Thursday, March 14, 2013

Existence of Evil


There are many themes reinforced in the Shakespearean drama Macbeth.  Please answer the following question in a highly structured paragraph by 12:00 AM Sunday, March 17, 2013.  Do not forget to post a meaningful response to one of your peers' posts. 
 
How would you explain the existence of evil? If god is all powerful, and good, then why does evil exist at all?

55 comments:

  1. In the poem Macbeth, the author Shakespeare reinforces the use of supernatural beings and forces; although, god is all powerful and good the fact he repels all evil does not save those that do not believe in savior. In Macbeth the ego takes over the soul; thereby, the belief for savior was lost. Throughout the poem their is a sense of negativity as the poem begins with supernatural beings and continues the course of all evil, which leads to the loss of the very little existence of a "savior" or a "god" never perpetuated in the poem. Evil is created through the human mind as purity is created through the actions of a human. In today's society evil revolves around every corner, due to the beliefs of the human kind, just like Macbeth exercised evil through his murders he exemplified the fact he did not believe or was blinded to the good in society. Although evil is looked down upon, evil must exist to equal out the opportunity of good. God is good and powerful but without evil god is simply, nothing.

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    1. I like your comment that "the ego takes over the soul; thereby, the belief in savior was lost". Macbeth did let his ego and ambition take over which blocked out any type of savior or voice of reason.

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    2. Good and evil have always contradicted one another and I have to agree with your statement of evil existing to equal out the opportunity of good. I felt that this statement causes one to contemplate between what really is evil? Can it possibly be seen as a stage of good? I feel that there are steps in what is considered good. If there were only good then there would be only good if there were only evil then evil will only exist. Its almost as if where there is good there will also be evil.

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    3. Chris, please elaborate. What do you mean.

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    4. God saves those who wish to be saved and those who deserve to be saved. Macbeth did not want to be saved because his ego took over and blinded him. Whether he deserved to be saved is a coin flip because while yes he was influenced by the witches they did not create the evil ambition on Macbeth they only kindled his fire.

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  2. Evil is used as a counter balance to good. In order for the world to function everything needs to be balanced for every push there must be a pull. God is good and all powerful but he let's evil exist because we as humans let evil exist. God has given us freewill and what we do with that freewill falls on us. Evil exists because without it can there be good in the world?

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    1. You speak the truth and nothing but the truth in your answer. Good gave man choice and man created evil.

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    2. Jose, please explain your response. Please remember you will being expected to make responses like this post in college. Your post is shallow and extremely vague. Please elaborate.

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    3. @Mr.Rogers, will be*. Chris, I do not completely agree with your response. You never explained what you thought evil was in the beginning; however, humans do not let evil exist. God let's evil exist because the people that gave the life to him are free'd from all evil they have done or will do. Yes, humans are the ones in the world doing the evil, but it is from the mindset that God gave us.

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    4. God gave man choice and man created evil. God's good comes from his ability to give man choice. Since man creates evil by proxy god is blamed for the evil but if one really thinks about evil it is always traced back to something good.So i have to disagree with aaron since humans do create evil

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    5. Puppets in this case. God did not want to be the "puppet master" and wanted humans to play out their own lives. I do agree with Aaron, if God did indeed "create" humans why did he implant the tree of knowledge upon Adam and Eve? To test us?

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    6. @Aaron**THANKS :)
      @ Chris: I agree with Aaron--not because he is one of my favorites. Please explain your thoughts a bit more and respond to his post. I would also like you to answer Miguel's question also. I thank you in advance for your cooperation.

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    7. @Mr.Rogers: It's okay I know I'm not one of your favorites like Aaron. *cries insides*
      @Aaron: Yes God gave us the ability to commit evil but he is not forcing us to be evil or commit these evil acts, we are the ones creating the evil on earth. I believe evil to be the opposite of good I can't explain it any better than that because it is such a unique concept
      @Miguel: The saying goes "God works in mysterious ways" I do not know why he would put the tree there. I cannot see how it would be a test if he is all knowing; he would have known the outcome before hand. Yes god does let evil exist; however, we also create it on our own. I think God let's evil exist not nessecarrily to test us but to give us choices. What life is there to live if one only has one road to walk down?

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  3. God is the creator of all people, and as our creator granted us with our own free will. Our free will contributes to our actions. Yes, God himself is good, however because of our grant of free will there are individuals who make choices that causes evil to exist. God did not purposely place people to become evil it is merely through their individual actions that there is evil. There are those who purposely go against good and whose full intention is to play as an evil being. In Macbeth, the presence of a higher power is prevalent, Lady Macbeth calls to higher power to help her rid of what she feels is burdening her actions. She wants to create evil by becoming something she is not. In this case, she is creating her own evil and is calling to become an evil being and have the power to commit evil. Overall, the existence of evil is constantly present and interestingly associated with God’s good. God does not create or rid of evil, it is often people who cause the evil, and evil holds us as victims.

