Dear Pericles,

The religious element in the conquest of Ireland did not begin with Cromwell. It was there when the English were planning the invasion in Elizabethan times. From Kiernan’s “Blood and Soil” Page 174:

'Harvey, the Smiths, and their associates, imbued with enthusiasm for Cato and Livy, stood at the center of a circle of emerging radicals in the Elizabethan order. As the historians Lisa Jardine and Anthony Grafton conclude, "Harvey read the Carthaginian and Roman past above all in terms of the English present. A rising member of the rising war party, he ached for action, like his patrons" Nicholas Canny calls this group extreme or "advanced" Protestants, compared to whom Henry Sidney was a moderate. Another historian, Brendan Bradshaw, describes them as "a group of radical young courtiers and intellectuals, led by Sir Philip Sidney, with the Earl of Leicester in the role of godfather, who strove to combine the ideals of protestantism and neo-chivalry, and to put military arms at the service of social renewal, the protestant cause, and the greater glory of England."'

>>Evil is what one doesn't like. It is no more than that. <<

This statement and its subsequent explanation are far too shallow for my liking. True evil is real and is embodied in the Lucifer Principle. Its motto is "follow me and you will ultimately be rewarded by being left stranded in a life of internal pain and suffering". In contrast, following the good and natural path, free of purely intellectual decision-making and all dogma, leads to having a happy and fruitful life. Everybody knows the difference between the two. The problem is that many people are lazy and stuck in their rut and are susceptible to bad influences when they sweep through.

I must agree with runner regarding your argument - it's a great example of relativism. When something bad happens, life tends to normalise it. The mind plays tricks that are easy to fall for; there’s a tacit, post hoc attitude of: we're still here, so what came before us can't be that bad. One thing leads to another and the ideas that win out are not those that are the most principled or noble, but those that outlast the opposition. Abortion is a classic example. It all started with the idea of a woman not being tied down to a particular lifestyle. It is a fundamentally selfish attitude that has been normalised over time to the point where governments facilitate the process. Smoking is another deeply selfish personal indulgence. The desire to have a nicotine hit overwhelms all else; even one’s good sense to render one’s body in good health. Once you get caught in its thrall, you are long stuck with the consequences. These are forms of the Lucifer Principle and they are the consequence of the choices that people make either through their strength or weakness.

God created people with the faculties to work out the difference between good and bad. He created the clean slate and people fill it. However, what people fill it with is what they will be judged by over the full life cycle. It certainly isn't God that's evil.

I've always thought of evil as something
that is harmful, injurious, morally wrong,
anything causing injury or harm.

I've alwys been taught to take responsibility
for my own actions - and not look to scapegoat
others for them.

For example, the vast majority
of Australians are descendants of immigrants, yet
we often act as though today's immigrants don't
deserve what we do, that we have something to
protect from their encroachment. It seems paradoxical
to me that we would celebrate our ancestors coming
over to this country, yet condemn someone trying to
do the same thing today.

Of course there are immigrants who abuse our system,
just as there are people born here who abuse our
system. But, it's a national immorality when we
collectively say no to compassion. Compassion need not,
should not, be considered with financial expenditure.
It means simply a mental commitment to accept
the possibility of options we have not considered.

Blaming religion as being evil - I simply don't buy.
Religious beliefs and practices are so ancient that
they can be traced back into prehistory. Believers
may worship gods, ancestors, or totems; they may
practice solitary meditation, frenzied rituals, or
solemn prayer. And, obviously religion can't be defined
in terms of the Western religious tradition alone.
Therefore - mankind has to take responsibility
for their own actions - or lack of them.
They must do unto others as they would
have others do unto them.

Dear RobP,

Sometimes there is profundity in simplicity. To recognise what we call evil as merely something we don't like is not the least bit shallow. It recognises nonsense for what it is. Evil is not an entity outside ourselves. It is not a force driving us. We have given a mystical quality and a theological dimension to what we don't like by calling it evil. God and Satan are human creations that keep us from confronting reality. They, like evil, are human inventions.

Dear Foxy,

I agree that religion is not evil. It is not good either. It is merely another human invention that we use for various purposes. One purpose is to justify and explain our acts. However, I disagree that we should do to others as we would have them do unto us. That assumes others have our tastes and desires. They may not.

I love your compassionate heart.

Dear Shadow Minister,

You are not a sinister minister.

Evil exists. Spend some time with someone who finds absolute joy in cutting off your various appendages and hearing you scream. There's people out there who will do the most horrendous things to you; things you couldn't comprehend, and find sexual gratification in your absolute suffering to your soul.

Evil exists, it's just that you've never met it. Hope you don't. Hope I don't.

EVIL is only LIVE spelt backwards
Thanks from
Dave