Good and bad are WAY too unspecific terms. I see people as wanting to improve their lives but are ultimately flawed and afraid. Thus most people don't achieve what they want and often hurt others in the process.
The more I thought about it, I realized that in my own earlier comment saying that people are inherently corrupted I quoted Jesus calling his own followers evil. Depending on the definition and proper interpretation of what He meant there, it could change my view point. Although I didn't say it, I see "evil" as the equivalent of "corrupted." I think the definition of "evil" should be explored just because I personally believe that most people today think the word means absurd things like satanic red suited Satyrs and lascivious demon ladies, but I don't believe that's what "evil" means really. I think evil is more of a deviation from what things are pure, selfless, peaceful, faithful, etc, which then expands our thinking of the word to be even more than just demonic imagery. The word I think then becomes more real. But whatever you call it - bad, evil, corrupted - it's good that most people can see the products of this condition manifested as selfishness, hate, violence, unfaithfulness and many other things, and can all agree that it's a side of humanity we do not particularly like and is best avoided in our own lives.
from being helpless as a baby perhaps. you have to fight the inclination to do bad...acts that are clearly bad because we are a society. if it was matrix world...and you were the only real person...certain acts might not be considered "bad"
Hm. Found this by chance which is interesting to your topic: "Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes." (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Anyway, it's another interesting Biblical thought on the topic.
That's a big question, man. I just woke up and my head hurts. But I guess I see the merit and entertainment in discussing this important issue. Obviously and naturally, different people will answer this question based on their different world views, spiritual beliefs, morality, or what-have-you, as will I. I find in the Bible two things I could say about this: Many passages say things like, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (JEREMIAH 17: 9) and "There is none righteous, no, not one," (Psalm 53:2-3, Rom 3:10-18). But there are also verses like this: "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:11). It is true that since I am not the author of this text that my interpretation of it may be off (something most people would be wise to admit), but I will explain what I think it means and pray that Author explains it to me if I'm wrong.
I think this question should instead bring up another question: "What do you mean by that?"
From here I would answer this question by asking a question and then answering it instead. My question is this: "What is the nature of man and is he capable of doing good, evil, or both?" My answer is that mankind was created with a completely good nature that has been since corrupted. Like a computer, we program our brains by our actions and decisions and what-not, rendering some more corrupted than others. Despite this, deep down inside mankind still knows right from wrong and how to show love. Mankind therefore is not a completely and totally depraved creature which is incapable of doing good. Good and evil are not descriptions I think that we can label a person but rather the description of the nature of what decisions they make; whether they make good decisions or evil decisions. Yes, it is true to say that a man's decisions in life are a reflection of who a man is on the inside. But I would also actually say then that mankind is "...inherently corrupted" or "...inherently sick" because the pure and originally good human nature given to man by God has been corrupted by sin, referring not only to an individual's own decisions but also that original first decision by Adam and Eve to disobey, and turned into what the Bible calls the sin nature, making mankind naturally prone to selfishness and doing things that hurt themselves and hurt others. The event of Adam and Eve disobeying has been called by some as "The Fall" because it is when mankind's nature was corrupted from what it was meant to be. Evil is then done because the programming is corrupted and there's a virus called "sin" in the system. This isn't an excuse to continuing obeying the corrupted programming - that proneness to do what is harmful - as many have said, including Jesus, "you know how to do good," and we must thus control ourselves, but it is instead a proof of a greater awareness that we need a programmer to clean the system and fix the corrupted programming. Mankind is inherently sinful, inherently corrupted, inherently sick. "When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:16-18)
it took me a while to figure out wth i think.. i think man is fundamentaly good, but he has a way to shut down his conscious. I do believe deep down people know difference between good and bad and they know when they are being bad and only find a way to justify themselves. the fact that we need any justifications for our actions makes me think we are good if not we wouldnt need any .. we will just go around and do whatever please without questionning ourself. some people will say, ya but good and bad is relative and is the product of society where we live in.. and it is not true according to me mostly we create society , we are society , we are these rules. at the end i think we are good at keeping our inner good down to please or selfish and bad side.
Sta.sh
Devious Comments
from being helpless as a baby perhaps. you have to fight the inclination to do bad...acts that are clearly bad because we are a society. if it was matrix world...and you were the only real person...certain acts might not be considered "bad"
That's a big question, man. I just woke up and my head hurts. But I guess I see the merit and entertainment in discussing this important issue. Obviously and naturally, different people will answer this question based on their different world views, spiritual beliefs, morality, or what-have-you, as will I. I find in the Bible two things I could say about this: Many passages say things like, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (JEREMIAH 17: 9) and "There is none righteous, no, not one," (Psalm 53:2-3, Rom 3:10-18). But there are also verses like this: "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:11). It is true that since I am not the author of this text that my interpretation of it may be off (something most people would be wise to admit), but I will explain what I think it means and pray that Author explains it to me if I'm wrong.
I think this question should instead bring up another question: "What do you mean by that?"
From here I would answer this question by asking a question and then answering it instead. My question is this: "What is the nature of man and is he capable of doing good, evil, or both?" My answer is that mankind was created with a completely good nature that has been since corrupted. Like a computer, we program our brains by our actions and decisions and what-not, rendering some more corrupted than others. Despite this, deep down inside mankind still knows right from wrong and how to show love. Mankind therefore is not a completely and totally depraved creature which is incapable of doing good. Good and evil are not descriptions I think that we can label a person but rather the description of the nature of what decisions they make; whether they make good decisions or evil decisions. Yes, it is true to say that a man's decisions in life are a reflection of who a man is on the inside. But I would also actually say then that mankind is "...inherently corrupted" or "...inherently sick" because the pure and originally good human nature given to man by God has been corrupted by sin, referring not only to an individual's own decisions but also that original first decision by Adam and Eve to disobey, and turned into what the Bible calls the sin nature, making mankind naturally prone to selfishness and doing things that hurt themselves and hurt others. The event of Adam and Eve disobeying has been called by some as "The Fall" because it is when mankind's nature was corrupted from what it was meant to be. Evil is then done because the programming is corrupted and there's a virus called "sin" in the system. This isn't an excuse to continuing obeying the corrupted programming - that proneness to do what is harmful - as many have said, including Jesus, "you know how to do good," and we must thus control ourselves, but it is instead a proof of a greater awareness that we need a programmer to clean the system and fix the corrupted programming. Mankind is inherently sinful, inherently corrupted, inherently sick. "When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:16-18)
i think man is fundamentaly good, but he has a way to shut down his conscious. I do believe deep down people know difference between good and bad and they know when they are being bad and only find a way to justify themselves. the fact that we need any justifications for our actions makes me think we are good if not we wouldnt need any .. we will just go around and do whatever please without questionning ourself. some people will say, ya but good and bad is relative and is the product of society where we live in.. and it is not true according to me mostly we create society , we are society , we are these rules. at the end i think we are good at keeping our inner good down to please or selfish and bad side.