Assignment 1: View of Good and Evil
REL210
March 14, 2015

The worldview of good and evil is very diverse. A person’s view of what is good and what is evil may be based on many things. We obtain our views based on our culture, environment and life experiences. One of the driving forces for how people view good and evil is religion. Religions can be as diverse as people themselves can; however, one thing that connects each religion is a view of what is good and what is evil. Good and evil and one’s view of it is the driving force behind conscious, that voice in everyone’s head that decides what is right and what is wrong. We learn these behaviors from infancy from our parents and guardians. Parents and guardians more often than not base their children’s upbringing on their chosen religion. From the teaching of good and evil, a child develops morals, which help them make decisions throughout their lives (Hennesy, 2003). Looking at each religion individually there are many similarities, however each religion has their own unique viewpoint. Starting with Hinduism, we see the concept of Karma where all actions have equal consequence to that action for example do a good and good will come to you (Fisher, 2014 p. 77).
The Buddhist understanding is that good and evil is innate, inseparable aspects of life. This view makes it impossible to label a particular individual or group as "good" or "evil." Every single human being is capable of acts of the noblest good or the basest evil (SGI Quarterly, 2015) . In Daoism, everything is composed of two opposite forces known as Yin and Yang. The two forces are in constant struggle within everything. When they reach harmony, the energy of life is created (Alience of Religions and Conservation, 2015). Shinto has a unique view, there is no absolute right and wrong, and nobody is perfect. Shinto is an optimistic faith,