Lovelybird Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 What do you think? Is human nature ingrained with evil? If so, what or who can change the evil part? especially when a person is blinded by his own pride and prejudice and limited experiences. If human herself can resolve this problem, how come human remain those evil ingredients through thousands of years? I have seen such dramatic good changes in persons when a loving source outside of us touch heart, knowing that they are totally forgiven by such loving source, the first thing a changing heart does is to repent, sometimes deeply remorse but real life spring out, interesting, isn't it? Link to post Share on other sites
Nemo Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 One thing's for sure - you're lovely, Lovelybird. I think that almost all the evil has been purged from your soul. As for me, when I'm good, I'm very, very good. But when I'm bad, I'm AWFUL! I'm not the original badarse, but I have studied widely from the uber-wicked. Being bad can be a lot of fun. For a while. Then it kind of gets old. Life without meaning is pretty empty. Link to post Share on other sites
quankanne Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 Is human nature ingrained with evil? If so, what or who can change the evil part? no, because we are made in the image of our Father in heaven – we choose to do evil deeds or we choose to remain good/pure of heart. The good news is that because we DO have free will, we can temper that evil side, though often times we need help along the way to remain good. Link to post Share on other sites
fral945 Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I don't think people are born good or evil, but some probably have more propensities one way or the other. Only thing I'm sure about is human nature is we are insatiable and selfish. Link to post Share on other sites
Riley Freeman Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 your born with the basic instinct of survival so therefore good and evil dont really exist.........you may do something preceived as evil but its the only way you can survive.......you may do something perceived as good but your doing it for survial so basic point, your born with the basic instint of survival and do what you gotta do Link to post Share on other sites
ed-205 Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I personally don't believe in "Good" nor "Evil", there are just the rewards and consequences for the decisions we make, and even then, the difference is often not realized until much later in life. Some of us have made decisions based on what we thought would render a "reward", only to find a "consequence" is the long term result, and vice-a-versa. A classic paradox of this type is in the story of Jesus' betrayal by Judas. Where would Christianity be today if it weren't for the evil act of Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane? Suppose that Jesus had escaped to live to a ripe old age and died a natural death? What about God's plan then? And finally, if Judas was doing nothing more than exactly what God wanted him to do, does that mean he ended up in heaven or hell for it? Or maybe, just maybe, Heaven and Hell are the same place? Link to post Share on other sites
Enema Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I don't think humans are inherently good or bad. It's what we do that is either good or bad. The things we do are governed by a combination of genetics and environment. Just like any other human characteristic - like our hair colour, aerobic capacity or height, everyone falls at a different place along the same scale. We could call it the "good -> evil" scale, as there are no absolutes. Link to post Share on other sites
Angel1111 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 "Human's nature is evil or good?" It's both. Link to post Share on other sites
Mahatma Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 It is all based on your environment. Given you do not have a mental disorder, your environment will influence you. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lovelybird Posted October 7, 2008 Author Share Posted October 7, 2008 One thing's for sure - you're lovely, Lovelybird. I think that almost all the evil has been purged from your soul. As for me, when I'm good, I'm very, very good. But when I'm bad, I'm AWFUL! I'm not the original badarse, but I have studied widely from the uber-wicked. Being bad can be a lot of fun. For a while. Then it kind of gets old. Life without meaning is pretty empty. This is greatest compliment I ever heard, Thanks, Nemo definitely Lord is answering my prayers to change me, and I know there are many areas need to be changed. You have a gold heart, I sense that from very beginning I came here. I don't think anyone is inherently evil or good. I do know we are all flesh and bones. And the flesh always wants to be satisfied. Whether by good deeds or bad. I want to give into my anger all the time(I still do more than I should:o), but it is a constant struggle because it is no longer comfortable or I can't justify it anymore. The Holy Spirit won't let me. Recently I have been dealing with some feelings that have lead me to do things that aren't within God's will. I am not comfortable with it and I no longer feel the peace I once did. I have been praying for strength and guidance, but I fight with my flesh. notbroken, we all have these weak moments, I believe God will send you strength and guidance. Ever heard Joyce Meyer said to Holy Spirit when HE told her to apologize she didn't want to? "is that you, Lord? I rebuke that thought in Jesus name" this is so true for me, sometimes I do this too, maybe too many times And thank all replies here, very interesting. I understood the survival instincts, our survival instinct usually tell us to pay evil with evil, pay good with good, right? In reality I found out this cannot work well. If you pay evil with evil, now the person's evil becomes your evil, you