Is 'evil' a thing, the absence of good, or something else?

[ky55]

maybe it's the concept of the complete and final unknown. When I think about I've been alive for my entire life so it's hard to imagine not existing - having no consciousness. Like I've said before, when I die I'll go back to doing what I did before I was born - a whole lot of nothing.

“I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.”​

Mark Twain

 

[RegularJoe]

... I guess after thinking about it though they are doing it for the reward of eternal life. But they aren't doing it out of fear of He11. It could be from the fear of everlasting death though.

everlasting death (without the torment of course) shouldn't scare anyone since if you're truly dead, you wouldn't be conscious to even notice that you are dead.

Art & Oldfella ~ Couldn't it be that at least some folks, are motivated simply by gratitude for being mortally alive?
For clarity, what i am suggesting is that some folks may sense that there kinda has to be a 'higher power' of some sort and that they sense the they are, in fact, alive (i.e., not illusory - of course even that could be stated to be some version of 'alive,' i spose : ) .... and that they are simply grateful to said 'higher power' and thereby motivated to serve it/him/her/whatever without necessarily any motivation via:
1. Trying to earn an eternal life in some sort of 'heaven;' &/or
2. Love for the 'higher power,' &/or
3. Fear of some version of temporary or forever punishment?

 

[oldfella1962]

Art & Oldfella ~ Couldn't it be that at least some folks, are motivated simply by gratitude for being mortally alive?
For clarity, what i am suggesting is that some folks may sense that there kinda has to be a 'higher power' of some sort and that they sense the they are, in fact, alive (i.e., not illusory - of course even that could be stated to be some version of 'alive,' i spose : ) .... and that they are simply grateful to said 'higher power' and thereby motivated to serve it/him/her/whatever without necessarily any motivation via:
1. Trying to earn an eternal life in some sort of 'heaven;' &/or
2. Love for the 'higher power,' &/or
3. Fear of some version of temporary or forever punishment?

I for one am definitely grateful for being alive, and fully aware that my time of death is coming, and that I only get one shot at life. I don't see the need for any higher motivation or larger purpose to my being alive. That said life in general (for all species) is often difficult so I don't see why an eternal punishment - or reward - is even necessary. An afterlife seems to be a manmade concept.

 

[kmh1031]

My main gripe with the Christian religion has always been this.

God created man in his own image, then set him up for failure. The default position for man is burning in a fiery eternal torment unless he actively seeks repentance for acting exactly like God programmed him to act. Regardless of whether he is a very good man, or an evil man. God comes close to being a kid with a magnifying glass and an anthill on a sunny day in this scenario.

God set man and woman up in paradise environment with all they ( and we) ever needed and he was perfect, with the promise of living forever..they both were perfect, no sin and no death in future.
But they also had free will, and not a robot.

Man chose to disobey god… Romans 5:12
However via christs ransom sacrifice, we all have the option, free will to chose God’s righteous standards with the promise of living on earth on that perfect environment again: Ps 37
And no death Rev 21:3-4

 

[kmh1031]

I guess maybe Jehovah Witnesses show love more for the right reasons than most other denominations. They don't have a fear of He11 or even the reward of Heaven.
Just the reward of eternal life from death.

The Bible does not teach a burning ****… that is a false teaching of false religion…
Ecc 9:5-10, Ez 18:4, Ps 146:3-4 and more show condition of dead with hope of a resurrection via Jesus words in Matt