What a weekend. Friday was fun with an old (in years we’ve known and years we’ve lived) to see the Mummies Exhibit http://www.osc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1345:pr-mummies-of-the-world-to-debut-june-13-at-orlando-science-center&catid=79:press-and-media&Itemid=149 at the Science Museum http://www.osc.org/ on Princeton near Florida Hospital (the main one). Before that we had lunch at White Wolf http://www.whitewolfcafe.com/ one of my favorite places to eat. Then met another friend for drinks at Tibby’s http://tibbys.com/ on Aloma and another showed up unexpectedly. Sat. started out to be a quiet little day—but after a massage there was lunch at Too Jays http://www.toojays.com/locations-hours/ the meal was lovely, unfortunately I didn’t know that a short period of pain a couple weeks ago meant I had a broken tooth–the sandwich pulled a piece of it out and now I have hole in the far back tooth. Sat evening went to a scents party at a home of a friend’s along with some other friends and had a lovely evening. Sunday went to Casa Feliz http://casafeliz.squarespace.com/ (the picture of fountain and the one above this paragraph are both from the lovely building. We had a tour and listened to the lovely music which they feature from 12-3 on Sundays.
This week after all that has happened in Charleston I thought I would look at EVIL:
The Catholic Church Defines: Evil, in a large sense, may be described as the sum of the opposition, which experience shows to exist in the universe, to the desires and needs of individuals; whence arises, among human beings at least, the sufferings in which life abounds. Thus evil, from the point of view of human welfare, is what ought not to exist. Nevertheless, there is no department of human life in which its presence is not felt; and the discrepancy between what is and what ought to be has always called for explanation in the account which mankind has sought to give of itself and its surroundings. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm
So correct me if I’m wrong (I have never been devoutly religious—I have no issues with any ones religion as long as it meets this criteria: Its members do not try to convert me, it does on harm to the believer nor those touched by those that believe–preferably like the Salvation Army it contributes to other’s well being—and it does not put restrictions on my activities, and way of life other than obeying the existing law…I think the do onto others philosophy of the Christ is the best over all yard stick.) but basically they’re saying that evil is the Sum of the opposition i.e. Satan? I don’t have issue with that—if one believes in ultimate good, then the universe dictates the balancing opposite evil seems to meet that goal.
1
a : morally reprehensible : sinful, wicked <an evil impulse>
b : arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct <a person of evil reputation>
3
a : causing harm : pernicious <the evil institution of slavery> b : marked by misfortune : unlucky
Again correct me but isn’t this a whole lot less negative than the Church version….inferior is such a bland tone to use for a murderer or an angel turned bad who corrupts the Biblical paradise and turns man out into a world that makes him have to struggle to live and allows him to suffer death if he doesn’t succeed in this struggle. Disagreeable is more like a sulky child that a being of ultimate temptation, indulgences and self entitlement at the sacrifice and often this sacrifice is permanent, of others both known to the sinner and strangers as well.
The
Buddhist understanding is that
good and evil are innate,
inseparable aspects of life.,,,
Evil actions are those which are based on a
narrow selfishness, the delusion that our lives are
fundamentally disconnected from those of others and that we can benefit at their expense.
Evil views life as a means to be expended,
not an end in itself.
Good is that which generates connection between ourselves and others, healing and restoring the bonds among human societies.
http://www.sgi.org/buddhism/buddhist-concepts/good-and-evil.htmlI like this, it seems very workable—and it places things in the gray grounds that most lives inhabit and it gives the behavior a yard stick of its impact on others and our motivations in our actions. This is very close to my own beliefs and understanding.
The
Islamic definitions of good and evil are based on the purposes of creation and the meaning of human life. As mentioned above, the
ultimate goal of human life is to become perfected spiritually through belief in God (iman), the knowledge of God (marifatullah), the love of God (muhabbatullah), and the worship of God (ibada). Accordingly, whatever brings a person closer to God and will benefit him in the Next World is good, and whatever takes a person away from God, and thus incurs His anger is evil.
http://www.fountainmagazine.com/Issue/detail/Good-and-Evil-in-IslamEvil then is anything that keeps you from entering
heaven. Not that far off from Christianity.
While
Jewish teachings tell us that Evil, then, arises from within the human being, from the evil inclination or
yetzer hara. The term derives from two passages in Genesis: “Every imagination
(yetzer) of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” [4] and “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth”. [5]
http://www.oztorah.com/2011/01/evil-in-man-the-jewish-point-of-view/ Then there are
moral, political, and legal philosophers who have become increasingly interested in the concept of evil, To avoid confusion, it is important to note that there are at least two concepts of evil a broad concept and a narrow concept. The broad concept picks out any bad state of affairs, wrongful action, or character flaw. The suffering of a toothache is evil in the broad sense as is a white lie. Evil in the broad sense has been divided into two categories: natural evil and moral evil.
Natural evils are bad states of affairs which do not result from the intentions or negligence of moral agents. Hurricanes and toothaches are examples of natural evils. By contrast,
moral evils do result from the intentions or negligence of moral agents. Murder and lying are examples of moral evils.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/concept-evil/Clear as mud? I don’t thinks of tooth aches and tornados as evil–bad things can to happen to you or anyone else but….to me evil has to have a consciousness or at least a mind that makes a decision to hurt, hamper or harm a person, place or other feeling being. But then it gets more confusing, what about a man or woman who goes out for a dinner and birthday celebration and has a glass of wine–or two pushed on him or her by well meaning friends. Not a drinker and buoyed by the events they miss the signs of alcohol impairment and strikes a pedestrian or another car and causes injury or even death. Is he evil or just a victim, like those others caught up in the event and of course legally he/she is responsible for the horrible events but I see no evil in them,
So now that we know what evil is all about we’ll look at the concept of Religions and how they have over the years seemed more evil in their dealing than what one would have expected from those professing holiness and avoidance to evil.
