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I agree to a point, although for selfish reasons there are those that I wouldn't want to die. However there are those that imo deserve to die. So meh.

Yup, nope. That philosophy only leads you to the question of why physical life even exists. Which, unless you can answer that question, doesn't answer the question of how a person should conduct themselves in life.

Because, again, if there is no purpose, then why should it matter what we do? ^.^;;

There are many justifications for pacifism. One is that all lives are equal and therefor we must respect each one. This doesn't necissarily advocate for pacifism as well as you would think though. After all if all lives are equal and I like to eat cows, why not eat people too what with equality and all?

Another reason given is that there is a different value scale for lives, but one which only the divine can understand. In attempt to honor that life scale we can't hurt anyone because we don't know who is truly more or less valuable.

Another reason would be that all life is precious beyond belief. I'll admit the wording is similar to the first reason, but it is different. This particular version allows for some things to be more precsious than others, its just that everything is still too valuable to destroy.

Another belief I've heard is that not everything is that valuable, but I'm to great that I won't kill life at of mutual respect for the small spark of similarity they hold toward me.

I'm sure there are other reasons to be a pacifist, but these one's are all I"ve got.



They could be of equal value but on different life paths. Perhaps it was the serial killer's dharma to act as he does. I'm not saying this is the case, I am simply presenting a view. While the experiences are probably vastly different, I would imagine that the serial killer's experience on earth is no less valid than Mother Theresa's. Both probably have learned a lot of important life lessons and insights into human nature, they just happen to be different.

Another agruement could be that whil both people were equal they were placed into different equations which made their lives seem equal. After all if both of their lives are worth X and I add to one and subtract from another the outcomes with be different.

It seems to me that you are coming at this from a very Christian state of mind with good and evil coming so strongly into play in your disscussion. Keep in mind that God, in the Christian subtext, might have created each person, but he did not make everyone equal. Some people are more or less open to different kinds of evil.



I have several different answers to this one. First is that IF we WERE going to work in a heaven and hell system this could still be a plausible outcome. One way this could come about is if divine being gave everyone free will and then told them "hey you can do what you want, but I would prefer you do this. If you do that, I'll reward you when you're dead. If you don't do that I won't." Everyone person might have started off equal but the gain or lose value based off of their actions.

Another answer is that we wouldn't send one person to heaven and the other to hell. However, I don't think any Christian would give you that response, nor do I see where this would logically follow.

The rest of my answers deal with different ways to view the afterlife, so if you're working in only a Christian system, you might want to skip these.

One response is karma and dharma. Each person would be incarnated higher or lower based off of how well they adhered to their dharma. This might mean that both Mother Therasa and the serial killer are incarnated into higher beings or it might mean that both are incarnated into lower beings or it might mean that one is higher and the other is lower.

Another response is that everyone goes to the same place whether it is better or neutral or whatever.

A third response is that we all cease to exist.

My response would be that since we chose our life paths before coming into this world, we should just enjoy it for what it is. Here there are better and worse kinds of people. I am more valuable that others. Violence is sometimes the answer. Our souls are from a place that know unconditional love, equality, togetherness, and all that junk. We're hear to experience what it is to be separate and without all that quality jazz.



No, you have assigned a value and judgment to the act. This value and judgment might be one most people agree with, but that does not make it a true value. We can certainly judge however we want to, that doesn't make it true. There may be absolutes of right and wrong and there may not be. Either way, we don't know. Its all about theories.

Also, as I presented before, each person may be equal at birth. Actions may add positive or negative scores to that person, and in this way one person may be jugded better than the other or may be rewarded while another punished. Pacifists might just choose to honor that potential for equality or the intial spark that puts us into play.



Question: Do consequences make morality or is morality something that exists outside of a punishment reward system? I admit that it would be a thankless task to do what is right because it is right without the carrot. On the other hand, if reward is all one needs to be right then aren't mecendaries and bounty hunters some of the most moral people around?



Well there are the laws in place. There are also a person's personal feelings on a topic. These all seem plausible sources of rationalization.



I don't think you've prooven that life is one way or the other to my satifaction.

I don't think you've explored anywhere near all the options in either of these two options.

I don't think you've prooven religious stressing to be bunk.

This may sound stupid to most of you, but I believe we all start out equal, and through the life path we choose, before we come to earth, we decide every path, and every decision we will perform down here in this life. This is so we all can gain experience and lessons to evolve in our spirituality. Some choose to be saints, some hardened criminals, some white, some Asian, some black, some hispanic, some female, some male, some from one culture or area of the world, some from another. Eventually, we all will have to experience all these conditions or circumstances in one lifetime or another, either as a victim or a victimizer, good or evil, as yin and yang. We choose our path, although I don't know how someone could choose to be a baby-raper or a wife-beater or a child molester or anything like that. Just my opinion, if anyone is even interested.

I think all of these "equality" theories are wonderful.....and would be 100% true.....IF we lived in a perfect world.



But we don't, and souls are judged, and they do lose value for things such as rape and murder. You say they don't generally but they do lose "personal" value to you, well thats all there really IS.

If you think a person's soul doesn't lose value then...

1. Get Raped, I dare you to say you are equal to them after that.

2. Let a murderer kill your entire family, once again, I dare you to call them equal, I dare you to say they deserve to live.



Tell me, if I put a gun to your head and said I was going to kill you and everyone you love, would I not lose value and right to live?


I would.

That is the reality of an imperfect world, NOTHING in any form of existence is perfect, not even the Gods and Goddess'. If it was, there wouldn't be murder, there would be thieves, there wouldn't be harm nor rape, there wouldn't be wars.

So you see....not everything is a sweet sugar coated "we're all equal =D oh the world is so perfect".

But by being unforgiving(to a point, forgiveness is almost always an option), and judgmental we can get rid of the ones that don't deserve to live(hence the death penalty and such).

Overarching? I also wouldn't want a perfect world, It would be too boring(and would put me out of a job on the other side).

Very true, however when I say that "this world is imperfect" I mean all existence. Physical and beyond. Like I said, even the Deities are not perfect.