Evil Is Good And God Doesn't Exist???

[boagie]

Lighten up guys. sometimes a cigar is just a cigar--a little humour gives balance. I am going back to my room now!!

[Zetherin]

Originally Posted by boagie

Lighten up guys. sometimes a cigar is just a cigar--a little humour gives balance. I am going back to my room now!!

I don't know if you ever heard this story before...

A group of 4 students, all studying at MIT, top of their class, enter a diner to get something to eat. Upon receiving their food, one guy notices that the caps for the salt and pepper shakers had been switched - the salt cap on the pepper bottle, the pepper cap on the salt bottle. The group decided that they would solve this problem, and so developed an elaborate plan to sift the contents of each bottle into the appropriate container, while retaining every last grain of the salt and pepper. After almost 15 minutes of plan development and preparation in order to make sure they had this process down pat, the waitress comes back to the table bewildered at the sight of salt and pepper dispersed. She asks, "What on God's earth are you all doing?!". One of the MIT students respond, "Oh, we had realized that you had placed the salt and pepper in the wrong shakers, and so developed this plan to sift all the contents into the appropriate shaker."

The waitress responds, "Why didn't you just switch the caps?".

Yes, I tend to overthink.

[Holiday20310401]

Originally Posted by Ramsey

But then again that's something right there.

Adam and Eve lives in the perfect Garden of Eden, to some scholars they were created perfect. Thus would perfect beings, not be perfectly good, as well as perfectly evil? I think I'm right in saying I'm taking a page from St. Augustine, but if they were created perfect, would they have even know what good and evil were, or even right or wrong was. If they were both perfectly good, and perfectly evil then, would both concepts even exist in their thought?

So is it possible the God even contradicted itself at this point?

What is it meant by 'perfect'? I doubt that it is ethical for a human to be perfect so if God created something unethical is that not contradictory?

[infinidream]

Originally Posted by Khethil

I'll have to apologize for singling out a point on an otherwise coherent discussion, but this statement (if you'll excuse the adversarial tone) is false.

By all means disagree, you wont offend me I assure you, but consider this: Even Nietzsche held ‘true Christianity’ in high regard. Granted he believed there was only one ‘true Christian’, Jesus Christ Himself, but that doesn't necessarily sell the idea short (I think to truly be like Jesus is more Zen-like than most Christians would dare to admit). The word 'Christian' means 'follower of Christ'. Further, it means that to be a good Christian you should be like Jesus Christ. Can you see anything wrong with being like Jesus Christ? Wouldn’t you agree that if more people behaved like Jesus, the world would be a better place to live in?

I was speaking in terms of practicality. Having positive role models in our lives is a good thing, especially in our Gansta’ Rap generation where ‘Jesus’ is replace by a drug dealing pimp. Growing up in a church, with Jesus Christ as a role model, can yield positive psychological benefits.

Obviously there are plenty of cases where people have associated their own perverted goals with the good advice in the bible. That’s a standard practice in any form of manipulation, but it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with Christianity in its pure form.

[Khethil]

Hey Infinidream How goes?

Originally Posted by infinidream

...but consider this: Even Nietzsche held ‘true Christianity’ in high regard.

While I hold some of Neitzche's ideas in high regard, many I don't. Further, I'm not sure this is true. And if - for the sake of argument - he *did* hold christianity in high regard, that's not relevant. I, personally, am not given to hero-worship (i.e., whether or not someone agreed or disagreed isn't germane). It's the ideas, not the man that matter in philosophical discourse. For every philosopher (everyone from the most famous to the guy down the street selling ice cream) there are aspects of their own individual notions that must be judged idea-by-idea. True, there are folks who idolize and worship their favorites; vehemently defending their hero while caressing their mail-order statuette, but that's not me. But this isn't the point to your post, was it? I'm sorry, I yet digress again

Originally Posted by infinidream

Can you see anything wrong with being like Jesus Christ? Wouldn’t you agree that if more people behaved like Jesus, the world would be a better place to live in?

This is an intriguing concept and worthy of fleshing out. Tossing aside all notions of biblical dogma and just focusing on the general principles of love, tolerance, compassion and the like could, on its own, be a good thing. If you'll excuse the analogy: Kind of like children running around playing 'superman' - rescuing the stranded puppy and championing victims. Supposing they know superman's not real, deifying and extolling those principles, alone, can have quite the positive effect.

Interesting notion, thanks for offering.

[infinidream]

Originally Posted by Khethil

It's the ideas, not the man that matter in philosophical discourse.

Please believe that we are in total agreement on this point (see my introductory post "Half the time I'm always right"). I only brought up Nietzsche because the tone of your response reminded me of his writings. I think some of his points--how Christianity is positive in its pure form, for example--become overshadowed by his points about how it is corrupt. My aim was to invoke the ideas Nietzsche brought to light, not to use his name as a paddle to give you a philosophical spanking.

[Khethil]

Originally Posted by infinidream

Please believe that we are in total agreement on this point (see my introductory post "Half the time I'm always right"). I only brought up Nietzsche because the tone of your response reminded me of his writings. I think some of his points--how Christianity is positive in its pure form, for example--become overshadowed by his points about how it is corrupt. My aim was to invoke the ideas Nietzsche brought to light, not to use his name as a paddle to give you a philosophical spanking.

Well spoken, and no offense was taken

[infinidream]

Originally Posted by boagie

Lighten up guys. sometimes a cigar is just a cigar--a little humour gives balance. I am going back to my room now!!

Yup, and sometimes its a big, brown penis

[boagie]

Start a dream thread!

[Solace]

Since they say actions speak louder than words, if we seek to be like Jesus, should we follow his teachings or his actions? If it's the latter, would anyone mind if I run into a church where people are doing business and start beating those people up? (Don't even pretend that people don't do business in churches, I've seen tupperware parties held in church basements.)