What are the origins of good and evil?

The Vedas would be the oldest scriptures, so would be the criterion for good and evil for those who have not risen to the level of cosmic consciousness. Human intellect is not an adaquate judge of good and evil, right and wrong because the vision of the human mind is restricted to the limitations of relativity and the effects of karma, which is most difficult to understand.
The easiest way to explain this is "good" would be that which produces good influence everywhere. It is right not to harm anyone and it is wrong to do harm. It is right to love and it's wrong to hate.
The criterion would be in the scriptures of what is most comfortable for you. Few Westerners read the Vedic philosophy but many read the Holy Bible. If this is understandable in your level of consciousness, then this would be right for you, at this point in time.

I should add: IMO
 
I recall a person from Asia telling me how evil some Asians see Americans as because we painted cartoons and half dressed women on airplanes that dropped bombs on them. I always agreed that it was in very poor taste.
 
fmdog44 said:
I recall a person from Asia telling me how evil some Asians see Americans as because we painted cartoons and half dressed women on airplanes that dropped bombs on them. I always agreed that it was in very poor taste.
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Dropping bombs on each other are in better taste? What an absurdity.
 
Origins of good and evil, that's an interesting question. Why are some people born good and others are just plain evil? Looking back to Old Testament, God knew the outcome of Adam & Eve, from the beginning and the jealously that occurred between Cain and Able. Why did god favor Abel over Cain? Could it be God knew their hearts and naturally chose Abel over Cain?

What is the origin of sin if not from God himself? Think about it, what is sin but disobedience to God, and who determines sin? God is judge of sin. Sin would not exist without judgement.
 
I myself hate the word and the concept of evil. To me it's yet another label that makes things too black and white and keeps us from addressing problems.

There are many people who are labeled evil especially child molesters, rapists, murders and others. Even though I find their acts horrible we have to remember that these people were once children themselves. Somehow their lives lead them to do acts that shouldn't have been done.

We do know that some people have differences in their brain structure which caused them to be psychopaths. However most people with psychopathic brain structures do not act in ways that are considered evil. One can accurately predict whether or not someone is a psychopath by looking at brain scans. In fact one researcher who was looking into the brain structures of psychopaths found out he was one after accidentally putting his brain scan in with those of others he was evaluating. You can read his story here https://www.smithsonianmag.com/scie...who-discovered-he-was-a-psychopath-180947814/

I am not trying to forgive these people from doing things we consider evil, but if we see them as flawed human beings we can potentially learn from them what caused them to act out when others do not do so.

So in answer to the original poster's question we know that brain structures can lead to conditions that tend to be more prone to acts that people consider evil.
 
asp3 said:
I myself hate the word and the concept of evil. To me it's yet another label that makes things too black and white and keeps us from addressing problems.

There are many people who are labeled evil especially child molesters, rapists, murders and others. Even though I find their acts horrible we have to remember that these people were once children themselves. Somehow their lives lead them to do acts that shouldn't have been done.

We do know that some people have differences in their brain structure which caused them to be psychopaths. However most people with psychopathic brain structures do not act in ways that are considered evil. One can accurately predict whether or not someone is a psychopath by looking at brain scans. In fact one researcher who was looking into the brain structures of psychopaths found out he was one after accidentally putting his brain scan in with those of others he was evaluating. You can read his story here https://www.smithsonianmag.com/scie...who-discovered-he-was-a-psychopath-180947814/

I am not trying to forgive these people from doing things we consider evil, but if we see them as flawed human beings we can potentially learn from them what caused them to act out when others do not do so.

So in answer to the original poster's question we know that brain structures can lead to conditions that tend to be more prone to acts that people consider evil.
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Do you hate the word and concept of good as well?
 
I'd say the concepts of good and evil come from our minds--our thinking mechanisms in our parts of our brains that are advanced compared to other animals.
 

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