ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY == Ultimate Evil

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If HISTORY shows anything it is that the greatest source of EVIL and ATROCITY is indulging in ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY. The Nazis where ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN of their rightness in the HOLOCAUST and the Catholics ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN of their rightness in the INQUISITION and CRUSADES. In face of the facts there appears to be NO ORGANIZATION that preaches LOVE over FEAR and TERROR. So much for those who claim to follow the great Example of LOVE, HUMILITY and FORGIVENESS - Jesus Christ!

CLOSED MINDED FUNDAMENTALISM IS THE WORST EVIL TO EVER DARKEN THIS PLANET! THEY LYINGLY PREACH LOVE BUT LUST FOR DEATH AND DESTRUCTION AND WANT TO ACTUALLY CAUSE THEIR 'END OF THE WORLD'! !! !!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UF3yb1g30Io
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=UF3yb1g30Io[/youtube]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FXsVKbHY_T0&feature=related
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=FXsVKbHY_T0&feature=related[/youtube]

hear, hear.

Are you absolutely certain that your view is correct?

Screw that. In reality, there is no such thing as certainty in religion and morality, because there is no underlying reality to be uncovered. It is not that we do not know our position is "right", for what would it mean for it to be wrong, unless you can establish some kind of objective existence of morality. Likewise, you no more know that it is "better" to not do something to other people because of one's belief in a moral system because you have no better authority to appeal to than they do.

No certainty - only conviction.

Value is central to living. Second guessing is just creeping nihilism.

Now, you might say, from the subjective stance of a Christian there is in fact some kind of reality to be uncovered for right/wrong valuations because there is this notion of God. But then, since we can apply likewise a possibility of the judgement of God for any moral proposition, which would then be equally uncertain, stating that uncertainty implies inaction is a sort of false dichotomy. Perhaps God hates people who don't do things.

Of course, you have your 'evidence' that certainty leads to atrocity, but this fails because You have failed to demonstrate that the good that can be caused by individuals who believe whole-heartedly in the goodness of their work (of any kind, mind you, we need only that they have absolute certainty in the value that drives them, from social equality to God-knows-what) is in any way outweighed by the occasional organized atrocity. Maybe you can say, atrocity=>certainty, but then what of the converse?

I hold that I am a limited and incomplete being and that any thought I may have is also limited and incomplete. So I hold that this logic must be applied to every concept I may hold. I was created with the ability to think rationally and how could The Creator hold it against me that I must apply the same standards to all my thoughts, including those about Him?

Three faces of Evil topic

Only THREE absolute certainties exist. I can not accept the third.

1. DEATH

2. TAXES

3. MICHAEL SAVAGE

Certainty is comforting in an uncertain world.

Yes, I can see that certainty can be dangerous in some aspects, especially when it comes to religion.

Hey, hey, hey..... nitpicky about terms here. What you are calling certainty that is "evil and intolerant" are rigid and inflexible moral and political views forced upon others, but for those kinds of things there are just policies and codes of ethics, but no certainty in the sense of descriptive truths. Those are issues of ought to be or not, not "true" or "false", perscriptive statements, not descriptive statements.

Description statements aren't good nor evil, they just "are". Such as, the sky is blue.
For descriptive statements, one would want to be certain to make our lives easier.

That's why we try If you are gonna ride a plane, you want to be as close to certain as possible that the engineers designed it to fly and not fall. You want to be certain about what direction you are driving down, or if you are heading at the right speed.
Does being certain that 1+1 =2 make one a fundamentalist, or that the earth revolves around the sun or that germs and not demons cause disease? Even in science, we cannot be ever 100 per cent certain, but we strive for truth.


... certainly we need things to be certain, even though we cannot ever reach it but we strive for truth, that's why humanity has seeked science and technology to further our well-being (although of course, it can be used for evil too as well as good).


I agree with your statement that people acting if there is absolute truth in a policy or ideology without questioning it at all leads to the greatest evils, but that is not the same as saying any certainty is never right. Perhaps your original thesis would be better reflected by saying the greatest source of evil is blindly following a policy believing it to be absolute in right or wrong.

I disagree, I think Absolute Certainty is alright if the claim is rational. The crusades, the holocaust, religions etc. are all stupid and irrational.