Is there good and evil in the world?

Of course there is good and evil in the world. You and your kind have created it. How many depictions of evil have you seen? Tens of thousands? ‘Check out’ today’s video games. Wow! Those monsters are wielding sharp talons and vile fangs. Beware!! People have always conjured up threatening predators. The more repulsive they are, the easier it is to hate them … to want them dead!! Attribute the most despicable traits to them and your compatriots are ready for action!! Exterminate the evil monsters … with whatever it takes.

During World War II Allied Forces distributed posters depicting the Japanese as devils complete with horns and diabolic expressions. They ‘looked’ different … less than human … a ‘sub-species’ called ‘gooks’ … demonic and evil … easy to despise. Rage incited by ‘justifiable’ revenge motivated soldiers to KILL these demons.

For millennia people have perceived the ‘unknown’ as threatening. Often this was embodied in other ‘tribes’, foreigners. Fortifications were built to fend them off. Forces of nature were also enigmatic and feared. To ‘deal’ with them powerful deities were “conjured up’: The sun god, the moon god, etc. Many were benign. Some were not. Conflicts were inevitable. One supernatural entity ‘fought’ another. And the ‘righteous’ sided with the perceived beneficent gods … their gods. Enemies were ‘in league’ with the fiendish, devil gods.

Thus good and evil became well-defined throughout the ages. Fears and the means to deal with them drove imaginations. Enlist the ‘good’ gods or god who had invincible powers and you could vanquish any enemy. Offer sacrifices and practice efficacious rituals and you would feel confident in the Benevolent One’s protection.

Even today people ‘curry favor’ with their God. For most believe in a Supreme Being. And this figure by Its very nature MUST have the power to influence and determine everything. Proper supplication can provide the means to overcome all adversity … including the ‘dark forces’ which can lure you into ‘offending’ your God … sinning!! And then you will be on your way to the ‘Devil’s’ lair … with all ‘his’ evil cohorts. A dire prospect. Preposterous!!

Good and evil?? They do not exist, only in people’s imaginations. How do you know this for sure?

First, there is not a scintilla of evidence that demons exist.

Second, every ‘life form’ has a potential for growth. Earth is a ‘breeding ground’ that is constantly ‘spawning’. Creatures ‘reproduce’ and some progeny realize their complete DNA design and destiny with their own unique characteristics interacting within a certain ‘niche’. This is positive and PURPOSEFUL with NO DIABOLICAL INTENT!!

Third, if a Creator has placed a spiritual entity inside a mortal body, yours for instance, with the purpose of growth through love, then the ultimate goal of LIFE is to ‘generate’ individuals who can exist beyond temporal confines. It is inconceivable therefore that within this Grand Design are entities without potential for growth, without abilities to love and experience joy. For nothing can exist very long without LOVE … the Source and Sustaining Power.

It is obvious that you have dominion over this world, over the physical universe. What you do with it is for you to decide. You can use what you need to survive safely and comfortably for awhile. You can also use your unique, spiritual abilities to grow. There are NO IMPEDIMENTS to this dynamic purpose of your existence … only ones that you devise!!

One last point: Why then you may ask do we invent demons? Most often to assuage our fears or blame something or someone else for our misguided behavior. If we anthropomorphize what we do not understand … the sun, the moon, the stars, eclipses, what have you … then we can relate to them on our own terms. For example: The ‘sacrifice’ myth. Primitive man has often offered up something he values to voracious gods in order to appease them. The Greeks and Romans had countless deities and each of these had their own unique characteristics. It was probably a great psychological relief to put your love life in the hands of Aphrodite or depend on the power of Zeus to protect you in battle. In modern times we eschew these supplications but we still say “the devil made me do it.” Definitely easer than taking responsibility.

We will always look for power from without … an appealing inclination. But as we have realized the true workings of the natural world, we have discarded old fears. We have come to rely on our own powers … to understand, to overcome the threats of famine and disease … to solve problems. And now more than ever we can dismantle the yoke of primitive ideas and embrace our dynamic true self. We can be confident that our loving is the only true power in the universe.

Oh … forgot to mention sin. Some believe this to be an evil … an affront to God. Ego and self-centeredness compel us to believe that our lofty position in the universe somehow endows us with the wherewithal to praise, offend and detract from the ‘Eternal Deity’. Grow up!! Not possible!! Wholeness … All Powerful … All Loving … is not assailable by mere mortals. Being grateful for your existence is nice. Thank you God … you’re great!! But if you believe you are inciting God to vindictiveness, you are only projecting your own shortcomings and mistakes to a conjured ‘Judge’. You are the only adjudicator. Retribution is self-inflicted.

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