voyageur

The question is, I think, what do we want to do? Just kill the guy who talking bad to us? Or explain him he is a ass hole but violence is not a method?
Or, SUMMON ARMAGEDON and make all the humanity perish in hell flames for his sins!!! Ah!Ah!Ah!

dusio

Well, I just think that people are not the most important creatures. The fact that we consider god as a creator of whole mankind do not make as more important than other creatures. That's all. We need god to justify our behaviour sometimes, or we need him to behave appropriately. Try to imagine a world without god, without believing in heaven and hell. What do u think people will do in that case? I think they will kill each other, and spoil everything completely. Who create the evil? Man. Not a god, or a devil. We are responsible for the whole world's evil. The God, the law - this is what we need to be better. If we were...Where would be the place for god and the law? We are not perfect. We are very imperfect, in fact. But we think we are perfect. This is the main sourse of everything that's bad. Do you know who is the real saint person? A person who make good things and do not believe in god. Why? Because that kind of man do, as I just said, good things, selflessly, without waiting for a reward from god's hands. If it is about me, I think that people are bad by nature, but I DO BELIEVE that they can be good, even almost perfect. Everything is possible. We just need to try harder each day...

Ximing

According to Taoism (or Daoism) in China. Human are good in nature; but the God is bad; and human are led to be bad by the evil God in their growth.

The fundamental problem of Taoism is to try to restore human's initial goodness from the bad temptation.

(I hope tis would not do offence to Christians and Muslims)

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snoopy

I totally agree with Sweetnur.
dont' think about religion or history, don't ask yourself if you believe or not in God: in my opinion people are good by nature, but enviroment change peoples character and change their ideas.
No one born bad, but a lots became it.

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Era una notte buia e tempestosa...

dusio

If you say so...

lofty

i think that people are good by nature and though growing they will educate and learn many bad and good things . and the difference between the religions make different opinion

sorry about my mistakes i'm an arabic young man who have an itching desire to studyng english in shae allah


thank u

__________________
O My Lord,
My sins are like
The highest mountain;
My good deeds
Are very few
They’re like a small pebble.

Mijzelve

I'm sorry but I cannot beleive that mankind itself is good. Is a lie something good? When it is, why do we teach our children not to tell them? It is defenitely evil how people treat the earth, animals and each other. I'm afraid Hobbes is right when he says 'homo homini lupus'.

If mankind would be good, that means evil had to come to men, in order to create evil people. This would imply some power that has instated good and evil. Only this way people could be created to be good, but this also implies another power that corrupte mankind. If it were a matter of evolution, this would be impossible, because there would not be an institution that would have instated good and evil.

I cannot understand how anyone is even possible to talk about this theme when there isn't some kind of God. Because without a higher authority mankind can invoke there would be no good or evil, there would just be things happening without any ethical value.
Good would only mean that what would be good what I deem good for myself.

Also it is not possible for God to be evil. If he were and were higher than us, he would have the right to tell what would be evil and what good. In this way, God just has to be good, even if that means bad news for us.

Furthermore is it impossible to talk about good or evil when there would be two Gods, with equal power, one good, one evil. Your perception of good and evil would just be tinted by which one of those gods you would follow.

In order to speak about good and evil you need a God so you can say anything about good and evil. You may come with Hobbes, but he does not say anything fundamental about good and evil, only how we can live together in a way that is best for me. But this is not ethical, only praktical.

And because mankind is bad/evil in itself, salvation cannot possibly lie within humanity itself. God is the only way out.

But as far as the oposite is concerned, I would like to hear a few more arguments. I have until now only read the thoughts of people, but I did scarcely hear any arguments that prove/underline that mankind is good, or if you wish, not bad/evil.