Problem of Evil : Answer to Rev Fr Jose Mariadas's Question

Fr Jose:
http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#CommMsgs?cmm=35636599&tid=5389049462642653049&start=1

05/10/2009 Fr. Jose
The problem of evil
Why there is evil at all; especially when there exists a benevolent God. Though I heard many times Mr. Kartas' explanation the question still persists. Hinduism is one of the religions which does not deal evil as "evil". Why there is suffering? If God is omnipottent, why cant He avoid it. Why innocent people suffer? Can we reduce everything to Karma? In Christianity during the early centuries there is a heresy (?) called Manicheanism. Manicheanists believed in two Gods. One is Good and other one is Evil. St. Augustine, before his conversion was a manichean. Christianity never accepted the compatability of Good and Evil. In Christianity the argument from the existence of Evil is always considered as the greatest Challenge against the existence of God. " If there is an all powerful God exists, how come the evil? Saints like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas believed that "Evil is only a privation of Good" and it has no existence of its own. For instance darkeness is only an absence of light. What you think about this position. Please enlighten us !!!


Evil 1
Thanks Fr Jose Mariadas for the compliments.
This had always been the topic of our discussion whenever we met.
Now only I understood that my answers never convinced you.
The root cause for that is the classical belief that has conditioned human minds.

Some sectarian beliefs have always conditioned human psyche. Buddhism seperated spiritual life and material life by putting monks and laity at different watertight compartments. This religion was propogated in Asia as well as in most parts of Europe.

Thus in all those civilisation spiritual life was considered to be something above material life or diffrenet from it. No harmony between the two was visible to the masses and they could not even dream of it. Thus the society always looked upon a young spiritual aspirant as "out of the ordinary". Much of the aspirant's energy had to be dissipated on dealing with the resultant social issues.This energy would otherwise have been utilised for his spiritual pursuit. Issues occur at home as well as in the society.

There had been glorious days in which the spiritual search was common among human beings just like a scholarly research. All students do not go for PhD. But those who go are not looked upon as unusual by other students.Likewise those who took up spiritual pursuit were duly regarded as those fortunate beings who could walk to the ends of human life.Such a golden period WAS there. This you can confirm oh the life histories of ealry prophets in Old Testament.

But Buddhism with its comparmentalisation, obliterated this harmony.Spirituality was reserved for monks.The laymen were spared with some minimum rituals. Instead , they had the responsibility to foster the monks.

This has affected the human psyche in all those culutres.Now if your son becomes more spiritual you start to worry!

The idea of Evil is also a contribution to civilzations ,like this .


Father, you have said that darkness is nothing but absence of light. Is it so?
We feel sometimes that darkness is a host and light is a visitor.
When you bring light ,the light is "brought". It was not previously there.What existed was darkness. Light comes and darkness is removed. As soon as the light goes, the darkness envelopes. This shows that Light is rare and something to be sought , and darkness is available in plenty. Looking around you, you can confirm this. So we must admit that Darkness has the same existence as that of Light.

When there is no sunllight we get night.When sun comes we have day. We can't say that Day is real and night is imaginary. In fact, the duality is imaginary. The phenomenon that the occurance of day and night is imaginary.

It must be noted here that this imagination, that of day and night is universal and imperative to human existence. Likewise there can be numerous imagintions that are imperative for smooth human existence on earth.

evil 3
The negative and positive aspects of nature is truth. Negative aspects may be detrimental to our interests.Hence we refuse to accept them.Positive things are welcomed on the other hand,since they are beneficial. Do we hang on to a certain amount of consumerism in this outlook? Are we taking sides? We have to go beyond this duality in order to see both the aspects as they are. For a bird's eye view you will have to fly higher, beyond their levels. Then you can see both positive and negative aspects in the same distance and can have a judicious perspective.

The lake in Periyar Tiger reserve is attractive.One will be tempted to have a boat ride.But its depth is frightening. It is not attractive. In fact it is the depth that makes the lake attractive. Otherwise it would have been jeered at as small puddle of rain water! Because it is deep we can ride in boats on the lake. So the negativity of depth has to go with the positivity of serene, pacific appearance of the lake. We have to accpet both. Everything in nature has both the aspects. In Indian puranas Lord Siva is portrayed as "Aasuthoshi" (one who is easily pleased) and also as "Rudra" (One who is angry).The inner meaning is the presence of duality.

We are human beings. Everyday tissues are generated in our body.This is postive. At the same time tissues are being degenerated or destoryed also.They become dead. This is negative. How can we accept the positive only?

We eat a sumptuous meal. But we become hungry the next day. Why ? There are arrangements for the decay of things we have eaten.This is negative;.Decay. But this decomposition, benevolently called "digestion" , is accepted by all.If something goes wrong with this process, we run to doctors.


evil 4
I am coming to the next line of your question.
It is said that Hinduism does not deal with evil as evil.No.That is wrong.

Hinduism is distinct from the Indian Cultural traditions. Vedas do not propogate any deities. Vedic deities are different from puranic deities. Vedas declare about the Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient formless attributeless existance. No deities are there. The "devatha" in veda is not form for worship.

The Hinduism ,which you call, is a later version of Ancient Indian heritage and vision of truth. That version has numerous gods. They have concept of evil. The duly treat evil as evils. So Hinduism treats evil as evil.

And the puranas (scriptures) tell lot of stories about the victory of God over forms of evil. So it cannot be said that Hinduism does not entertain the concept of evil.


contd...
Father, I will continue later... As soon as I get time to get back to this forum..
Krishnan


11/10/2009 Krishnan Kartha
evil 4
In Koran, it is said that Jinns are created by Allah. They are bestowed with destructive qualities mainly.

Scientists have started talking about plasma aliens in the cosmos.It is discovered now that these plasma aliens shall be responsible for the next big bang which destroy the earth completely. A study connectes Jinns with these plasma aliens.
Hinduism too has the counterparts. The Yajur veda describes about thousand and odd "rudras" who are responsible for the destruction of the PRAPANCHA. This word Prapancha means one which is constitutued with Pancha, the five elements. All type of negative actiivitiesa re attributed to these rudras.In order to evade their attack, their master Lord Shiva is worshipped through chanting of Vedic hymns, called Rudra Prasna.

In both the contexts, the elements are under control of a supreme being, though the names are relative to the cultures. Yet there is freedom for the elements to do their duty, which is nothing else than destruction.
When Prapancha is thought of, we should remember Buddha's last words to Ananda,that all componenets things have there inherent decay.!
This is the base to understand about the destruction phenomena of the universe.
I will continue...

26/10/2009 leslie
evi
Is the light a guest or a visitor?