This is part 5 of my series The Trouble With The Elephant. Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 can be found be found by clicking the links. In this post, Gloria is responding to my comments found in part 4.
Jarrod:
I claim to know nothing. It's just my gut feeling, so to speak. I do not question the existence of God. I question the extent to which he directly influences "our" lives.
And to answer your question in an oversimplified manner: Evil is the presence of ill-will or harm done to other living beings for the pure selfish satisfaction or gain without the presence of necessity.
For example, the natural food chain dictates that a killer whale eats a sea lion in order to maintain survival. I believe this to be not evil because it is necessary. The death of your son during a robbery is unnecessary because it ends in the gain of the robber of your money or property. Now obviously this is flawed because the argument can be made that perhaps the robber was attempting to gain the monetary means in order to feed and clothe him/herself for survival. Hope that makes sense!?
And yes, as you get older you must suffer many labels. Respectable is hardly the worst of them.....
Remember that I have low patience and am very melodramtic. When I appear to be near tears, unfortunately, I may have done something to contribute to these existing factors and other incidences have occurred that also influence my reactions.
No one likes to hear their faults. It's a very hard pill to swallow. But the more I come to the realization of my faults and how they affect others, I can work on improving myself and my contributions to lives of those around me.
And to answer your question in an oversimplified manner: Evil is the presence of ill-will or harm done to other living beings for the pure selfish satisfaction or gain without the presence of necessity.
For example, the natural food chain dictates that a killer whale eats a sea lion in order to maintain survival. I believe this to be not evil because it is necessary. The death of your son during a robbery is unnecessary because it ends in the gain of the robber of your money or property. Now obviously this is flawed because the argument can be made that perhaps the robber was attempting to gain the monetary means in order to feed and clothe him/herself for survival. Hope that makes sense!?
And yes, as you get older you must suffer many labels. Respectable is hardly the worst of them.....
Remember that I have low patience and am very melodramtic. When I appear to be near tears, unfortunately, I may have done something to contribute to these existing factors and other incidences have occurred that also influence my reactions.
No one likes to hear their faults. It's a very hard pill to swallow. But the more I come to the realization of my faults and how they affect others, I can work on improving myself and my contributions to lives of those around me.
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