On the topic of Good versus Evil

However, reducing the ethos of Good and Evil to powers is not correct either. For then we might as well try to equate them to Positive and Negative energy. Indeed Fiona's mere presence infused the creatures of Amanthyhre with Positive energy. But, you must admit when we say Good we do not necessarily say Positive. This echoes your initial point, does it not?

The solution to your philosophical quandry is that Good and Evil are not powers. They are moral choices as you say. Choices made to use any power can err. But Good is not a power. Good is moral correctness, repeating your clarification. Moral Correctness alone does not do anything. For an action based on Good to take place a person must allow that ethical guidance to inform his choices. Once done so, Good choices result. So by definition, if one makes a choice in alignment with Good, the action so chosen is Good.

When one comes before Galladel, one does so with the whole of their life to be judged. Perhaps He is a fair Judge and takes consideration of the total impact one has on Arawyn to arrive at His decision. Thus wrong choices are judged with right choices, the total of which make up the Soul's debt. One can balance the scales of His judgement by atonement with Good choices to cancel the Evil ones so that the balance of debt is Positive, rather than Negative. But while the judgement of one's life can be termed Positive or Negative, Good and Evil themselves are not a value. They are beyond measuring.

The Anastazi so feared Good and Evil that they released the Null to prevent the 'infection' of morality. The Anastazi are pure Thought, made real. Good and Evil are born of Thought, but not Thoughts. Moral values are Ideals and as such transcend the reality from which they manifested. Being beyond Thought, they could not be contained by any defense conceived only with Thought. First the Fey, then the Dragons became infected with them. The Anastazi in despair quarantined our world lest Good and Evil continue to spread. Finally their great creation had to be destroyed, so great was their Fear. This is the basis for our current conflict.

If Good and Evil were merely powers, no such Fear would be required. Positive is countered by Negative, no threat exists once you realize how to combat them. And yet, here we are.

Aldric,

Again you are reversing my chosen terms. Allow me to use my native tongue then to name the powers and Good and Evil to name the moral choices so that perhaps you can come to understand my meaning.

Fiona will henceforth be known as the source of all Mægen and Miranda as the source of all Hearm.

To use Mægen to do Good then is to use the powers provided from Fiona in the pursuit of undertaking actions that are morally correct.

To use Hearm to do Evil then is to use the powers provided from Miranda in the pursuit of undertaking actions that are morally incorrect.

But not all actions taken with Mægen are inherently Good. Just the same not all actions taken with Hearm are inherently Evil.

Does that make my statements clearer?

It is understood that Paladins and Dark Paladins both have their powers flow from the sources of Fiona and Miranda. It is possible for a Paladin to commit a wrong, and a Dark Paladin to intentionally make a morally correct choice. Is it the power that does the action, or the person who happens to be so empowered?

I agree that not all actions undertaken by those aligned to Good are inherently Good. Not all actions undertaken by those aligned by Evil are inherently Evil. But the crux of my objection is the 'power' is not undertaking any action. The user will make choices and those choices may or may not be in alignment to the user's alignment. But Fiona's Grace and Miranda's Fell influence themselves are polar and inherently aligned.

To say that Good or Evil can lead to opposing actions would be incorrect, it is always through the agency of a being aligned to Good or Evil that their actions may manifest. That is the meaning I think you are trying to explain, it is up to every individual to either choose right or wrong, merely being aligned to Good or Evil is not enough. Actions taken by Good people can still be egregiously wrong, and it is for that possibility that I will continue to preach of the Light, educating people on what is and is not Good.

Gunnar - you state:
<<To use Mægen to do Good then is to use the powers provided from Fiona in the pursuit of undertaking actions that are morally correct.

To use Hearm to do Evil then is to use the powers provided from Miranda in the pursuit of undertaking actions that are morally incorrect.>>

What metric do you employ to categorically make the statement that the Evil done by the followers of Miranda using Hearm is "morally incorrect." In other words, what makes Fiona's methods inherently morally correct?

There exist a plethora of gods who would dispute the matter.

Aldric,

I think finally that we are speaking the same. The power itself is not Good or Evil, that is the name that society has given to it because much of the time Good was used for Good actions and Evil was used for Evil actions. But it is the PERSON that chooses and it is the ACTION taken along with its CONTEXT that determines whether that person is enacting Good or is enacting Evil.

Edwin,

In the quoted passage I was attempting to illustrate the difference between the power that I called Hearm and the morally incorrect actions that I was using the word Evil to describe. In other words I am NOT claiming that Fiona's methods are inherently Good or that Miranda's methods are inherently Evil. I am in fact claiming that it is only what one does with power that can be judged as being Good or Evil.

I see it as this: No matter where the power is from, it is still power. It is like a sword. Even if this sword was forged by a Galladellian, or by a Glommite, it is still a sword. It is a weapon. What matters in the end is not how the weapon is used, or how, but why. Why is the sword wielded? Do you wield it to protect the people you love and care for? Or do you wield it to harm others?