Problem of good and evil for an atheist

[Rev. Rye]

When the Rwandan genocide was happening, I was too young to understand what was actually happening. However, when I was a little older I watched, 'Hotel Rwanda.' What made me cry during that film was:
1. Another human could do that to another human
2. No one did anything
3. So many innocent people died

I never thought, 'what if that was me.' or something else. I was the guy with the gun liberating the women and children.

Are you sure? Did you ever read Todd Strasser's "The Wave", or at least watch one of the two film adaptations of the book? The American version's below, courtesy of Youtube. The German Remake is not available with english subs, though. They're all based on an experiment spurred on by a remark one student made almost exactly like the one quoted above. Needless to say, it did not end up that well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVRXXbU-z7U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXi71XBdh1o

They are a moving target, what is unacceptable now was unacceptable in years gone by and vice versa.

Yes and No. C.S Lewis makes a great point in his book 'Mere Christianity' Although we would say that witch burning was evil back in the 16th century. They thought the alleged witches were real witches who were making people sick, affecting crops, killing people and tools of the devil. If such people did exisit would it not be fair that were brought to justice? (death or life improsonment) however, we know today that the people who were killed in the witch inquisition were innocent and it was based on misconceptions and superstitions. If these people were real and were doing what was alleged, we would still be judging these horrible people, would we not?

I remember that line from Lewis. What really undermined the point that he was trying to make for me was the fact that as long as we're imagining real witches exist, why wouldn't it make sense to assume that they could easily get away at the first sign of trouble, or, if they didn't, they could at least neutralize any punishments given to them (like raining out a burning, or changing everybody in the courtroom into animals.)