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I would probably say selfishness is the root of all evil more than fear.
Nope.
God is the root of all evil. I don't care what God it is. Evil done by people is always in the service of their God."
Next year in Jerusalem
4 days ago
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I find this concept to be "completely backwards from reality."
God is a human-invented concept and is a myth; evil is "that which causes harm or destruction or misfortune;" the question then becomes, "Is God (the concept/myth)the root cause of acts which cause harm or destruction, and is God (the concept/myth)the source of misfortunes?" How can something that has no objective existence be a causal force for evil acts or evil states of being?
Let's quit giving "God" either the blame or the glory for human acts of evil and kindness and the fortunes/misfortions that are a direct result of the chaotic nature of the universe. "God" (the concept/myth) is no more responsible for evil than is a flu virus responsible for an evil state of being; the flu virus is acting according to its nature and has no intent to harm, it cannot act any other way. "God" (the concept/myth) is manipulated and specified by humans to serve any purpose they desire and that includes the supposed justification for evil acts.
I am not sure God is an invented concept and is a myth. While it is true that all Gods are human creations ultimately, the powerful God(s) that people believe in, one God per person usually, have a conceptual existence independent from their creators that are typically lost in the traditions of the past. But the God of the believer, complete with all the accretions of myth and dogma, is generally a real independent entity that speaks, sometimes directly, and sometimes through mediators to the believer, and causes real mental and behavioral changes in the believer. That the independent entity exists only in the mind of the believer does not invalidate its reality except in a strict materialist sense which makes no sense to a believer.
I have a different concept of evil in that while it causes harm, destruction or misfortune it is the result of a considered volitional act. A B52 flown into the Empire State Building caused destruction and misfortune but was not evil as the volition was missing. Airplanes flown into the World Trade Center were acts of evil as they were considered volitional acts. An act of hate, even using a nasty name for another, while it may cause no destruction or misfortune, may cause slight emotional harm and the volition causes it to be an evil act especially as the emotional harm was an intended consequence of the act.
The social instincts which have evolved to a high level in humans, the need for the approval of the group, the innate respect for the space and person of another, allow mistakes, but not evil. A child that inadvertently injures another will cry in sympathy, and attempt to get assistance from a caregiver. To injure another willfully takes an external compulsion that in most cases requires obedience to the will of God.
While the will of God may be a figment of the imagination of the believer and in fact suggested by a mediator for God, it is necessary to separate the tinhorn in the fancy dress from the God hesh serves. The tinhorn suggesting that a person wear a bomb on a bus would be met by incredulity. The tinhorn suggesting that God needs someone to wear a bomb on a bus will find many volunteers.
There are other agencies that can use the group approval instinct to compel evil, nationalism is another popular culprit, but even nationalists try to get God on their side. When God and Country are pointing in the same direction evil is the norm.
Much of what you have written appears to be explanatory but it is only so if one thoroughly diminishes the definitions of the combination of the words "real," "independent" and "entity." Abstract entities such as Pegasus and Medusa certainly have a conceptual existence but their conceptions bring no objective reality to their existence, whether or not one's eyes can see Pegasus flying by in the air or or see lifelike stone statues that are supposed victums of Medusa's stare. Being able to report that one can hear the Sirens' songs does not mean such sounds have actuality.
"God" has nothing whatsoever to do with most anti-social acts; dependent upon the study performed, it is believed that 5% - 7% of the general population of the world are sociopaths; this does not mean that they will act on each compulsion but it does mean that when they do perform an anti-social act, they will feel no empathy or remorse for their victums.
First, anti-social acts may or may not be evil. A sociopath, that is one who unable to differentiate between socially functional and dysfunctional acts may well cause bad things to happen and may need to be removed from the society, but it is hard to think of such a one as evil, as the evil intent is missing.
I don't think it is necessary to redifine real, independent, and entity, when dealing with the perception of the believer. In my experience the God of a believer to the believer is a real independent entity that they can pray to and worship. The fact that you and I think it is an abstract entity makes no difference to the believer. For the believer God's commands whether direct to the believer or through the tinhorn in the fancy dress, are indisputable and must be obeyed, even if the believer knows the commands are anti-social or even evil.
On herm own the suicide bomber would not consider the act. Only God could cause herm to not only suicide but cause terror for other humans..This is why God is the root of evil. Maybe not all of it, but enough for the statement to be true.
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