Why Do People Do Evil? (Dennis Prager Offers Reasons For The Existence Of Evil Alert)

Townhall.com ^ | 09/04/2007 | Dennis Prager

[goldstategop]

There are numerous theories to explain the existence of evil. Dennis Prager offers a number of them. In the end, he believes the most powerful reason for evil rests on an appeal to victimhood. When people believe the world owes them something, they're more likely to disregard moral restraints and perpetrate evil acts to redress their perceived victimization. In particular, liberalism with its moral relativism is more apt to tolerate and justify evil than conservatism.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[taxesareforever]

I do not believe in a devil

So, he also must not believe in Genesis.

[Patrick1]

Going way out on a limb here but I believe it is called original sin.

[khnyny]

Hmm, original sin?

[dr_lew]

If a shark or a bear can rip you limb from limb without compunction, why not another human? It is not evil that requires explanation, but good. It’s quite remarkable that we are so acclimated to the goodness of the human heart, that we are obliged to attribute extraordinary cause to explain its absence on occasion.

[Grizzled Bear]

When people believe the world owes them something, they’re more likely to disregard moral restraints and perpetrate evil acts to redress their perceived victimization.

---

You could argue that Cain killed Abel because he felt he was treated unfairly.

[Patrick1]

The result of the fall. Original sin comes from man’s desire to be like God. That is the original sin. The result evil and death.

[divine_moment_of_facts]

If a shark or a bear can rip you limb from limb without compunction, why not another human?

Because animals don't have a conscious and humans do?

[misterrob]

Explain Bill and Hillary then.

[khnyny]

LOL. Hey, you don’t have to explain it to me, although you did beat me to it by 18 seconds.

Some light reading for your perusal, lol.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p7.htm

[divine_moment_of_facts]

Adam also made the mistake of telling God it was Eve’s fault.. Eve needed Adam to tell her to put down the damn apple! History repeats itself.. again and again and again...

[divine_moment_of_facts]

LOL

[Arthur McGowan]

Original Sin is the damage done to our nature by the fact that our consciousness dawns in the womb in the absence of a felt presence of God. The mind forms with the perception and conviction that it is the center of the universe. (If grace were present, the mind would be structurally, innately oriented toward the truth—that God is all-important, and good, and that love is a gift.) Because the human person, in the absence of grace, is structurally warped, with a tendency to judge itself and everything and everybody falsely, everyone is born with the tendency to believe that others’ love must be earned, or attracted, or even coerced. This is the root of all personal sins. Baptism “removes” Original Sin in the sense that Baptism brings the grace that was absent at conception. But the maturing of the transformation accomplished by grace takes a lifetime of positive influences, instruction in the truth, and cooperation through repeated actions.

[dr_lew]

Well, this “conscience” is just what requires explanation, since it seems to be something implanted in us to enforce the good. Suppose it is lacking in a particular person, what of it? People suffer all sorts of deficiencies.

[goldstategop]

Animals do not commit evil, per se. Their behavior is instinctual and mindless - genetically programmed. Only human beings are capable of making a moral choice. That gives us the ability to achieve acts of sublime beauty or acts of wicked depravity that exceeds even the cruelty of Nature. In that sense, we are closer to God than than the beasts which have only a limited framework in which to live out their existence. Our God-like ability to seek moral order in the cosmos has enabled us to surmount the very bounds of Nature itself and bring order to a chaotic world.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[ZULU]

You can’t have good without evil. Unless there is something to compare aomething like “good” with, you can’t recognize it.

I believe the basic reasons for evil in the world are two - inherent human weakness (original sin if you will) and Satan, the opposite of God.

[Dan Evans]

If you want to talk about evil, you need to define your terms. Otherwise you are sure to be confused by moral paradoxes and the claim of subjective evil — the notion that there is no such thing as absolute good or evil.

Evil is that which diminishes or destroys life. Good is that which enhances life. But in order to live, we must destroy living things. The moral calculus says that an evil thing can be done for a greater good. We call that a necessary evil.

The disturbing truth is that life would never have evolved if it weren’t for evil. The first microbe that learned it could exude toxins to destroy a neighbor microbe committed evil. The other microbes had to evolve a defense. In order to survive we must continually fight evil but without evil we would never advance.

[misterrob]

I was making a joke about an example of 2 humans that had no conscience....

or soul for that matter.

G Vs E is a very interesting topic. But not at 12:30 AM on a school night.

[Patrick1]

Thanks, I will take a look.

[pillut48]

"I'll take Number One SATAN!!!! for a thousand dollars, Dennis!"