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    1. Oh Brianna I swear I'm not picking on you you just have a nice view.

      Looking at the witches you could agree that they to are of a "higher power" and gave Macbeth his prophecy. These witches are seeds of evil, once planted destruction occurs. People do cause evil, and yet people -with morals- fight the evil. The two exist to make a balance this world needs.

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    2. I agree with you in your claim which mentions individuals make their own choices towards being "good" or "evil" but what of those who are born into "evil" per say. Some children are raised in violent homes and are raised in such a manner that may be viewed as "wrong" or "evil" by society. Lady Macbeth does call upon a higher power to commit a crime, yet she fells remorse soon later for the same crime. Due to this do you think that she if purely evil or simply misguided?

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    3. I see your point in-- Evil-- as it was repeated an awful lot of times. You do believe that God did not bring people to this world to be evil; although, I do not want to make this a religious argument I must point out the fact that if God did not place evil in this world then why did he place Satan. if he would have not placed evil, and if people did not commit evil doings than the existence of good would be nothing without, Evil.

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    4. I believe that Lady Macbeth was simply misguided, as you stated the proof of her calling "upon a higher power to commit a crime".
      What you said about being born into evil intrigues me.
      Well looking at it from your angle I believe people that are born into evil, can either be helped see light or just stay evil -or seek revenge.

      I'll have to think about this more and replay later this week. For now I digress.

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    5. BRIANNA:
      Once again you have made me proud. Thank you for reading the prompt carefully and answering appropriately.

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  4. http://www.facebook.com/notes/proud-to-be-myself/a-student-teacher-conversation-by-omar-sulaiman-shadi/141256855895810 This link answers this question better than i ever could.

    Life lives on a balance of good and evil.From the early civilization to those of today good and evil are present. God creates everything with a purpose not exempting good and evil. Evil exist because lets us make our own decisions.

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    1. Also the post is too vague. Please rewrite and provide an acceptable response

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    2. Life lives on a balance of good and evil.From the early civilization to those of today good and evil are present. God creates everything with a purpose not exempting good and evil. Evil exist because God lets us make our own decisions.Although God is all knowing and controls everything and everyone he does not control mans freewill.Evil will keep existing until man decides to stop it.

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    3. Evil is like darkness, how can you say man will decide to stop it. Both Light and Dark co exists. Same as good and evil. If you get rid of one well now that seems a little impossible. I do agree that humans are not puppets and yet humans make puppets. This shows the evil of wanting to control others.

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    4. Jose:

      Please elaborate on how the world lives on the balance of good and evil. Your response is still to vague. As well, please relate it back to Macbeth. I am not sure what you mean.

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    5. I believe that word lives on a balance of good and evil since crime happens everywhere and at the same time somewhere else in the world good happens.

      Relating back Macbeth, The King is murdered even though he did not do anything bad but yet he was murdered by Macbeth. This goes back to bad things happen to good people.

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  6. Light and darkness co-exist to bring balance to the world. Same with good, evil must exist. The two forces are powerful, God wanting humans to be good and humans having minds that sometimes contain evil, and ambitious thoughts. Looking at Lady Macbeth she wanted evil to enter her body so she can commit unholy plans. Now humans have morals and morals go against evil, but yet evil always is around, as Lady Macbeth. Towards the end of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth kills herself because of her own morals struggling to contain the evil. A balance is need to make everything sane.

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    1. Great response! So, when Lady Macbeth requests for evil to fill her with direst cruelty, her request reveals what truth about society or mankind? Remember to always relate your response to humanity in someway.

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    2. This reveals greed in society. Wanting to achieve something an easy way instead of working for the hard way. Many humans want objectives done an easy way. I can't say this for Macbeth but I can for Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth calls upon evil to help her achieve what she wants faster.

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  7. The existence of evil is a entity that has not gaven their soul to the lord. As it explains in the bible, "He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord." (2 Chronicles 12:14 NIV). People do "evil" because of this. Evil is when someone fits the description of wicked - like the three witches in MacBeth. Knowing God is all powerful and good, we can infer that evil is the absence of good. Knowing wrong from right is what creates evil. If no one ever knew what was good or bad then there would be no evil. This all comes with what God established for us, after realizing the corruption caused by Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit he sent his only son to die on the cross. Jesus died on the cross to compensate for all sins of the people who gave their life to the Lord. This is why evil does not exist in the people who follow God and his word, but exist in the world.

