Is it okay to have bad thoughts as long as you don't act on them?

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   KeithJKposted 12 years ago

   Is it okay to have bad thoughts as long as you don't act on them?

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   DAWNEMARSposted 12 years ago

   I hope so:) And why not as long as they are short and cause you no harm. I try to replace them by getting something good out of the situation-jokes help. Does raise the question:  "what are bad thoughts?"

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   DEQposted 12 years ago

   No, its not ok to have bad thoughts, even if you don't act on them. With every bad actions, its thoughts that preceded it., unless one is insane, thus his or her action don't require much thought.
   
   Take for example Timothy McVeigh.,or the Columbine Massacre., or lynching of the blacks during and after slavery., and yes the Holocoust of the European Jews , the genocide in Rwanda, the apartheid of S.Africa and so on.  All of these events were premeditated, and are the results of built up anger/fantasy/hatred/bad thoughts....
   
   Remember the saying, mind is a terrible thing to lose. The more you have bad thoughts, the closer you get on acting on them, Best thing to do is to remember and think of your creator.,and not go the path that Satan wants you to go. You can either do right and please god, for a guaranteed reward.,or fulfill satans dream of bringing as many human beings along with him to hell and do wrong.
   
   Bad thoughts are evil, and therefore are not ok. Good thoughts are Godly, and easier to digest. God Bless!

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   Shahid Bukhariposted 12 years ago

   Thoughts ... are generated by the company, you keep ... If you move about in the right Company, your thoughts will be mostly "Good" Thoughts ... sometimes, a few Bad Thoughts.
   But if you persist in keeping "Bad" Company ... its a matter of time, before you start Acting out the Bad thoughts.
   But it seems, you are in Good Company.

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   vparkerposted 12 years ago

   It depends on what your definition of bad is. Sometimes things need to be done or said, because it is not really healthy to hold your emotions in.

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   dmopposted 12 years ago

   If it is not OK to have bad thoughts, then I think most, if not all of us are in trouble. JMO

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   Taleb80posted 12 years ago

   Sure, all of us have bad thoughts & we are great as much as we don't act on them.

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   YvetteParkerposted 12 years ago

   Right, don't act on them. Don't even let the bad thoughts take root. As a man thinketh, so is he. So we don't want to think or act on those bad thoughts. We know they will come; but our job is to cast them down. Great question!

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   glmclendonposted 12 years ago

   What is in you will come out. Sometimes at the worst times. Watch your thoughts!
   
   
   Stay Well

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    peeplesposted 12 years ago

    Bad is a matter of opinion. Some think those who have sexual thoughts are having "bad" thoughts. Others think bad is thinking of killing someone. My opinion? It is impossible to not have bad thoughts. As long as you use common sense then think what you wish!

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    Dave Mathewsposted 12 years ago

    Only Christ Jesus can control the kind of thoughts satan might give to a person. Even Christ Jesus, the Son of God was tested and tempted personally by satan during the 40 days he spent in the desert after his baptism.

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    MsDoraposted 12 years ago

    Bad thoughts will come, influenced by your environment and every thing else.  Good thoughts come too.  Acting on either of them is your choice, whether you control them or allow them to control you.

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    spartucusjonesposted 12 years ago

    Because of human nature bad thoughts are inevitable. But if we keeping fantasizing about certain bad thoughts then certain wrong desires can take root in our heart.  At that point the only thing that may prevent us from acting out at the bad thoughts is circumstance. But if desire meets circumstance we can now be in trouble.

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    Nights Dreamposted 12 years ago

    I agree with everyone who says it's ok to have bad thoughts. We can not avoid them, it's impossible. If we try to elimate them from our concious thought, the sub-concious will kick in. "Bad" depends on our morality, for the most part. All thoughts, good or bad help us deal with and explain life, our world, etc.
    
    To a point, we should act on them. I am not saying go out and kill someone. Bad thoughts can inspire creativity. Like good thoughts can inspire destruction.
    
    To quote an old friend: "The greatest good can come from the worst evil intentions. The greatest evil can be born in the best intentions."

