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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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