Do you think people are inherently good?

Question

I am just curious to see how many people think people are inherently good, and how many people disagree with that statement.

Answer 1

This false thinking is used by Athiests to attempt to eliminate mans need for the Saviour Jesus Christ.
Adam and Eve were created perfect and sinless in Gods own image, yet Satan in the form of a snake tempted Eve and they both fell into sin.
Therefore man from that day forward were born into the sin of their father Adam which continually begat more sin with the murder of Abel by His brother Cain and so forth.
Until God sent His son Jesus Christ to be the perfect sacrifice for mans sin.
Man is not basically good, man is basically evil through Adam, however when a man is "Born Again" Spiritually be Accepting Christs sacrifice and acknowledging that it is only through Him that they recieve eternal life, then and only then is man "Good" yet not by their own power or ability but by Christ living in and through them in mind, body and Spirit....

Answer 2

Absolutely. People are born that way. However, a person can be genetically predisposed to becoming "sick", if their environment allows it. If the example set by their caretakers is dishonesty or meaness, or violence, or whatever, the child has a higher risk of following in those footsteps. Also, little kids are so open that they can be easily sucked in by the forces of darkness, especially if they are not allowed or taught to express negative feelings in a healthy way. That's where the little freaks who kill bunnies and puppies come from...but inherently, I believe we all come from God, or the forces of light, if you prefer. So yes, I think people are born good, and then life can really screw them up if they don't get taken care of properly, with love and respect for their sense of self-worth.

Answer 3

I think most people are inherently good. However, there are a few who are inherently bad. They're the ones whose lives get made into movies.

Answer 4

It's not that they are inherently good or bad
Good seeds can go bad just as bad seeds can go good
It depends on how influenced we allow ourselves to be and where we look for guideness
Those who keep themselves open and look to the brighter side of life will normally be more pleasent
Those who shut themselves off and look toward the uglier part of society might end up feeling nothing but hate
It all depends on where the person looks to make sense of their life.

Answer 5

You know, I think we've the remarkable propensity to be inherently both good and bad. I've seen bad people do good things and good people do bad things. I've seen outward manifestations of goodness that covered up sickness in the heart and soul, guilt. I've seen outward manifestations of badness that covered up something tender and wounded and even beautiful inside. But to get the most accurate answer, I think we'd have to have a precise definition of what good and bad character and deeds are. There are alot of good people near the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs who, to simplify, we'll call hot/cold/hungry people. They are focused primarily on getting their needs met as a form of comfort and security. By that understanding, these are largely NOT people out in the world doing good works for their community, their state, their country, their earth and the people on it. It's hard to feel much for the plight of Kenyans when your daily battle is having enough to feed your whole family. This doesn't make these bad people. By that measure, those people who have all of their needs met, from basic physiological function to global awareness and action are not GOOD because of this. It's simply a function of each according to what they can do.

I think people who live their lives with humility, grace, dignity, honesty, loyalty, faithfulness, integrity, respect and forgiveness.......at any level of income, in any race, worshipping any religion, etc.......I think these are the marks of good people.

Answer 6

I very much disagree...Spend any amount of time on anonymous medium such as these message boards and you'll see the true character of people. Such as they would never dream of displaying in public...We are taught to be good, so we "act" good. But for the most part people are evil at heart....Not all (like me) but most =)

Answer 7

yes, I believe people are inherently good

Answer 8

I think some can be. But being in this kind of world takes them away from it for some.. up bringing

Answer 9

Yes.

Answer 10

People are and then they are influenced and changed by the enviornment they were born into.