I believe in intent and not Good/Evil or Heaven/Hell. If the intention is correct then so are you. The only people that can judge us is ourselves. For example, if someone did something that other people believed to be 'Evil' but they had not been taught the difference between whats harmful to others and what one shouldn't do through bad parenting or abuse - why does that make them 'evil'?
207943
I agree.Man made concepts of good and evil.No matter how bad we may think something is,it is just an opinion,not the truth.No one can really determine what is really good or bad,they can only give their opinion.Many may say that God can judge what is Good or bad,but who can determine that the bible is the word of God?No one.\n\n\nEverything just is.\n\n"Nothing is Good or bad.It's our thoughts that make them so"\n\n-Shakespeare-\n\n\n"Who knows what is good and bad"\n\n-Lao tzu,the founder of Taoism\n\n\nThere is no absolute truth regarding morals.They are all opinions.
666634
Hi,\n\nThis sentence - which, despite some answerer's comments, is very often said - is a very valuable sentence because it gives us a lot of insight into the believer's mind. It's my belief that somebody who grows up in a very insular 'fundamentalist' house often tends not to develop an independent sense of right-and-wrong. There must be exceptions, of course, but a lot of people refrain from killing, stealing, coveting and wearing mixed fabrics not because they've ever objectively considered the right-and-wrong of these actions but merely because 'God told them not to'. 'Hell' is the equivalent of 'wait till your father gets home' - but the difference is that the latter is only applicable for children who don't have a fully-formed concept of actions and repercussions.\n\nFor somebody whose definition of 'good behaviour' is based solely on what they read in a book, it's quite logical for them to presume that an atheist would not engage in good behaviour. The unfortunate implication is that, for these people, they would freely murder, rape, steal, pillage and wear mixed fabrics if it weren't for God's decree against those actions. Furthermore, they see murder as bad not because a person's life has been lost and his/her family torn asunder but merely because the perpetrator 'sinned' against God. Would you trust such a person with your child?\n\nLastly, what objective conclusion can you draw about the morality of a person who says 'A sin is a sin - lying and killing are equal in the eyes of God'? What conclusion can you draw about the morality of a deity who would believe that?
166340
Good and evil is a matter of perspective.  Typically, good/evil is regarded as what is beneficial for society.  Of course, what is beneficial for a society varies on a bunch of different factors.\n\nAn example is that in the artic, euthanasia was regarded as good.  The society did not have the resources to care for elderly that were infirm.\n\nAnother:  Homosexual marriage is considered evil in some parts of the United States, but in Ancient Greece, the Spartan warriors encouraged homosexual behavior.\n\nSome major religions list some things as "sinful"; but the entire idea of divine justice/punishment is unnecessary.
322244
The Bible says judge not lest ye be judged. And God makes the ultimate decisions regarding us going to Heaven or Hell. And they are both very real places. God says we work out our own salvation with fear and with trembling... but if you aren't living according the WHOLE gospel then the Bible does say one is on the path to hell. One human shouldn't say to other they are going to hell. That descision is God's and ours.
663779
Evil... in my opinion is an overused term which encompasses all things and actions perceived to extraordinarily cruel or unjust.  What do I think in real life is evil?  I really don't know.  You see I'm in college and my way of thinking has been a little skewed lately... I guess Adolf Hitler, Charles Manson, the IRS...
542944
we have to obligation to judge behavior, because we have to determine if it is right or wrong, and whether we will be part of the behavior.   \n\nWe do not judge the motive behind the behavior, or the eternal destiny of the individual soul.
196292
Good Question, although you got a little lost in your typing there. \n\nI have to agree with your premise though. All in all, I think, and remember this is just my opinion, that you're on the right track. I think it's how a person lives and treats him/her self and others, that really matters. \nIf God really wants everyone to be one religion or another, there has to be some wiggle room in the end for those who just didn't know the difference or who were simply confused over the enormity of it all. \nPersonally I'm a God fearing Agnostic. Meaning I believe in God, but I don't believe in any one specific religious view of God. I know my actions towards others is a reflection of Gods' plan and if I'm cruel then I'm doing evil. \nIf I help someone out of my own kindness then I'm doing God's work.\nI don't believe God watches each of us individually, that's why He gave us free will. \nWe as individuals must look inward to find peace, love and goodness. Each of us must reach that place to pull out the goodness and extend it to our neighbors.
655820
With neither a belief nor a non-belief to back me up, I think there is the potential to do good or to do harm in each of us. \n\nI believe that we should do as much good as possible for its own sake, for the benefit of other peope, and for the our own benefit.\n\nI think there are more people who are capable of more good than the evil others do.\n\nDespite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart. --Anne Frank
374200
And why would we worship a god who favors pedophiles over heroes?\n\nDoesn't seem like a nice god.  What motivation do we have to worship him?\n\nOh yeah, right, eternal damnation.  So, we are supposed to believe the word of a god who has no qualms about tossing heroes into Hell.  Yeah, do people really think that God would be good on his word?  If he doesn't care about human life, then what makes you think he cares about honesty?