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    1. I love the reference to the bible that you have used, and I can see where you would assess that evil is the absence of good. But I have to ask about your assessment that evil does not exist in the people who follow his word. As I stated in my own post, the devil himself was an angel. In the bible he was regarded as one of the most beautiful in Heaven. Obviously if he was already apart of the kingdom, where did his pride/greed to be greater than God derive from?

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    2. PLEASE DISCUSS MACBETH!!!!! The lord would be proud of your incorporation of the scripture.

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  8. Within the world there are those who are good and those who are evil. In a world where god truly does exist one would think that evil would not be present, yet as the old saying goes, "Good cannot exist without evil". Depending on whom you ask good can be interpreted as the 'right' decision to choose while evil would by the 'wrong' decision to choose. Nevertheless, one must consider exactly what view point you are looking from because one's person's good could be another person's evil. Perhaps evil exists because there is no true definition of what is "good" or just maybe there are people who only want to see the world burn in chaos. No matter which description is true, the only relevant information is that there are people who act in foul ways that may go against one’s particular morals/values—causing them to be evil in that person’s opinion. The title of “evil” is just that and it takes form through society’s standards.

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    1. PLEASE DISCUSS MACBETH!!!!!

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    2. Concerning Macbeth the evil which is centered throughout the play is that of an intense greed. Due to hearing of a prophecy proclaiming him to be king Macbeth aspired to hurry his future along. The intense yearning in which Macbeth held to become king turned into an evil greed which caused him to kill Duncan, Banquo, and all those in his path. Macbeth chose to do an evil task which he and society knew was wrong--proving that evil truly does exist--granted the person yearns for something enough to go to the up-most extremes.

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  9. Because God is almighty and powerful, he allows for evil to exist. People often forget that Lucifer - the devil - was one of the most high angels in heaven, but because of his greed to be higher than his creator, sin was established. I am sure that if God could easily diminish any traces of evil if he pleased, but I believe that he uses evil as a signal to identify those who are good. If there were no bad people, we as a society would not be able to identify those who are "good". Free will has allowed human beings who were once created completely in Gods image to transform into the beings that we are today.

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    1. Esperanza ElizarrarazMarch 19, 2013 at 9:05 PM

      I do somewhat agree with what Maylyne is saying in her explanation. I agree that free will is what allows people to be transformed into the image that God wants. However I do think that, God would not diminish traces of evil, if he could. I believe this , because if he did than what would be the criteria for someone to be looked at as good in his eyes? If there was no evil, would everyone just be good? I thought that this statement was a bit counteractive to the rest of the explanation, but overall I agree with what she was saying.

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    2. PLEASE DISCUSS MACBETH!!!!!

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    3. I agree with you maylyne. However relating it to macbeth he was known to be good and no one would of ever thought he would kill his own king but because of his jealousy macbeth was part of an evil force . Without evil life would just be perfect but with evil in our lifes we learn from those who make a mistake known as evil.

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    4. Relating it back MacBeth, as I said in my original post free will is used consistently throughout the play. But for the battle of evil vs. good, I think it is portrayed perfectly within Lady MacBeth. Her character is unconventional, especially for a women of that time. It is even more unconventional that she seems to despise the softer traits that she claims depletes her as a human being. But as a reader, because we were obviously able to point out the evil within her in the beginning of the play, her transition towards an attempt at good at the end was extreme. Finally when she was realizing the consequences of all her evil actions, she decided to plea towards the almighty God, instead of the spirits she cried out to in the exposition.

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  10. Esperanza ElizarrarazMarch 19, 2013 at 8:58 PM

    Even though God is all powerful and good, I think that he knows nothing can ever be perfect or fully good in its entirety, in this case relating to evil existing. That possibility was gone when Adam and Eve took a bite from the Forbidden Fruit. Which is why he gave people Free Will, to allow them to make their own choices and to decide whether he will set or not a place aside for them in his kingdom. And furthermore, wherever there exists something, something that counteracts it also has to exist in the same domain, I think that much is inevitable.

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    1. PLEASE DISCUSS MACBETH!!!!!

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    2. Esperanza ElizarrarazMarch 24, 2013 at 7:06 PM

      Well taking what I said above and relating back to Macbeth, evil was evidently present in the novel. The witches themselves, were a symbol of evil in the novel. Their visions of the future were almost a tunnel for evil to enter, and they were what made Macbeth want the throne so badly. Evil is also very well present in Lady Macbeth, so much that she calls on a higher power to "unsex her" in order to go through with killing of Duncan. This is a perfect example of evil existing. Yes God is good and all powerful, but he granted us with free will. Lady Macbeth evidently chose to do bad over good, and this created evil itself in the novel. However everything has its consequences, and it all comes back badly on Lady Macbeth, by her going insane. God does not create evil, it is people themselves that create it and are often subjected to its effects.

