Anastasia13 Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Can people truly be evil? Is it ontologically correct that a person or a group is evil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I believe that we do have the potential for real evil, while for the majority we suppress or repress any such inclination. People whose thoughts, words and/or actions are truly evil, I believe, are in a real minority by far. It does beg the question "What is evil?".............."What do I understand as evil?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Credo in Deum Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 People can become evil, but they are not born evil, even though we are born more inclined toward evil/sin due to our first parents sin. I think groups, however, can be intrinsically evil based on what they support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatitude Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 We are all made in the image and likeness of God. Because of that, no one can ever be evil at their core, even though they might choose evil actions. We are like silver; if we submerge ourselves in mud and muck and dirt then we will become tarnished. If we submerge ourselves in enough dirt it will become impossible even to glimpse the shining material underneath (and even harder to scrape the dirt off). But no matter how many evil acts a person may commit, they still possess that likeness. If a person could be totally evil there would be no hope for them, and there is always hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritasluxmea Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Can people *be* evil itself? Well, can people *be* goodness itself? I think people can be *like* Christ or *like* Satan to the point of total possession of that good spirit or bad spirit, but not be the goodness or evil itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthfinder Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 From the depths of the memory of what my elementary religion teacher said, people are inherently and innately good, the crown jewel in the crown of God's Creation. People are never evil, and cannot become evil although their actions certainly are and those actions merit punishment. But we are made and image and likeness of God, and God Himself is Good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulHeart Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good." Genesis 1:31 The word of God states that human beings, as creations of God, are good. So, people cannot be inherently evil, though they can perform evil acts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarysLittleFlower Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 (edited) Can people truly be evil? Is it ontologically correct that a person or a group is evil? our human nature is weakened by original sin but not evil in substance in terms of - total depravity... it is still good, but weakened and fallen. That's my understanding... ? we are still made in God's image. Edited April 25, 2015 by MarysLittleFlower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlick Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 The idea of total depravity is Protestant heresy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I agree that the concept of total depravity as basic to the human being is complete error. However, I do believe that the potential for real evil does exist in the human being, or those who have committed terrible evils cannot be human beings per se. We can say that the DNA or genes or whatever (including nurture) are different in some human beings who commit terrible crimes, but that means that in the human being the potential for DNA and genes or whatever (including nurture) to be completely screwed up leading to shocking evil does exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Can people be evil? Yes, I do believe that they can and that evil leads them to commit shocking crimes. If this were not so, then grave matter with full knowledge and full consent could not lead that that actual person is condemned to Hell. This is not to state that the human being is intrinsically evil, rather that the potential for evil does exist in the human being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthfinder Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 No, people can do evil, but people in their absolute state cannot be evil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Hepburn Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 No, people can do evil, but people in their absolute state cannot be evil. Exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superblue Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 What about evil people of our time that we can recall, Hitler, Timothy Mcvee , Osama, The Unibomber, i think after one dies it might be simpler to say that person was evil, as a definitive because their actions during their life would be proof. There are currently people involved in human trafficking and ISIS, do we pray for their conversion or their destruction?; and/ or that they be brought to justice ( what ever that means cause it could involve the death penalty or life in prison ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthfinder Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 What about evil people of our time that we can recall, Hitler, Timothy Mcvee , Osama, The Unibomber, i think after one dies it might be simpler to say that person was evil, as a definitive because their actions during their life would be proof. There are currently people involved in human trafficking and ISIS, do we pray for their conversion or their destruction?; and/ or that they be brought to justice ( what ever that means cause it could involve the death penalty or life in prison ). We call these people evil because they do evil things, not because they are evil. We of course need to pray for their conversion, but this does not preclude bringing them to justice. There were chaplains at the Nuremburg trials that worked exactly to bring about Nazi conversions while preparing them for the noose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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