Is Anything Evil? Does Evil Exist?

Archer:That's the beauty of it!God's own story is the consumation of all things. Drama, poetry, philosophy, art, logic, life, death, beginning and end.If you do not know Him, then you do not know the majesty of any of these realitites.

You've confused yourself with the Almighty again, Rob. You're still sniffing that megalomania glue.I never spoke of 'God's own story.' I spoke of Rob's own incompetence.Are you going to respond to reasonable questions you have been asked about a subject you raised? Or are you throwing in the towel yet again on your ability to maintain any semblance of coherence?If the latter, I don't want to read another whine from you later about Admins who won't promote your topics. You've got a topic now. You've got a couple of Admins participating in it. And the discussion could get interesting--if the author of the OP would quit wagging his fanny at the guests and at least try to focus.Please address the points that have been raised.If you do not do this, I will ask our Admins never to promote another topic if you are the author of the OP. It's just not fair to put you in that position.You can't sustain a normal conversation, Rob. You aren't up to the job of hosting a thread.__________Edited by Archer Opterix, : clarity.Edited by Archer Opterix, : html.Edited by Archer Opterix, : brev.

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ArcherAll species are transitional.

Archer:Not at all Archer...Matthew 10:25 It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!Joh 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.There is a difference between a Son, and an adopted son. And the Son deserves more honor than the slave who was redeemed and adopted. And the slave is grateful to follow and be counted worthy to suffer along with the family.Ephesians 1:5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.Archer:Very well Archer. Let it be as you have said.But remember...John 10:17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again.I have not been turning the other cheek for the last year. I have been resisting you. I first had to get a cheek. Now that I have one, I turn it and lay it down by choice. Not because you take it from me.You may have your temporal and relative victory. God has given it to you.It is your time. So hurl your insults. Write my obituary. Repeat history for all to see.Matthew 27:42 "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.Luke 18:32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him.Matthew 5:39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.Matthew 26:36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." 42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." 43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"I am finally beginning to see much more.

No there isn't. No difference at all. Certainly not from the standpoint of evil.

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This thread, which you started, is about evil; not the holy spirit. The holy spirit hasn't even been mentioned, by me anyway. So the last part of the verse doesn't pertain.My Message 117 did have more on topic comments than off. Unfortunately your reply was completely off topic and doesn't further the discussion on evil.Please address the comments that deal with the topic of evil.

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"Peshat is what I say and derash is what you say." --Nehama Leibowitz

...your ability to sustain a rational conversation is officially half-assed. You are not like Jesus, Rob. You are a fragile, frightened, faithless man.Yes, faithless. You told us. You told iceage that you compare yourself to Jesus so often because if you don't, you're afraid you will forget him completely.That kind of faith is no faith at all, Rob.Right now you're in full-blown grandiose mode. You thunder and rant and compare yourself to Jesus; you'd add reverb if you could. But we know it's bluster. We saw behind the curtain. We saw that small, frightened man who fears his 'faith' will evaporate into the ether at any second.It's a slip you still hope to camouflage. On with the show! First you told us you're the embodiment of evil. Now you tell us you're the embodiment of messiahship. You've done this yo-yo act so many times everyone has grown bored with it. You must surely be the most bored of all.But you're scared to death to try the one thing that would get you off this roller-coaster. You're scared to be the one thing that would be healthy to be no matter what the occasion.You are scared to death to be a real person.Why should this be so frightening to you? What would Rob give up if he became no longer a devil one day and a messiah the next, but a person?Would he have to give up feeling special?Ah. Maybe that's it.Being like the Devil and being like Jesus--these are very special things to be, aren't they? When you're a messiah, all your sufferings are Grand Sufferings. All your triumphs are Grand Triumphs. Nothing that happens to you is commonplace because every event is of Biblical Proportions. You aren't like one of those faceless nobodies walking around. It is not your lot to be one of those bit players who walk on and off the stage--who 'have their moment'--while Rob the Magnificent stands in his spotlight, uttering his grand Rob sermons and making his grand Rob gestures in the Grand Drama of Rob's Life, Starring Rob.I can see how that kind of show biz might be hard to give up. It's like going through life with a lizard on your shoulder--a reptilian stage director that tells you every minute how special you are and whispers lines into your ear. The lizard needs killing, but the angel needs your permission to kill it.You cannot give the angel that permission yet. You have grown attached to your narcissism, your cheap melodrama, your good guys-bad guys shootouts. You do not know anything else. Rob the normal person... who is that? Rob the normal person is someone you have never met.You will be able to do it as soon as your fear no longer cripples you. As soon as you are sick and tired and bored enough.The best antidote to fear is curiosity._________

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ArcherAll species are transitional.

