Why does evil exist?

This is supposedly a quote from Albert Einstein, although I have my doubts.I'll throw it in anyways.

"Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

Respect for Einstein!!!
BTW it's not his idea (words might be).
I absolutelly agree with that idea.
And it's humanity's biggest mistake to think that evil has any power at all...
Because by that people begin fighting "wind mills" and actually MULTIPLY "evil".....
Fighting the past or neighbours is the best way of self-destruction.

It is all in the interpretation. Taking onboard the premise of the thread that God exists, one could say that killing babies, children and innocent adults was an evil act. However if the act is done by God, say by drowning in a great flood, then it is a good act.

Communisto said:

There is no evil, just different points of view

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I hope you understand the ultimate victory a statement like that gives to evil.

Aphex said:

By that logic genocide is perfectly acceptable.

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No, because there is a great difference between me killing someone and a flood killing someone.

In the first case, I am using a right I do not have. In the second case, there is no question of rights: its simply an accident, and an unfortunate one.

Life = suffering.
Evolution = Evolving of life = Evolving of suffering.
Humans = peak of evolution = peak of the evolution of suffering = Current peak of suffering.

I'm against life.

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The inclusion of equal symbols in your logical statement doesn't make it any more reasonable.

Aphex_Twin said:

and why do innocents suffer, why do bad things happend to good people when God is supposedly omni-benevolent?


I feel this question has been evaded and ill-answered so far. To provide one is the desired purpose of this thread.


Please, stick to the point, no thread-jacking and no trolling.

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Depends on your definition of evil, which has changed so much over the centuries, and is not necessarily the same among different cultures. At one time, for example, slavery was not considered an evil, but now it is. Does that mean that everyone on Earth was evil until 150 years ago, because they accepted slavery? Hardly.

Nanocyborgasm said:

Depends on your definition of evil, which has changed so much over the centuries, and is not necessarily the same among different cultures. At one time, for example, slavery was not considered an evil, but now it is. Does that mean that everyone on Earth was evil until 150 years ago, because they accepted slavery? Hardly.

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Maybe He was just a bit misunderstood

Which is more evil, genocide, or slavery? If you know someone that you have some authority over is contemplating genocide, would not suggesting slavery as an alternative be good?

FearlessLeader2 said:

Which is more evil, genocide, or slavery? If you know someone that you have some authority over is contemplating genocide, would not suggesting slavery as an alternative be good?

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Now there is the epitome of "the lesser of 2 evils"!

I'd say genocide was more evil, btw.