Hi Nem, Oliver and Robert!!

I tend to agree (and disagree) with all three of you on this....

Thought can be fleeting as it is from the mechanical part of our brain that learns reflexes and defensive actions all of our lives. Bringing that thought into fruition (evil or good) is like watching lightening come down and strike the earth. It has many branches (or thoughts) before it strikes and destroys... Or like watching neutral energy come down a 'tree' and birth into 3D material...

For instance.. I've often thought that if someone were to harm my children or grandchildren then they'd never make it to the court room... :-) But could I actually kill them? I honestly don't know. I'm a good shot too.. I might fantasize on how I would do it but until I do the deed it's not a crime, is it??

Is a pedophile an actual pedo by thinking on it or is it a much more gradual birth.. You can you shade the transition from thoughts to actions.. from the fleeting thought of molesting someone as an abstraction, then the speculation of molesting someone, the fantasy of molesting someone, the desire (but not intention) to molest someone, the intention of opportunity if there are no consequences,.. the intention even if there are consequences, to finally, the actual act of molesting someone... Somewhere in that spectrum we all draw a line and say, "at this point its evil."

Freedom of thought is a human right.. imho, we can not progress spiritually until we learn to harness the seeds of thought.. Or at least the ones we should.

In summary, yes, thoughts can be evil. If my final purpose/action is to force Communism and I am willing to force-starve millions of people, the evil started well before the starving. One might say that the evil started when I decided it was ok to sacrifice innocent people.

Interesting topic!!

Lynda

I'd put it differently. Ideas are morally neutral. If I think,

: "I could get away with murdering person X," that
: thought, if true, is a statement of fact, and is not evil.
: What's evil is when I act on that fact and actually murder
: someone.

: Hatred is not a thought. But hatred can cause one to commit an
: evil act, whether or not thought is overcome by blind rage.

: Thought is a gift. It should not limit itself to that which is
: "approved" because that leads to suppression of
: "unacceptable" ideas, which leads to neurosis and
: psychosis.

: See my post on thought vs feeling here:
: http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=111866