25052
Before we ask that question, we need to ask another:  What is the nature of the relationship between good and evil?\n\nHere's my answer:\n\nMost people think of the relationship between good and evil as "one or the other".  I believe it is "presence or absence".  More fully, the relationship bewteen good and evil is the presence of good versus the absence of (or separation from) good.  Evil, therefore (according to this line of thought, which I happen to agree with), is the absence of good or the separation from good.    \n\nThink about light and dark for a moment.  Light is not a counterpart to dark, nor is it the absence of dark.  Light makes dark go away.  Think about that.  Light can't be defined as the absence of dark because it _causes_ the absence of dark.  Darkness only exists if light is taken away, by deactivation of the light source or separation from it (as in closing off a dark room from the light outside).  So it's the other way around: dark is the absence of light or the separation from it.  The relationship between good and evil works very much the same way.\n\nNext, evil is not itself a power.  Rather, it is that the separation of the self from good can have powerful effects.  If one chose to rid oneself of all good, one could accomplish powerfully negative and hurtful things.  So, you can do evil things at will if you really want to, but this is not because evil is powerful; it's because anyone who sets his or her mind to it can accomplish powerful things.  (Turning off the light doesn't make darkness more powerful; it only removes the influence of the light; we don't measure darkness levels, we measure light levels).\n\nPeople who are duped into doing evil, believing they are doing good, end up that way because their belief or faith is blind.  They are unwilling to question the rules and scriptures of their religion or belief system.  As a result of that, they get lost and become separated from good.  So, it doesn't really work to say that it is evil that controls them.  They are controlled by something within, to be sure, but it is their own unwillingness to open their minds and question things that controls them.  This is not evidence of evil, but rather of human weakness and of separation from good -- but the result of that separation from good can certainly be terrible.\n\nCan evil be controlled?  That depends on what you are asking.  If you're asking whether one can control evil within oneself, I believe the answer is yes.  Whether you fill yourself with good or separate yourself from it is a choice, just as you can choose to step into a dark room and close the door.  It's also true that you can end up separated from good inadvertently, but once you realize that you've become separated you can choose to reverse that separation.  I'm not saying it's easy to choose good, because it's not.  It takes a lot of strength and perseverance.  To live a life of good is to know that some others will, at times, take advantage of your goodness and to make one's peace with that.  \n\nIf you're asking whether you can control the evil within another, I think the answer is no.  You can only try to encourage others to change their ways.
95481
Heaven is where the heart is . . . and so is Hell . . . \n\nIt is how you live your life . . . and your attitude with other people.\n\nHere is one of my question . . . were I state my viewpoint on a subject of evils role in life . . . but I also touch on the good aspect as well.\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AmUNkTckoEmf8RrtksFgiCjsy6IX?qid=1006032407094
563698
I'm a Christian, first of all, and I believe in the existence of Heaven and Hell, but I completely agree with you.  I can't possibly understand how someone could ever be evil enough to, when faced with the reality of God and His presence, turn it away!  Even the worst of the worst -- all have mental problems, like Hitler or serial killers.  It seems like everyone would make it to Heaven.
227003
I believe we, as humans, judge without knowing all the facts.  It may appear one way to us, but if we knew all the facts, we may see it another way.  I've had people judge me in a certain situation, but they didn't know what I had been through and they only saw the choice I made, not that I didn't have a choice.
604680
No person is greater than God. Nor were you ever promised a rose garden while here on this plane of existance. We are all here to develop our soul so that when we pass from this plane of existance to the next, we will be more prepared. Is it all understandable? At some levels, yes. Is there evil in the world? Absolutely. Did God create everything? Yes. And is everything around us, good and bad, something everyone can comprehend as being part of our learning experience? Unfortunately not. \nBy the way, God does not condemn people. Sexuality, immorality, sin . . . all are forgiven when our physical body dies and our soul moves on. I didn't say it would all seem to make sense. We are loved. We are forgiven. We are given challenges to help us grow. And we are told through the Manifestations of God that we are never alone here.
224538
"Just remember that if compassion, love, and unity is not in your belief, than you are a bad person no matter what your belief is." <=== That right there says it all. Christians have lost touch with that because they are so wrapped up in their image...so anything out of place to them is automactically fought against and you can't be like that--rude, uncompassionate, and un-loving. God wouldn't want that so why should you treat others indifferently because of what they believe or what they want to try. \n\nI love you for bringing that up. I'm a christian and I'm not like that at all. So it gets annoying when others are.
572100
"Religion is an insult to human dignity. without it good people do good things and evil people do evil things. Only with religion do good people do evil things"\n\nTo do something so vile as to kill another person, because of your faith (a belief based on the absence of proof or inspite of proof to the contrary), is absolutely abhorent.  The issue here is that as long as the person thinks he's doing it 'in gods name' he can rationalize something that is evil in the name of something that is 'good'.
650362
I would never question the right of anyone to practice whatever religion they wanted (as long as they didn't interfere with someone else's ability to have the same freedom).\n\nAs a non-Christian (and by the way not all non-Christians are atheists, it doesn't break down that way) we understand that your 'hell' is the worst place imaginable.  The ultimate punishment for the worst crimes against humanity.  Am I right?\n\nWhy wouldn't we be offended if you hated us enough to tell us that we are going there?  How would you feel if I told you that you deserved the worst kind of punishment in my social club just because you don't belong?  Its not because we believe in hell, its because we believe that you believe in hell.  \n\nI'm pretty comfortable that I'm not going to hell anyway.  Just because I interpret the bible differently than you do doesn't make me evil.  There are people who read and learn from the Bible who don't call themselves Christians and I'm one of them.   I believe that God accepts all forms of love.  \n\nThere are some wonderful people who call themselves Christians but Christianity is neither the only kind of love nor is it exclusively a loving bunch of people.\n\nAfter all, isn't that the real message.  Love.  Peace.  Brotherhood.  Isn't that what Jesus' teachings are really all about?  I just can't get into the 'my-group-is-better-than-your-group' way of interpreting the great works of religion.  It only spreads hatred and Jihad and Hell, right here on Earth.