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  11. As many people have already stated in their previous posts, I believe that evil was created -- evidently by god -- to test the will to be good. The will that every human being holds and abuses. One of my peers mentioned that without evil god is nothing, however, god existed before evil and created it himself. It was only when Adam and Eve came to be that evil had a role to play. Evil is nothing but an anchor that humans are hooked on if we stray from the standards god has given. Like Macbeth, we are all blinded by greed in some aspects, when pursuing careers or jobs some typically forget their roots and insinuate selfishness. This may not seem as a great evil like murder and dishonor (like the Ten Commandments say) but society has led people to believe that if evil is but a fragment, than it is acceptable.

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  12. Maylyne and esperanza, do u believe that judgement day --as some people may believe in the rapture-- is the final test of evil/free will? God has always given us chances to repent and to receive his forgiveness but with evil existing, human beings wander back into evil. The people that will have the mark of the beast will only be able to buy, sell, or trade while the rest of the people will have to ration whatever they have left. This is evidently the last test but some may interpret it as a cruel and unusual punishment.

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    1. I would to remind everyone to take it back to the text--Macbeth--please.

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  13. Evil i caused by a premeditated action which is intended to conclude in a negative outcome, usually towards a person.Fernando

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    1. This is not an appropriate response for an AP STUDENT. Please repost and make sure it matches the caliber outlined in my course syllabus and caliber the question asks. I thank you in advance for your compliance.

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  14. The existence of evil is jealousy
    although god is all powerful and good there is always some one who does not believe in him and is jealous. Jealous of those who live the life they wish they had which gets them to do evil. For example in macbeth, macbeth wanted to be king because of the supernatural forces that made him think he could be king. If jealousy was never part of him then he would of never thought of killing his own king. Therefore evil will forever exist because someone will never be contempt with their life and will strike for better but with evil.

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  15. God allows evil to exist because it allows society to understand that evil is wrong and permits society repeating the same mistakes. For instances, it does not matter how powerful God is to us, there will always be people who rebel. Instead of teaching each individual the lesson of avoiding evil God chooses to allow evil to exist so we may all learn from each other’s mistakes and consequences. For one, Macbeth’s murder of the king allows the society of that time period to understand that killing for a luxurious life will make the person go mad. Evil serves as a “tough” lesson for those who wish to rebel and serves as a understanding of other people’s mistakes on what actions to avoid.

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  16. Adaleyci CaballeroMarch 25, 2013 at 7:40 PM

    Evil does exist and it exists to destroy God's plan for his children. Many do not know the real answer to why does Evil exist but most of us know Evil exist because Satan one of God’s most beautiful angels’ betrayed him. In Macbeth, "good" exists within the King but Evil intervenes into this perfect kingdom. For example, Macbeth heard that he would be King through the witches, in this case represent evil. The witches intentionally do this to cause Macbeth’s ambition to rise and create destruction in the kingdom. Therefore, the conflict of Macbeth can also relate to real life because Satan is here to make us fall into sin and destroy our lives. The malicious intentions of the witches cause the actions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

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  17. Every-time there is good in the world there has to be an opposing force to counteract it. Meaning that you cannot have too much of one thing and have not having enough of the other. For example when Macbeth has his plan to kill anyone, he has a thought of evil. Which changes the balances of the forces between "good" and "evil". So much so that the mysterious force has to do something to get natural balance to the rest of humanity.

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  18. The world operates in accordance to the law of equivalence of form or, more appropriately, a greater universal variation of it. The aforementioned law states the known universe's natural tendency to maintain a balance through various means including the formation of equal, opposing forces. Where there exists light, darkness also resides. Order and chaos are two sides of the same coin. Therefore, it is only natural that in the absence of good, evil is surely present in order to balance the metaphorical scale. In Macbeth, when Lady Macbeth called upon a greater power that is not God -- the ultimate representation of good -- to fulfill her desires, good was cast out (not eliminated) from her being. And in order for balance to be maintained, an opposite and equal force must emerge in the wake of good's absence; that force is evil.

    - Kiet

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  19. Yes, God is all powerful and good, yet evil must exists in this world. God allows evil in this world to go on because it gives people a chance to prove their faithfulness to Him. Those who remain true to Him will one day be rewarded with good on earth and a place in heaven, where evil will no longer be known to the people. This world contains malicious and corrupted people, which through God’s mercy, are given the opportunity to repent and learn from their wrong doings so they too can have a place in heaven. The concept of evil can correlate to Macbeth because it is through his greed that he commits the murders and betrays the good. This leads to his death because he betrays the good; therefore; he is unprotected by God and lead to a vicious death.

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