+1
This is an interesting thread to read. I'll do a quick chime in if you don't mind and say that I don't believe there's a man with a penis sitting on a cloud in the sky looking down on us, but I do believe that God is within most of us. Some people are just pure trash and there's nothing that can be done. I don't dare try and figure it out as to why some people are pure evil, they just are and sometimes you need to defend yourself if you cross paths. I'm not talking Bill Paxton Frailty type things, I don't even own a shovel, I just mean getting away from the evil as quickly as possible.
I'm comfortable using my Catholic upbringing as a loose guide on how to carry on with people. I think whoever wrote the Ten Commandments seemed to have a good thing going so I won't bother getting tedious if I don't have to. I have respect for anyone's worship of God and I do capitalize God even though I don't neccesarily tune in to church or some other traditions, even though I used to.
Evil seems to be either a mental or physical malfunction that is beyond a person's control, or it is a premeditated essence derived from an over intellectualization during life that drives someone insane. I say this because I have had visions of red many many times, so although I'm not experienced as being a purely evil person, I can certainly understand how the everyday bullsh!t can wear on somebody and tempt them to become a not so nice person.
I like to keep things simple. There are no rules that say I have to have strong convictions, and if I do, there still aren't any rules I'll pay any mind to that say I need to try and force my perspective onto another person unless they truly want me to tell them my thoughts, and even then I'd probably just say "let's just go get some lunch and talk about something else"...unless it was a hot looking blonde who promised to lay me if I spilled the beans, then I would make a bunch of stuff up that I thought sounded good and Holy and would claim my prize. Just kidding. I think humans have a serious imagination and they tie in nerves with labels like guilt, but somewhere there are the things called morals which are a personal guage on what to and what not to do. I suppose if I had been programmed differently at a younger age there might be a different person here typing now but I'm totally cool with my current brainwash and really, what more can I say?