cannot get peace by being evil. In a long term sense, this would hurt self more than others I found out nobody can be excluded from the "evil part", everyone has jealousy, hatred....in a word violate the law of LOVE, some learn to control them better, some cannot control them at all. And I think human efforts are quite limited, what do you think? Yes, environment do influence behaviours, and there isn't perfect environment on earth. And if one never know love and receive love, can he love? I like quanne said here, we are made in image of God. many times I was frustrated trying and trying, but didn't improve. One time Lord made that clear "without ME, you can do nothing". so I ask for God's grace, and communicate with God is very important. Lord said "changing heart is much more important than outside pretending", people can do good things sometimes but still heart has pride, hatred,....and what can change a person's heart? ed-205, maybe in Judas there already existed greedy, so God would use that greedy in Judas to achieve His goals? Link to post Share on other sites
Green Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I used to think it was in my nature to only be good. But then I realized I was pure evil. Since comming to that realization I've tried very hard to be good and close to god. I some times wonder about you lovelybird you really do seem to good to be true your posts are always so kind. Link to post Share on other sites
Sks Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Depends on how one defines good or evil, they are subjective terms. Link to post Share on other sites
Green Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Depends on how one defines good or evil, they are subjective terms. she means it in a christian context god being good, and man and the fall evil. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Lovelybird Posted October 7, 2008 Author Share Posted October 7, 2008 I used to think it was in my nature to only be good. But then I realized I was pure evil. Since comming to that realization I've tried very hard to be good and close to god. I some times wonder about you lovelybird you really do seem to good to be true your posts are always so kind. Thanks, KMT, glad to know God is in your life. There are many many times Lord deal with me behind the posts. That's how I know the "evil parts" Depends on how one defines good or evil, they are subjective terms. to persons it is subjective, but to God there is clear definitions: law of LOVE. Link to post Share on other sites
ed-205 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 every ones born with sin and its only through knowledge that we can be saved That's what the good book says. Simply by being born, one is guilty of the "original sin" that Adam and Eve committed when they turned their backs on God and ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge. Christ said that you must be "Born again" of the spirit by accepting the fact that you *are* a sinner, and accepting forgiveness for that, and all other sins, through faith and following the teachings of Christ - by being washed in the blood of his sacrifice. IMHO, that is the *only* difference between Christians and everyone else. We humans, with our tiny brains and brief lifespans, try to analyze and objectify those things we really don't understand which only creates greater derision between us. We define what is "good" vs what is "evil" by our own standards, and not necessarily those of God which we cannot fully understand by those very limitations of our existence. For example, I had one Uber Christian friend try to tell me that computers were evil since they were obviously the work of Satan. I told her that many churches rely on computers to help spread the Gospel, and that computers were neither good nor evil on their own. Consider this: If God is Omniscient, and he created the Universe and everything within it, and everything created by God is Good, then why did God create Lucifer, the archangel that took 1/3 of the heavenly hosts to rebel against him? In this case, we see how the human concept of Good vs Evil becomes a meaningless oversimplification. For my part, I think the process is best explained by the super criminal "Zork" to the priest Artemus(?) in the movie "Fifth Element", that one creates a need for the other, enabling the flow of energy that is the very nature of the universe. No matter how much energy is stored in a battery, it is absolutely useless if it does not have BOTH a + and a - terminal, because it is the FLOW of current that does the work, and in reality, nobody knows which direction the power flows. The only important thing is that it *does* flow from one point to the other. The more I understand about Quantum Physics, the more I appreciate the works of a living, loving God. So, in my mind, the answer to the question of whether people are inherently good or evil is moot. They are both. They are neither. They are the same. The only thing that matters is the *Purpose* for which this flow of energy exists, and indeed, the purpose of our very own existence, which is best explained to me in I Cor:13:14... "...And it the end, these three remain, Faith, Hope, and Love, and the greatest of these is Love." (Apologies for the length of this. Hope I didn't bore anyone too much with it.) Link to post Share on other sites
SoundTribe Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Humans are neither inherently good or inherently evil. Terms like "Good" and "Evil" are entirely subjective, and have no tangible base to apply to living creatures. Link to post Share on other sites
jimmy08 Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I believe human nature is good because we are all made in God's image. Everything God created is good. Therefore man is inherently good and has the divine spark. Therefore I'm optimistic that this world is going to get better. Link to post Share on other sites
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