The most evil character in fiction

[Walt Zingmatilder]

I have heard the Christian God referred to as The most evil character in fiction.
I disagree. The most evil character in fiction would be an atheist murderer surely.
What do others think?

[SteveH]

Milton's Satan, in 'Paradise Lost'.

[floo]

I have heard the Christian God referred to as The most evil character in fiction.
I disagree. The most evil character in fiction would be an atheist murderer surely.
What do others think?

The Biblical god is worse than any human, however bad. Satan could be no worse. Hopefully neither exist in reality.

[Walter]

The Biblical god is worse than any human, however bad. Satan could be no worse. Hopefully neither exist in reality.

I'm with you on that one Floo

[Sebastian Toe]

I have heard the Christian God referred to as The most evil character in fiction.
I disagree. The most evil character in fiction would be an atheist murderer surely.
What do others think?

Does that make a fictional Christian murderer one or more steps down the table of evil fictional characters as defined by yourself?

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Does that make a fictional Christian murderer one or more steps down the table of evil fictional characters as defined by yourself?

I think with God there is possible resurrection and forgiveness.
An atheist murderer destroys in the belief that their destruction of others is final and permanent.
Atheist murderers are to other atheists the real menace.

[Sebastian Toe]

I think with God there is possible resurrection and forgiveness.
An atheist murderer destroys in the belief that their destruction of others is final and permanent.
Atheist murderers are to other atheists the real menace.

Is that a yes or a no?

[ProfessorDavey]

The most evil character in fiction would be an atheist murderer surely.

Why is an atheist murderer any worse than a Christian one, or a Muslim one, or an agnostic one.

Surely the hierarchy of murderers in terms of 'evilness' would be based on how many they kill, who they kill and the cruelty of their method of murder rather than their religious belief or otherwise.

[Robbie]

I'd think a murderer with a religious belief system would be the worst, he/she would use belief as a shield and that must be tantamount to blaspheming against the holy spirit (or equivalent in non-Christian belief).

[ProfessorDavey]

I'd think a murderer with a religious belief system would be the worst, he/she would use belief as a shield and that must be tantamount to blaspheming against the holy spirit (or equivalent in non-Christian belief).

I think they would be the same.

But actually the whole argument is moot as the point about a fictional character is that they don't exist so their murders are non existent and their evilness is also no existent in a literal sense. So actually the most evil fictional character would be one that causes evil acts to occur in real life.

[Robbie]

(I got a bit carried away in last post actually forgetting we were talking about fiction.)

Prof:- "So actually the most evil fictional character would be one that causes evil acts to occur in real life."

You mean by influencing people in real life? I understand that because I do think some of us are influenced by fiction. In fact I was sometimes influenced by characters in books when I was young, I liked them very much but thankfully never violent characters. I hated them, still do in books and drama no matter how interesting.

[jeremyp]

Grand Moff Tarkin once destroyed an entire Earth sized planet and everybody on it just to advertise the effectiveness of a new weapon. I think that makes Bible God's exploits rather trivial in comparison.

[Sebastian Toe]

The embodiment of entropy, Imperiex takes the form of pure energy contained inside a humanoid set of armor, colossal in size. Since the dawn of time, he has repeatedly destroyed the universe to create a new one from the ashes of the old.

[SteveH]

The Biblical god is worse than any human, however bad. Satan could be no worse. Hopefully neither exist in reality.

Stand back in amazement! What a shockingly original thought! I bet no-one's ever said that before!

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Stand back in amazement! What a shockingly original thought! I bet no-one's ever said that before!

Agreed........I think we're looking for something more.

[floo]

Stand back in amazement! What a shockingly original thought! I bet no-one's ever said that before!

Produce another fictional character which is as bad.

[Rhiannon]

Grand Moff Tarkin once destroyed an entire Earth sized planet and everybody on it just to advertise the effectiveness of a new weapon. I think that makes Bible God's exploits rather trivial in comparison.

But what about that bloke on Tbe Force Awakens who destroyed several planets? And were they both atheists?

And is instant obliteration worse than eternal torture with wailing and gnashing of teeth for unbelievers?

[SteveH]

Produce another fictional character which is as bad.

Milton's Satan.

[Shaker]

Milton's Satan.

Milton's Satan as bad as the OT God?

You jest.

[floo]

Milton's Satan.

No you are wrong, imo. 

[SteveH]

No you are wrong, imo.

Why? How about, for once in your life, backing up a statement of opinion with reasons?

[floo]

Why? How about, for once in your life, backing up a statement of opinion with reasons?

Read the Bible!

[Dicky Underpants]

I think with God there is possible resurrection and forgiveness.

Not with the God of the Pentateuch, and several other parts of the OT (but not all). Quite a few here are being simplistic and generalising - Floo as expected, but others as well. Not sure how you stand on the horrors of Noah's story, the whole of Joshua etc and some ghastly passages in Numbers. I'm also not sure how you stand on Jesus' remarks about Hades or Gehenna either, which have often been explained away as metaphors, but others are more literal in their approach.
The New Testament could be seen (if so interpreted) as worse than the Old, since with the latter - apart from a bit of the Book of Daniel - rewards and punishments come in this life.

[Rhiannon]

It’s not easy to treat this thread seriously, Dicky.

[Dicky Underpants]

It’s not easy to treat this thread seriously, Dicky.

Ah well - I just thought I'd try to urge people to consider the Bible as a collection of books - indeed a library - with different authors having very different thoughts about 'God', rather than considering it just one book about one central character - which is a very fundamentalist outlook, even when atheists start banging on about it.