There Is No Such Thing As Evil

[jkiernan56]

What does it mean when someone purposefully comes to a Catholic forum to illustrate their (very willful) non-Catholic (bordering on anti-Catholic) understandings?

It means they need, and (to be charitable) most probably want, to be informed OUT of their uncomfortable understandings.

:shamrock2:

Like us, they have yet to fully understand God’s love which cast’s out all fear. Usually fear is what is behind a person who doesn’t want to accept the reality of hell. Even those of us who do accept the teaching, how we share that with others must be done with gentleness and charity rather than truth bashing.

 

[greggy53]

So one of the things I was taught growing up is that Satan cannot act without God’s permission. This comes from the story of Job. So, I got to thinking about it and if Satan cannot act without God’s permission, then that means that God is responsible for all evil.

Now, I’m also told that nothing God does is bad or evil and is always righteous, no matter what he does.

So logically, if nothing God does is evil, and Satan cannot act without God’s permission, then that means that nothing is evil, even though technically the actions are done by Satan and his minions but of course it is impossible for him to do anything without God’s permission.

There is no such thing as evil, just as there is no such thing as darkness, and no such thing as cold.
Darkness is a lack of light.
Cold is an absence of heat
Evil is the lack, or perversion of goodness
This is why evil can never be “equal” or as powerful as goodness. Nothing can be evil in itself, it cannot exist without love being there first.
God gave Angels, and humans free will;that is why they can commit evil. The evil men, or angels do does not impugn on the perfect Love of God any more than you can be held accountable for anothers sin.

 

[CatsAndDogs]

Like us, they have yet to fully understand God’s love which cast’s out all fear. Usually fear is what is behind a person who doesn’t want to accept the reality of hell. Even those of us who do accept the teaching, how we share that with others must be done with gentleness and charity rather than truth bashing.

I’m certainly not as convinced as I might seem to be about even what I say is the truth, which I know is indeed the truth, but which I don’t act on as if I truly understood what I say I know.

Thus, being an admitted hypocrite who is fully annoyed and quite aggrieved at knowing that I am a hypocrite, though not yet annoyed or aggrieved enough at my own hypocrisy to stop BEING a hypocrite, I tend to fear for myself and wish someone would bash me about the head and shoulders with the truths I wish to fully appreciate more effectively than I seem to be able to do myself, and that self-flagellation “leaks” onto others in my being overly prone to battering them.

Hmmmm… perhaps I’ve learned a bit more than usual today?

Thanks.

:shamrock2:

 

[Michael_David]

I’m certainly not as convinced as I might seem to be about even what I say is the truth, which I know is indeed the truth, but which I don’t act on as if I truly understood what I say I know.

Thus, being an admitted hypocrite who is fully annoyed and quite aggrieved at knowing that I am a hypocrite, though not yet annoyed or aggrieved enough at my own hypocrisy to stop BEING a hypocrite, I tend to fear for myself and wish someone would bash me about the head and shoulders with the truths I wish to fully appreciate more effectively than I seem to be able to do myself, and that self-flagellation “leaks” onto others in my being overly prone to battering them.

Hmmmm… perhaps I’ve learned a bit more than usual today?

Thanks.

:shamrock2:

Cats, seems this is the way finding truths works for me too. One has to try and ‘spar’ with God for a time, perhaps to test Him, before we ‘say uncle’ and realize what Is Is. It doesn’t come easy, for me anyway, almost like being born (not easy on the mom either) but just ask any mom (or dad)… it’s worth it.

And yes, we are in this together. Helping and being helped; giving and receiving; learning and teaching; getting closer to God and further from the ‘other’; it’s a life-long journey… nice to have you alongside.

Hopefully, the caterpillar will become a butterfly.

 

[benedictus2]

What does it mean when someone purposefully comes to a Catholic forum to illustrate their (very willful) non-Catholic (bordering on anti-Catholic) understandings?

It means they need, and (to be charitable) most probably want, to be informed OUT of their uncomfortable understandings.

The other day, someone asked something similar in a thread I started on the existence of God. I myself have wondered why non Catholics and non-believers come on this site.
I have now come to the conclusion that it is all part of God’s plan. God does write straight with crooked lines a lot of times.
In the debates that have raged over these forums, I think we have all learned from each other. I have certainly learned a lot, from being questioned, from others posts and most of all from my own responses to ignorant and outright fabrications that get posted here.
This is the way God is leading us all if I can just keep Cinnete’s advice in mind to keep my focus on Christ and not be dismayed by all the lies. The Truth will out.

And when someone shows me they are simply interested in being an example of intransigence in error, as opposed to my being an example of intransigence in truth, as I’m not opposed to intransigence at all but am vehemently opposed to error, I move on to more productive things to do, as I’m really quite awful at being in the least persuasive that truths are actually truths due to my curmudgeonliness.

:shamrock2:

Another thing I said to Cinette was that, perhaps the reason the non-believers are somehow led here is so that we can pray for them. If you think about it, if their family and circle or friends are similarly inclined, they really have no one praying for them. Perhaps, that is what is asked of us.

I consider my faith most precious, and I really wish everyone else to have the same. And I know that I can help a little bit by my posts but ultimately it will be God who will do the drawing and my opinions will probably be just a tiny nudge in the right direction.