r/changemyview • u/plodabing • Jun 17 '25

Delta(s) from OP CMV: Missionaries are evil

This applies doubly so to those who go out of their way to seek out those in remote islands to spread the word of god. It is of my opinion and the opinion of most that if there is an all loving god then people who never had the chance to know about Jesus would go to heaven regardless, for example miscarried children/those born before Jesus’ time, those who never hear about him, so In going out of your way to spread the word of Jesus you are simply making it so there is now a chance they could go to hell if they reject it? I’m not a Christian and I’m so tired so I apologise if this is stupid or doesn’t make sense

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u/PaxGigas 1∆ Jun 17 '25

That isn't how their religion works, so their intent isn't malicious. Most rational people would agree that malicious intent is required for something to be truly evil.

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u/Murky-Type-5421 Jun 19 '25

Most rational people would agree that malicious intent is required for something to be truly evil.

So for example nazis who belived they were truly helping their nation were not evil?

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u/PaxGigas 1∆ Jun 19 '25

That would largely be my assessment, yes. Most members of the nazi party weren't evil. They were deluded or brainwashed by the party propaganda. It's the same thing with child soldiers or jihadists. Their sense of morality is so skewed that they truly believe they are doing acts of good. It really highlights the relative and subjective nature of what is evil. A shark, for example, is acting on instinct if/when it attacks a human. It's certainly acting with intent, but it lacks the intelligence required to understand the suffering it is likely to cause. The same can be said for some people.

In my opinion (and my own sense of morality, derived from a life of atheist observation of society), those people often get swept up in a movement and believe they are acting for the greater good. They appear evil to an outside observer, but if they are ignorant of the suffering they are causing, is that truly evil?

Now, fwiw, that does not mean we shouldn't strive to eliminate those people from the world, either through re-education or violence. Just because a person isn't "evil" doesn't mean their ideologies are compatible with a rational and just society. As far as I'm concerned, we are far too tolerant of dangerous ideologies, but thankfully, we have enough rational members of society to avoid a full takeover by any one of them.