Your're very right about it all. Uncanny really...Prophetic!Your analysis was right out of the Bible. I'll spare you the quotes. The point is, you spoke the truth. Are you aware of that, or were you expressing your subjective opinion?You described me, and the desperate wickedness of my own heart. The fervent desire to be exalted.That's me.And that is what being real is all about. But don't think you have brought me there. It was God, leading me here and exposing me to myself. I concede to truth. But only as truth Himself has enabled me.How bout you? Care to join me? After all, you didn't describe a man; you described the beast known as 'man'.You're right. I am not like Jesus. Only Jesus conquered the pride of life and did not sin. Only God can be exalted. Only God is good. But by admitting that, I have become more like Him.But it doesn't apply to you does it Archer? Nor to Purpledawn... Because it is the sick who need a doctor, not the well. It is the bad, not the good.So tell me, who is it that opposes and exalts himself while standing in God's holy temple and claims to be God (good)?I am only a man... dependant upon my God for everything I have that is worthwhile. And it is Him that I present to you as 'the way, the truth, and the life'; not myself.That is offensive, not because of my weakness, but because of your strength. You don't need God in your life, when you are the god of your life. And you resent some fool like me shedding light on that truth.So I concede to truth and you do not. I respond to reason and you do not.But so it goes. The light will not be extinguished. No island will give you refuge. No mountain can strain out His glory. You cannot run. You cannot hide.You can only crucify the truth. And even then, He rises back to life again.Death cannot hold Him. But it will hold you, unless you lay down your life to Him.You can speak absolute truth to me Archer, but if you do not accept it as absolute truth yourself, then what is it you have said?Nothing!Nonetheless, I believe what you said. And I affirm it as the truth. It is not about you or me, it is about reality. It is about Jesus. And I humbly bend my knee...

Are you equating "bad" with "sickness"? Are you suggesting that "evil" can be cured?

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Ringo:Absolutely!Sickness is a lack of health. Evil is a lack of good. And the cure is accepting the truth. Because the truth does not condemn, He heals. Our only condemnation is in rejecting Him.There are two languages, two bodies, and two cities; The Truth and lies, Christ and 'the beast', Jeruselem and Babylon.The latter does not exist other than being relative to the Former. Only the former exists and endures forever.When we turn from the one, we begin the journey to the other. We move from death to life.This is the last post for me. I have to go. I have a life to live...

yeah we've heard that one before.

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Just a monkey in a long line of kings.
If "elitist" just means "not the dumbest motherfucker in the room", I'll be an elitist!
*not an actual doctor

Well, no. Sickness is the active half of that duo.
It would be more apt to say that health is the lack of sickness.If your analogy is correct, then, good would be the lack of evil. So, still according to your analogy, evil is caused by a deficiency of truth.------------- If all else fails, run away.

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No wonder you don't make sense. You haven't ever been to school.Hate to break it to you Rob, but there are more than two languages. There are more the two cities.The world doesn't consist of just good and evil. It doesn't consist of just People who think they are jesus and the rest of us who are responding to your posts.You need a severe reality check, and while you're at it, order one up for your dipshit political collegues who've managed to just about ruin every last thing that was good about this country

Babylon, the city which gave the Hebrews a lot of their myths, their very calendar itself, and liberation after the Persians ruled it? You want to cite that in opposition to Jerusalem, where they eventually set up their holy temple?

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Since the originator has abandoned the topic and now the thread, and no one else seems to be discussing the actual topic; I am closing this thread.If anyone really wants to discuss the actual topic, make a request in the Thread Reopen Request thread.

I'm briefly reopening this thread just to add a couple brief comments.First, for those not aware of this feature, members can deactivate their account through their profile page. Just select "Yes" on the "Inactive" line, then click "Submit Modifications". Rob chose to deactivate his own account. This was not an action by board administration.Second, I think most people realize that Rob is here to preach, not to make sense. He's welcome to participate here as much as he wishes, but hopefully with the understanding that the moderators will enforce staying on topic and discussing constructively. In this particular thread the participants seemed to understand that they were getting about all that could be expected from Rob, so I think it was largely correct that no moderator stepped in.

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--	Percy
	EvC Forum Director