Les wrote:

>> >That's a very black and white view of the world.
>>
>> I cannot help it. That is the way I see it.
>
>Views change depending on where one is standing. Sometimes it causes a
paradigm
>shift. Sometimes it doesn't. It's all a matter of perspective.
>
>> I think I have to clarify my opinion a little: I did not mean that when
>> someone insults me, he is mean person. But if the person keeps on
insulting
>> me day after day, year after year, that is mean. And that, too, makes the
>> person evil.
>
>I'd say anyone who intentionally insults another person just once has been
mean
>and spiteful, but that doesn't necessarily make them evil. Even someone who
>insults me for years on end is not one I'd consider to be evil, he may have
what
>he feels are quite justifiable reasons for insulting me. I'd probably
consider
>them to be a jerk, but not necessarily evil. Evil, in the classical sense
most
>people think of, is not something that's very common in my opinion as most
folks
>who do acts that are commonly labeled as evil do have reasons they believe
make
>such acts justifiable. Very few people do evil acts just for the sake of
being
>evil which, to me, defines the concept of "being evil". Even Hitler, whom
many
>consider to have been one of the most vile and evil men ever to exist, had
his
>reasons which he felt were right for what he did. The pioneers who came to
North
>America and eventually created the USA did terrible things to the natives
who
>were already here, but they too thought they were on the side of right.
Were
>they evil? They certainly didn't think so. The native Americans did. Who's
>right?


That would mean that no mean people have ever existed on the globe, and
propably never will? Even homicidial psychopaths that think 'God told me to'
are not evil, because they think that they are doing the right thing?

>> That is still very, VERY bad thing to do. I do not understand people who
are
>> willing to kill for their beliefs.
>
>And yet a lot of humans do that every day. Had America, England, and Russia
and
>their allies not been willing to kill for their beliefs, Hitler probably
would
>have accomplished his goal of world domination and America would be a
Japanese
>colony.

I would have been ready to kill for my beliefs back then (When Russia
invaded Finland)  and my grandfather really did. Still I do not consider
myself or my grandfather evil. Isn't life complicated ;-)

>Various religions throughout time have risen and fallen based on the
>wars that they fought. Christianity, which most practitioners of consider
to be
>a positive thing, has been the cause of more wars than any other religion
on the
>planet. It's also one of the most widespread religions. Is that a good
thing?
>Depends on whom you ask. As an atheist, I consider Christianity abhorrent
for
>it's actions over the centuries, but any number of Christians will proclaim
>their faith and beliefs to be good things.


Isn't it strange? so many religious groups exist, and they all think they
are the only ones who are right about the Life, Universe and Everything...

>> You're talking about euthanasia. If someone wants to get himself killed,
it
>> his own decision, and should be considered as 'assisted suicide',  not
>> murder.
>
>I know what I am talking about.

I was just making sure that we are talking about the same thing.

>So what is the difference between "assisted
>suicide" and "murder" other than the willingness of the victim? If asked,
could
>you find the courage to give your mother a lethal injection if she were
living a
>life of unending pain?

I would not. I value life -no matter how hard it sometimes might be- so
much.

>If so, then you will have killed for your belief that
>assisting someone to die to alleviate their suffering is the right thing to
do.
>Killing is killing regardless of how willing the victim may happen to be or
how
>helpless their plight. The right or wrongness of it is subjective to the
>individual you ask based on their beliefs and their perspective of the
>situation.


Yes, you are correct.

>> Burroughs? I think I'll visit the local library...
>
>I should forewarn you that his books have been banned in some places due to
the
>unusual outlook they present.


Cool.

>Les
>
>--
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Les Jenkins is The Casual Otaku       (http://casualotaku.dreamhost.com/)
>To email me remove the words NOSPAM from my address.        Atheist #1085
>
- Tomi