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    Wizzie Croneposted 12 years ago

    I believe that thoughts, like everything else, are pure energy. So a thought has an effect on the world and acts like anything subject to the laws of physics. -- for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The Navajo have a saying that relates to this idea. They say "if you step on the rattlesnake under that bush in your yard, that act is felt all over the world."  Almost every religion has some version of Christianity's wisdom, "cast your bread upon the water and it shall be returned to you 100 fold.
    
    Bad thoughts go out in the form of energy and returns that bad energy to you "100 fold."  An example of how that works is this: a person goes shopping in a fowl mood. He/she has no kind thought about anything or anyone, Even without speaking, people respond to this person in an equally negative way.
    
    I also believe that we continually create the world around us with thoughts. Because I don't want a world that is representative of the gloom and doom of someone's thoughts, When I get in a bad mood, I try to find something to be thankful for and that changes my focus from the bad thoughts, Remember the Harmonic Convergence of the 80s? It occurred at a specific alignment of the stars. People all over the world, at a specific time, visualized world peace. It was a lot of people, millions, sending into the ether a single thought. Shortly thereafter, the Berlin wall tumbled to the ground. Coincidence? Who knows? Try this for yourself. What if we could change the world with our positive thought? Would you try?

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    cascolyposted 12 years ago

    amazing the many righteous  here who claim bad thoughts per se can be condemned.  i recommend they read George Orwell's 198 in which thought crimes were punishable
    
    truth is, we have little if any control over what thoughts appear - the point, of course, is how we ACT on those thoughts
    
    it's a basic principle of any democracy that thought CANNOT be a crime.  otherwise who gets to decide what good or bad thoughts are?  who gets to decide when any particular person HAS a bad thought?

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    Amy Bechererposted 12 years ago

    I don't believe we are in control of transient thoughts. Many different things affect our thoughts, including our subconscious, where the seeds of many thoughts originate.  Are we responsible for our dreams?  No, they are a product of our hopes, fears, longings, and the realm of emotions that all human beings experience.
    
    I believe many that lack the ability to resist the impulse to act on harmful thoughts suffer from mental illness. It is a known fact that many of the homeless population got there and remain on the streets due to paranoid schizophrenia.  Their actions are directed by "voices" they hear and many of the violent crimes in downtown St. Louis happen as a result of mental illness that impedes the ability to control impulses and behavior. 
    
    That being said, I believe that normal, healthy people have the ability to recognize troubling thoughts that become a pattern, and seek professional help.  Healthy, aware individuals can learn to change what is troubling, destructive or harmful.

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    edhanposted 12 years ago

    We are just human beings. Sometimes we get angry and all those bad thoughts just flow into our minds. As long as we do not commit ourselves in doing the wrong things, I do believe it is okay and forgivable.
    
    It is never easy to be nice all the times when we are greatly influenced by people around us. Sometimes we do not like what we see but it is beyond my means to change it. So, keep cool and do not act on your bad thoughts.

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    Lisas-thoughts101posted 12 years ago

    I believe it is healthy to do our best to send out positive energy and kindness and it is also in our own best interest to try and keep our thoughts positive and "good" whatever that means.... but we are human and we ALL have less than perfect and light thoughts at times.... we can then do some of the things suggested here or write or listen to music......... I personally listen to the OLD footloose soundtrack when I am in a bad mood. I don't know how anyone stays down listening to that   one can pray or talk to a trusted friend or any number of things to release the negative thoughts but I definitely don't think we should beat ourselves up for having what are after all very HUMAN events  which negative thoughts are!

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    Faith Reaperposted 12 years ago

    Great question - I agree with the comments of spartucusjones and Dave Mathews.  Bad thoughts are inevitable, and the main battlefield of satan is the mind.  If one entertains a perverse thought and dwells on it, then it is only a matter of time before we act on it.  When you are a child of the King, you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, and He will convict you of such thoughts, and you will be able to rebuke them.  God tells us in His Word, that our minds can be kept in perfect peace when we think on these things: whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, what is of good repute, and if there is excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8   We are to have the mind of Christ - who is the light, and where there is light, darkness is not there.  In His Love, Theresa

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