Evil and Secularists

[Gary Childress]

How does "evil" relate to secularism? Do secularists have a concept of "evil," and if we do, what is our concept of "evil?" Are secularists able to have a concept of "evil"? Are secularists able to have a sense of "right" and "wrong" that is meaningful? Is "evil" the same as "right" and "wrong"?

[Impenitent]

spell evil backwards

(it was a great Sabbath album)

-Imp

[Lacewing]

How does "evil" relate to secularism? Do secularists have a concept of "evil," and if we do, what is our concept of "evil?" Are secularists able to have a concept of "evil"? Are secularists able to have a sense of "right" and "wrong" that is meaningful? Is "evil" the same as "right" and "wrong"?

I don't think the concept of 'evil' means much in regard to secularism. The concepts of right and wrong are meaningful without the idea of evil. For a secularist to refer to evil is probably most likely: 1) just a descriptive word for something/someone horrible -- OR -- 2) to talk about religion on its own terms.

[Dubious]

How does "evil" relate to secularism? Do secularists have a concept of "evil," and if we do, what is our concept of "evil?" Are secularists able to have a concept of "evil"? Are secularists able to have a sense of "right" and "wrong" that is meaningful? Is "evil" the same as "right" and "wrong"?

That's the kind of stupid, ignorant question a religious fanatic like IC would ask to endorse the concept as authorized by the bible since to secularists that validation doesn't apply being forced to use judgment as opposed to mandate.

Also, evil is not strictly the same as right and wrong. An evil is done with intention, rarely through ignorance even though evil may follow as a side-effect. As well, evil is a historical measure of what cultures and civilizations themselves define as right or wrong within their societies and not least by the age itself. That's long been known! In effect, evil as concept remains relative, of no established agency throughout the ages.