. So, without writing a book they don't hold the same responsibility as someone who acts with intention and will unencumbered from mental disturbance on their working faculties. Evil isn't accident or as I said "mere" suffering it by definition includes normal functioning faculties with intention and will.

best, mik

[_Jersey Girl]

Hi Jersey,

What if those captors were psychotic? What responsibility do they hold?

I believe to a degree the faculty I mentioned in my description attenuates itself to a lack of proper functioning. We don't perceive evil with the caveat you present. Evil as I described exhibits and is perceived within a framework of proper and normal functioning. Aberration from this obviously balances itself with against personal responsibility. Intention and will are built in to the descriptive framework I listed. Obviously a theistic framework that perceives evil demands free will. So, without writing a book they don't hold the same responsibility as someone who acts with intention and will unencumbered from mental disturbance on their working faculties. Evil isn't accident or as I said "mere" suffering it by definition includes normal functioning faculties with intention and will.

best, mik

Thank you, mik.
:-)

[_huckelberry]

For me some definition is required. Personally, I don't believe in evil (the evil you might define as the opposite of holy). Evil is often equated with "bad" (this is an error, I think). I do believe that there are bad things and actions in the world, even bad people.

You must be starting with some idea of evil which I am unfamiliar with as I am at a loss to find your meaning. For those of us, such as myself who view evil and bad as generally equated, could you explain what you are thinking of.

I am inclined to think that opposing evil and holy is confusing. In normal parlance good and evil are spoken of as in opposition. Holy has meaning of seperate, set apart for sacred purpose. this sort of thing is sort of like good but not exactly engough to make evil and holy as opposites. In fact I think there could be instances of something being seen as both holy and evil.

[Guest]

I received a second hand explanation about evil from a friend teaching some classes at the penitentiary. He found a bank robber who liked to tell stories of exciting car chases and escapes. My friend enjoyed the stories but after a while could not help but to ask him, "this sounds exciting but still, you rob banks then get stuck back in prison, why do you do that?" The explaination in reply was pretty simple, " because I like how people jump to do what you say when you point a 45 in their face"

So if the guy suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder or Bi Polar, what's his responsibility in terms of evil deeds?

Hi Jersey Girl, interesting question but a long way from being an easy one.

I think evil tends to happen in situations of undeveloped or deteriorated responsibility. Not taking responsiblity is a significant part of the problem of evil. But you are also asking if there are other sources of irresponsibity that contribute to the particular bad action in view. I do not think any of us are sole owners of responsibity for any of our actions good or bad. There may be whole families of bad actions contributing to the resulting bad action of armed robbery. I would not imaging myself in the position to parse out portions to different individuals.

It might be well to remember that this sharing also applies to my own good actions which I may have in significant part inherited.

I like the line of Christian thought (which is not exclusively Christian) that sees good and evil distinguished by loyality to the larger goal . Evil is committed more to self ,revenge, chaos, indiffernce in contrast to goods committment to community love and the kingdom of God. The basic aspect of this good is understandable without consciously involving God. However loyalty to God is understood as loyalty to his love and protection of you and your neighbor.

Crazy people who do bad acts? I do not think we can judge them as individuals we have to do the best to help community. In the long run the crazy person may be healed as part of the community. (Or not?) Maybe there are sort of good people who are self satisfied enough that they are completely unaware of how they might be contributing to the context which generates sociopaths. Perpaps some evil folks will find it quicker to see to repent than those proud of their corrupting goodness who see no reason to repent. Someone in the New Testament discusses that. I do not know the final end of whom.

[_Quasimodo]

You must be starting with some idea of evil which I am unfamiliar with as I am at a loss to find your meaning. For those of us, such as myself who view evil and bad as generally equated, could you explain what you are thinking of.

I am inclined to think that opposing evil and holy is confusing. In normal parlance good and evil are spoken of as in opposition. Holy has meaning of seperate, set apart for sacred purpose. this sort of thing is sort of like good but not exactly engough to make evil and holy as opposites. In fact I think there could be instances of something being seen as both holy and evil.

Just my own view of things, I guess.

The word "evil" has some heavy religious connotations that imply a theology that I don't believe in. I know that "evil" can mean a lot of things. I use it myself in a jocular way. I've called the last cup of coffee from a three hour old pot evil. Just my tongue-in-cheek way of saying "very bad". The funniest I've heard was a line from "Black Adder" where Black Adder calls his servant's (Baldrick's) breath "straight from Satan's bottom".

In philosophical or religious conversations, I don't use it. I don't believe in a god, demi-god or fallen angel that is the lord of evil. Hence, I don't believe in "evil" in that context.

Since I don't believe in the "evil" that was part of the question in the OP, I was searching for a way to separate that concept from the notion of "bad". "Holy", those things of God vs. "evil", those things of Satan, the Devil or whatever.

[_Rambo]

I did figure that would need to be on the list. So, basically everyone is evil.

Not one of my best friends. He had a really good bishop that helped him stop masturbating. He hasn't masturbated since he was 19! He is proud about it too. I'll give him props I couldn't do it.

I asked him if he was lying and he said nope. I think I believe him but who knows for sure.

[_just me]

Personally, I find the term "evil" troublesome as well. That is the main reason I would like to know what it means. For me, it has kinda lost meaning. When someone refers to an evil person or choosing evil I have no idea what they mean by it.

It might be that I would have to ask the individual saying it what they mean. Sadly, I cannot ask Moroni what he meant in Moroni 7. I wonder what the prophet would say about it.