Feb 22, 2012 2:32:39 AM cite

To understand evil you have to understand the concept of perspective. Evil changes from one to the other and is judged accordingly with ones own values. But if you think of the idea of evil, originally it came from someone's idea of wanting to label the things best to avoid in order to survive. You may even trace it back evolutionarily to "that tiger ate my father, therefore tigers are evil". Even moral values such as being good to others is an evolutionary moral meant to keep one's own community alive. So to answer your question evil doesn't exist except in our minds. Good is defined by evil, and evil defined by good. As such The "root" of all evil, nay the full formation of evil, is the misconception that it is an actuality. Evil is simply in our heads. We live in an expressive and creative world, just because you don't like something doesn't make it evil. The evildoer and the hero are equals or they wouldn't exist, and they only exist to express each other.

by mymduncan

Feb 7, 2012 9:54:23 AM cite

not in a spiritual, but in an ethical way.

by Subzero

Dec 7, 2011 5:44:11 AM cite

Organized religion is a human phenomenon that teaches us to not be as tolerable as we could without it.

by Cassifrass

Nov 29, 2011 9:26:43 AM cite

People are the root of all evil. Asking if religion is the root of all evil is like asking if books are the root of all evil. Like religion, book are both good and the evil depending on who wrote them. Principia Mathematica = good, The Anarchist Cookbook = evil. "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful." — attributed to Seneca the Younger, ca. 3 BCE - 65 CE

by chrispalser

Oct 2, 2011 9:58:46 PM cite

no, organized religion is a symptom of our desire to have answers to mysteries, to belong to a cohesive belief system, to proclaim the evidence of our spiritual capacity, to acknowledge some type of higher power, to find and follow a lodestar. sometimes evil is perpetrated in the name of religion but religion itself is a structure, a house, so to speak. what we need to know is that the house is not a jail. and/or that you can stay home or go out.

by tipota

Aug 30, 2011 5:08:20 AM cite

Yes, off course it is... Religion has been invented and conveniently re- invented by humans through out history to explain, justify, and support all the major crimes against humanity, animals and nature.

by matzalvukic

Jul 27, 2011 3:51:15 PM cite

All evil? Of course not. But without question plenty. Example: no war has ever been fought where both sides did not claim to have God on their side. Religion has tremendous potential, but not one mainstream religion really lives and practices its own creeds. The biggest irony: people who believe in God blame him for every tragedy. (A young mother is killed by a drunk driver: "God needed another angel" or "We don't understand why He does what He does.") Satan, whom they also presumably believe in, skates every time. Ultimately, there's your root of all evil.

by beeperd

Jul 18, 2011 11:02:32 PM cite

Well I dont think it is the main reason, but religion keeps a lot of people from doing things.... it is certainly on the main roots of evil... but we cannot exclude the fact it has also helped a lot of people.... perhaps from religion, a lot of values were taken from religious books... so.. its a hard situation...

by LuisaSoto19

May 13, 2011 6:02:31 AM cite

I feel that it certainly divides people, I don't think it is the root of all evil. I would reserve that for capitalism. :/

by briannabe

Apr 30, 2011 10:50:36 AM cite

Religion was never meant to be the root of evil. It taught about love and humanity. But people modified religion according to their convenience, made boundaries, limitations and strict rites and rituals to conserve their religion. When religion is headed by a bunch of fanatics who think all the humans expect those of their religion are evil, it causes evil. Those who hate others because of the religion thing, should understand the core meaning of their own religion first. But they don't, cause hating someone is much easier than practicing the sayings in the holy book. Every religion talks about one god, one love. It grew at different places, countries and cultures, doesn't change it's core meaning.

by mansi1511

Mar 18, 2011 1:18:25 AM cite

Man's intolerance to others that are different (religions) is the root of all evil. And with this comes religion, racial issues, sexuality, etc etc

by Bengo234

Jan 8, 2011 1:29:23 AM cite

Your asking if religion is Immoral, it is a belief that one holds toward Life. Directing the question toward evil is biased. we should think carefully

by MatthewSenopole

Nov 28, 2010 6:00:33 AM cite

Interesting choice of words here, love of money is said to be the root of evil. So those who worship money are worshiping evil, if this is true, hmm. It is widely understood that evil exists only in the mind of man, and the location is the psyche. An illness of the psyche will cause people to do evil things such as murder, but there are more significant evils that are unrecognized. An example would be the destruction of the planets life supporting systems not to mention its planetary species. The product of an ill or unbalanced psyche via your personality results in the lack of concern for others, the environment and what is outside of yourself. This is believing that you are not a part of the environment but are a separate entity unto yourself, this is a falsity for you were born from the elements of the planet and your body is nourished by these minerals, vitamins and proteins. So to be a benevolent person all you have to do is care, but when people who have an unbalanced psyche organize in numbers be it for religion, commerce or for whatever purpose evil is multiplied and the result is not the little evil of a single person, this is true evil. To eliminate evil the psyche must be cured, if a person is truly psychopathic a cure may not be possible. This is the reason there are jails and mental hospitals for the criminally insane such as murderers for instance. But those who amass in large numbers who are self centered and care only for their sub culture have unbalanced psyches. They have what are called egocentric personalities and possess the ability to destroy what they don’t care about such as the environment. That this is suicide is unapparent to them for they care only for themselves and do not recognize the logic of this because they have an illness of the psyche. So if those who practice a religion have unbalanced psyches yes this represents evil, but if their psyches are balanced and they have appropriate amounts of self concern and concern for others, they are benevolent. As all true religions teach love and kindness and if their members practice this they have balance psyches, so true religions are not the root of all evil.

by Thai sean