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7 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is Evil?
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The concept of evil varies from one religion to another
Conceptualizations of evil come from anti-social threats as perceived and experienced by a culture For evil to have meaning, it must be attached to real life people and things Belief in a pure, ultimate evil is not universal |
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Example of Polynesia Society
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Tahitians and Samoans lived lives of plenty and lived in harmony with nature
Their gods were nurturing, not violent They had no concept of sin or evil, only saw anti-social behaviors as negative |
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Counterexample of Polynesia Society
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In contrast, societies on islands of New Guinea were resource poor and lived hard lives, and their religions and cultures were harsher
All-male warrior groups, violent societies Angry war gods, human sacrifice |
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Evil and Vedism
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- Hindu-The goddess Kali is not the equivalent of Satan, but a part of the cycle of existence
Moksha is a state of eternal enlightenment, but there is no opposite, a state of eternal damnation Shinto (Japan) rose as a collection of deities Taoism and Confucianism (China)- Eastern mystery religions There is no god to understand, no god to reveal the mysteries of existence Instead, people must discover these Buddhism-Seeks enlightenment through harmony and balance |
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Evil around the world- Native Americans
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The Chacoans developed a concept of evil over time as a result of drastic changes in their living conditions and their ways of life
When the droughts still did not end, depleted communities began to prey on others, forcing the others to move into cliff-side caves for defense Their lives became based on defending themselves from this “evil enemy” that sought their homes, food, and lives |
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Evil around the world- Persia
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The ancient Persians had difficult daily lives; as nomads in desert environments they depended completely on nature and the elements for their well-being
Their religion reflected this day-night dichotomy, with gods of light as good and gods of night as evil |
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Evil Around the World: Zarathustra
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Zoroastrianism holds that the one true god Ahura Mazda reigns supreme (pure good) while there is a being of pure evil known as Ahriman
Dualism produces the worst oppression and violence |
