Good and Evil |
There often exists fundamental disagreement about the right course of action in any given situation. For example different cultures often exhibit radically different moral standards.
There are no universal moral values shared by every human society. These same individuals also claim that suicide is a sin. Murder, for example, is probably one of the most world-wide agreed-upon wrongs. Yet in most societies murder, in war-time conditions, is approved or promoted. Objective analysis must conclude that the same moral or ethical frameworks do not apply in all circumstances. Right and wrong are also subjective in how they relate to suffering. Many religious people suggest that a woman should kill herself to avoid rape and torture. We don’t want to impose suffering on others, including animals. Therefore we justify killing animals and (often) people to prevent suffering, It feels wrong and therefore it is wrong. It feels bad to do wrong things and these feelings, how strong they are, depend on the individual. Feeling bad when we do wrong things is what keeps people in line, even more than the fear of being punished by the society that makes the rules. Right and wrong depend upon the situation. they are a construct of a society and a culture at a specific time. What we consider right and wrong changes over time. And many people disagree on what exactly right and wrong is. Right and wrong for the majority is dictated by cultural influence and other situational factors . Sex, perhaps is clearly a right and wrong everyone disagrees about. Opinions abound, because a lot about sex has to do with opinions, preferences, and desires — subjective stuff. Sure, there are some objectively verifiable aspects of sexuality, such as that only about a third of women are able to reach orgasm from intercourse. Either they masturbate (which many think is a sin) or they never experience pleasure in sex. Many people will insist that some kinds of sex are more "right" than others, and that perhaps some are really "wrong," as if there were some objective standard by which to measure various sex acts. Such attempts to impose an objective standard onto something subjective usually mean that people are applying their own preferences and assuming that everyone else feels the same way — or that they should. Even more subjective than right and wrong are good and evil. Evil is what many people believe to be an actual force, the cause of all the wicked and bad things in the world. Evil, as such, does not exist. Each of us learn right and wrong, good and evil, from our parents and from society and thus make decisions based on this conditioning. When we do things that violate this arbitrary code, we experience guilt and shame. As long as we believe that there is a good and an evil, we give more power to this feeling. And so it is with all the systems of men. They are filled with rewards and punishments which are often applied arbitrarily. Good and evil, right and wrong are perpetuated by the ideas of men. Only God knows the proper response in any situation. If you want to know the correct right and wrong, ask God. The only way we can succeed in life is to be in contact with God and be guided by Spirit not by feelings. . |