Friends have told me that my obsession with freewill and my belief that there is such a thing as evil are products of my Catholic upbringing. They are, in fact, products of personal experience and of a long, dull training in human biology. I know people who simply do not believe in evil. They are wrong. Norm is right.
17Jan07 — 5
Depends what it means to “believe in evil”. Evil as an agent in its own right? Satan, for example? Some kind of spirit or other ‘being’ or ‘force’ that makes people do naughty things if they do not sufficiently “guard against it”, etc.? That’s what I would call “religious evil” and I’m sure we both agree, Pooter, that Norm is highly unlikely to believe that any such thing exists. But yes, evil, if defined consistently with known laws of nature, does rather seem to exist.
Depends what you mean by evil. Evil in the religious sense? I would have to disagree. Evil in the sense that some people are twats, I can agree.
I am not sure if the study of biology has a role in researching evil. Seems a somewhat confused post.
I imagine you’ve probably read this. But if not, I recommend it. Good book about evil, among other things.
I haven’t read it, no, but I intend to.
Which is more real, what the senses can detect and process or what the catholic church challenges us to consider. I don’t want to make this a bully pulpit so I’ll keep it short. Jesus-God’s son revealed, had direct encounters with evil spirits but note they obeyed His command to cast themselves out of human beings. Doing good requires an informed conscience enlightened by faith to reject selfishness and consider the good of others before ones own good. When selfishness reigns “real” evil has triumphed suttle or not. The longer story can be found in sacred scriptures namely the book of Genesis and in any of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.