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Dec. 30, 2004 As humans we love to blame bad things on evil. We seem to think that unless evil exists there can be no reason for God to exist. In fact, that is true. However, the invention of evil was a purely human phenomenon, just like the concept of God. Evil does not exist outside of human consciousness. We imagined it, we choose to act on it or not. In the end we are responsible for it and only we can eliminate it. But it will take a collective effort. As I said, evil does not exist all by itself in nature. Earthquakes, volcanoes, tornados and hurricanes are not evil. They are simply characteristics of natural phenomenon. People who die as a result of natural phenomenon are not killed by evil. But people killed by willful acts of others are killed by evil. In other words, only humans are capable of evil. Nature is not. We define it and we commit it. It does not exist outside of us. It is not transcendent. It relies on us. Without us it does not exist. Okay, have I made my point. Now, enter Satan. Since we could not accept the fact that other people are the source of evil, we deciced to invent someone to blame it on. So Christians came up with Satan. But the truth is, since Satan is only a mythical creature, he cannot make anyone commit evil. Even if he was real he still wouldn't have the power to force us to do evil. Remember, the Bible says that's why God gave us a free will. Satan cannot violate that free will. So, in reality, Satan only gives us a place to put the blame for all the world's evil. Hitler chose evil. Saddam Hussein chose evil. Idi Amin chose evil. Each person should be held accountable for their own evil choices. The good part of this article is that we are also responsible for our good choices. The more good choices we make, the less evil there is. Therefore we can collectively eliminate evil by making good choices collectively. That means that good is just as much a characteristic of human nature as evil is. So, don't blame God or Satan or some other supernatural cause for evil. It's up to us to treat each other with love and respect. That is the only true religion that exists. So, be good! ------------ About the author: Keith Cantrell is a musician, artist and writer who lives in a small town in Oregon. He has worked at many different professions and currently is writing a book on the origins of the Bible entitled "The World's Most Dangerous Book." He has been a professing fundamentalist and is now struggling with atheism. His life has been spent searching for truth, and nothing but the truth. He loves comments, feedback and even verbal abuse if it is intelligent. He has 4 children and 4 grandchildren and loves everything about living in Oregon. Email: kwcantrell@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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