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This is a fairly short read - I highly recommend reading it - especially good reading material for anyone who believes that their ideas about things like "social justice" "fairness and equality" and "service to a greater good" are motivated by some internalized notions of self virtue when in fact they are more likely driven by a powerful need and desire to fit in to the "we" - "We believe this or that" "We reject that idea" "We are unified by our own goodness"...never mind the negative consequences - the harmful things done in the name of "militating for the greater good".
The article is here. While reading it give some thought - some self assessment on whether or not you are just one very ordinary and normal person who like Eichmann was so seamlessly steered by his own desire to fit in, into becoming a man whose name will forever be associated with crimes so horrendous as to become commonly referred to a THE HOLOCAUST.


Excerpt from this short essay on Arendts thesis on The Banality of Evil:

The big lesson of her thesis, I think, is this: If Evil comes calling, do not expect it to be stupid enough to advertise itself as such. It’s far more likely that it will look like your favorite uncle or your sweet grandmother. It just might cloak itself in grandiloquent platitudes like “equality,” “social justice,” and the “common good.” It could even be a prominent member of Parliament or Congress.

[fee.org]

iThink 9 Aug 25
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All that evil needs to succeed is to appear to be the lesser of two evils...

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"Error never shows itself in its naked reality, in order to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself." - St Irenaeus

"Error" ? should that not be "evil" ?

I am guessing the quote is translated from latin perhaps to english - never heard of St Irenaeus - from the spelling of his name I would guess he was martyred during the time of the Roman Empire?

@iThink Most of us call our evil "error" because we can't believe ourselves evil. St Iranaeus very likely softened his tone to not close the minds of, and to reach those who are evil...all of us.

@TimTuolomne I think to suggest that we are ALL evil (I guess a worse state than sinners) is to diminish real evil, which by the way, though 'all around us', is RARE in individual humans.

@tracycoyle We disagree. We are children of God, from the same greater reality, and placed here to gain sentience. The damage we do to each other on our path to sentience is evil.

The fact that we come from a greater reality than our own, from which a higher being exists, means it would not surprise me if our evil may express beyond ourselves.

Some think there is a greater evil than us, presuming that we are not evil enough. We are evil enough. Human history proves it. And most of us think we are not, because we are unable to face that in ourselves, so we project it outside ourselves.

Environmentalists can't see themselves dooming the poor in other nations to starvation and death by their choices. Global warming the same thing. There are endless examples. Self righteousness abounds. Evil enough? We all have that in us.

@TimTuolomne

We disagree.

Yes. Because we sin and fall short does NOT make us evil. Evil is INTENTIONALLY seeking to destroy others for the pleasure of doing so. Sinning is to act without regard for others, (including our self), whether intentionally or not. If you want to establish the depth of difference between humanity - created by God, with the knowledge that we would sin and fall short, in order to rise Christ above our existence, you fail to acknowledge His understanding and compassion (love) for His creation.

Your hate and distain of humanity does you no favors in the eyes of God. (or non-believers looking at you as an example of a believer....)

@tracycoyle Your extrapolation of my POV to "hate and disdain for humanity" is wrong. It seems as if you only read part of what I wrote. Nothing I said should have led you to the conclusion that I was claiming God can not or will not redeem us.

Scripture reveals that we have original sin and actual sin; all of us.

Some think that "evil" is something else. Based on what, I have no idea. According to Scripture, it is not.

@TimTuolomne My problem with the Scriptural discussion of sin is that it makes no (almost) distinction between an act against God's rules, ie follow the Sabbath and murder. Scripture that says that because God said so, genocide is ok, even down to the newest born infant, but wearing a cloth of mixed source threads is punishable by death. And that a woman by SIMPLY BEING A WOMAN, is unclean for 7 days EVERY MONTH.

I don't have a problem with your faith or your beliefs. Really, I don't. But they, taken as a whole, reflect a barbaric worldview often incompatible with our understanding of Nature - ie science. I am NOT saying that science is the only reasonable source of understanding, or even that it is always (or even mostly) correct.

The Old Testament is full of obligations and distinctions that ETHICALLY are worse than suspect, they violate JESUS' statements IN PLACE of the "Law".

Love thy neighbor as thyself is NOT saying ONLY the people next door, but down the street, around the block, in your community, town/city/state.

If we all sin - and I accept that statement (dogmatically not as a believer) - then NONE is worse than the other. And that 'lack of degree' diminishes ANY sense that the "law" is worthy of consideration.

@tracycoyle I have no problem with your POV either.

You said something that is very insightful and very true: No one is better or worse than anyone else. Some may earn Earthly punishment, and yet GENUINE repentance will be known by God and that person can be redeemed in eternity (which will not save them on Earth). I guarantee that if you study Scripture beginning to end, that will make sense to you. And I understand why it probably does not now.

For me, the Old Testament is a description of God's punishment of His children BEFORE the Covenant, and a really accurate description of who we are. It is not the current call to service. It is the context of the New Testament.

The New Testament contains the CURRENT call to service AFTER Jesus' Sacrifice, and contains the Great Commission. It ONLY commands us to Love God, and love our neighbors. And it invites us to share the good news out of gratitude with our brothers and sisters. Assuming it demands anything else is out of context. But feel free to believe whatever you like.

Finally, I am an engineer, and a natural skeptic who investigated the mystery of Jesus resurrection. Many physicists agree with me that the Bible is eerily consistent with some of the latest ideas about the origins of the Universe. I disagree that it is out of step with science, unless you cherry pick the mysteries of the Bible that remain enigmatic.

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