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Religions tend to discourage thinking for oneself about what is good and evil, since so doing may lead followers to seek moral truths otherwise than from the priests, thereby causing reduced titheing, etc. Pelagianism is the one ancient heresy I feel strongly should not have been heresy. Christ said he came to save sinners, and that's what religion properly should be for as well--for people too screwed up to feel comfortable thinking otherwise than very traditionally, which is not everybody.
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Religious authorities, centrally organized groups, tend to promote the notions of good and evil so that they can white wash their political opponents as evil, themselves as good, which prevents people from seeing any truth in the matter - that their leaders are simply political fiends searching for more and more power.
If nothing is inherently evil, we cannot be justified in claims about evil Islamic extremeists. If nothing is inherently good, we cannot be justified in claims about the good and wonderful Church. The extremist might do something which seems to be evil, and the Chruch might do something that seems to be good - but if nothing is inherently good or evil, we know that these events are all circumstantial, and that both are capable of 'good' and 'evil'.
By eliminating notions of 'good-evil' we remove many broad assumptions about people, and groups of people. We begin to remember that people are people, just like you and me - even if the authority figure says they are evil and must be destroyed.
I don't know about you, but my preach always called it the "Tree of Knowledge". They never paid much attention to the "good and evil" part, nor the fact that once Adam and Eve began to distinguish from good and evil, then and only then, were they forced to leave paradise.
As for your comments about sin and the purpose of religion - sinners are not "people too screwed up to feel comfortable thinking otherwise than very traditionally", we are all sinners. Even wanted something that was not yours?
Religion is for everyone. Some people prefer traditional explanations from religion. Who cares? What is "traditional" varies a great deal from tradition to tradition. Traditional Zen teaching and traditional western Christian teaching are greatly separated.
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Sorry, my error, I don't know what thoughts were racing through my mind last night.
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It's cool. The initial post represents my random thoughts - why not build the whole thread on them?
Do you think, personally, that Taoism leaves us with a world in which everything is ultimately evil?