Are some people inherently evil?

Jump to Last Post 1-10 of 10 discussions (24 posts)
  1. SoundNFury profile image76
    SoundNFuryposted 11 years ago

    Are some people inherently evil?

    If so, where does the "evil" come from?  Can it be eliminated or is it simply a natural and inevitable part of life?

  2. taburkett profile image59
    taburkettposted 11 years ago

    Children are born good - but - some learn evil from their environment.
    It can be eliminated by changing the environment that spawns it.
    Much like a garden when good grain is harvested, the garden begins to produce less good seed if the gardener permits weeds to take over.
    So the child's environment with evil produces much less good.
    This is easily viewed in the government managed welfare slavery that envelopes many children.
    The drug deranged ghettoes of the large metropolitan areas produce many more evil ones as they grow to believe that a life has little meaning.
    If it is to be eliminated, then the governments must remove the evil welfare-slavery gardens they have constructed.
    This will not be an easy task because those who embrace the evil environment will fight those who seek to change it.
    Therefore, to begin the change process, truth must be told continually to those that reside in the evil environment.  They must begin to understand that it is their personal responsibility to assist those who wish to rescue them from the wicked environment.
    This will require removal of politicians who blame others, but yet still do not change the environment. 
    This requires good leadership that supports the ways taught by the Lord.
    The path of Righteousness is bounded by many who are wicked and desire to gather others to their clan.  These wicked evil ones continue to divide the nations as they convey they immoral actions as fairness and equality.  But evil will never equal truth.  Just as immoral will never equal moral.
    Every individual must choose their path as they progress within the community.
    This responsibility cannot be delegated.  Therefore, evil can be eliminated if the individuals choose wisely. 
    God loves those who choose to follow his path of righteousness.
    May God Bless you and Keep you safe from the evil that abounds.

  3. Borsia profile image39
    Borsiaposted 11 years ago

    Some people are just inherently evil and there doesn't seem to be any reason for it. Most are sociopaths, people who haven't any sympathy or connection to others. While many claim that there are always environmental causes but a study of serial killers proves that to be wrong. While many had bad childhoods others had very normal and mundane family lives.
    The Rolling Stones said it best in their song "Sympathy for the Devil". Evil will appear again and again in different faces and different places and to ignore or deny them is to be a part of the problem.
    This doesn't mean that they are possessed by demons or aligned with some dark force they are simply bad from the core.
    Many come from homes that refused to ever see the bad things they do.
    So many times we see their parents, especially mothers, deny the obvious even when it is caught on cameras.
    Almost every gang member came out of a loving home usually a deeply religious one. Of course many were dysfunctional but just as many are hard working loving and caring often church going. Singing in the choir by day, robbing, raping and killing by night. They just don't have any conscious.
    It can't be eliminated and it seems to be growing rather than shrinking.
    It doesn't have any socioeconomic or racial bounds and it can occur in most any family regardless of other factors.
    All we can do is be aware and wary teach the children never to be too trusting and remember that evil is most often committed by someone we know and trust.

    1. profile image0
      Ben Blackwellposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I must totally disagree that people are born evil or inherently evil.  There is nothing to say and no proof that can support such an argument.

    2. Borsia profile image39
      Borsiaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      only thousands of case files from police around the world

    3. peeples profile image94
      peeplesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Also thousands of brain studies and years of genetic research.

  4. profile image0
    JThomp42posted 11 years ago

    Unfortunately, yes some can just be evil. No matter what is tried; taking them to church, teaching them correct core values, etc. Some just have a dysfunctional brain.

    Remorse and guilt come from the frontal lobe of the brain. Serial killers who have been autopsied have an irregular frontal lobe than normal. This can happy at birth or by an accident sometime in their lives.

    They are sociopaths paths and have no conscience. I have written about several and they all have the same traits. With either a great childhood or a terrible one.

    1. gmwilliams profile image84
      gmwilliamsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Succinctly stated indeed.  I knew a boy in elementary school whose parents were devoutly religious and active in the church. THAT boy was a thief, a bully, and a delinquent in the making. He subsequently became an addict, his whereabouts unknown.....

    2. profile image0
      Ben Blackwellposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I totally disagree.  Nobody is inherently born evil, it is just "easier" to think that than it is to fully understand that person and why he acts in such a way.

    3. profile image0
      JThomp42posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I have seen it in person my friend. Thirteen and fourteen year old boys committing murder and smiling and laughing about it.

  5. CraftytotheCore profile image74
    CraftytotheCoreposted 11 years ago

    I read a novel about Jack the Ripper.

    His childhood was unthinkable!  It pained me to read the book and I could barely get through it, shutting it half way and giving it away.

    He was butchered as a four-year-old when he had to have surgery on his private part.  There is a theory that he started killing woman after hating his own for allowing such torture to continue not once, but several trips on a train to a hospital by himself where no anesthesia was used.  Straps were placed on his arms and legs to hold him down while pieces of his flesh were ripped and cut off from his loin.

  6. peeples profile image94
    peeplesposted 11 years ago

    If by evil you mean something like psychopathy or sociopaths then yes. There is no gray answer here. It has been proven to be related to genetics(therefore beginning at birth). Both these disorders are the result of an interaction between genetic predispositions and environmental factors, but psychopathy leans towards the hereditary whereas sociopathy tends to lean towards the environmental more. If it is related to genetics it begins at birth. For some the environment makes it to where it isn't an issue (even though it remains an underlying issue). For others their environment takes over and makes them more susceptible to what is already there.
    For example (not saying all serial killers are sociopaths) most serial killers, over 70%, are abused in one way or another during childhood. So for the ones that ARE a psychopath that abusive childhood leads to the underlying mental disorder taking over.

  7. edhan profile image34
    edhanposted 11 years ago

    It is part of growing up. We are all born innocent and pure. But our roads to become adults changed along the way. It is our decisions to take either right or left at the junction of a fork road. One leads to goodness while the other is evil. The choice can sometimes be due to the circumstances but if one is strong to endure and overcome it will remain good.

  8. aliasis profile image72
    aliasisposted 11 years ago

    No, people aren't "evil". Evil is a religious concept of pure, merciless darkness, and real life is much more complicated than that. I will grant that some people commit evil acts, but people are complex animals.

    Yes, "sociopaths" exist, people who have a psychological disability making it difficult or impossible for them to have empathy. But it's seriously a psychological disability, it's not really fair to call them evil if they don't have the means to actually separate good from evil, is it? These people need therapy and help before they end up committing crimes.

    Overall, I think people generally try to be good, and make mistakes along the way. And most issues aren't a philosophical exercise, clear cut black and white.

    1. celafoe profile image54
      celafoeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      that is not what scripture tells us

    2. Borsia profile image39
      Borsiaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Is psychopaths aren't evil just how do you define it?

    3. celafoe profile image54
      celafoeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      you are talking psychology which scripture does not condone so I ignore all pysco babbel

    4. aliasis profile image72
      aliasisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Celafoe - since I'm not a Christian, I don't think scripture really matters. Sociopaths are humans with a mental disability, if have no conscience they can't actively choose evil actions over good, therefore, not evil.

  9. celafoe profile image54
    celafoeposted 11 years ago

    YES,some are, it is inside of every human and they that fully follow the imaginations of their heart and nothing else are inherently wicked.
    Gen 8:21  Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth;

    It comes from the carnal heart of man which God says i desperately wicked above all things.
    Jer 17:9   "The heart is deceitful above all things,And desperately wicked;
    Who can know it?
    It can ONLY be changed by being born again and baptized according to scripture and living a Christian life.

    1. Borsia profile image39
      Borsiaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      And yet billions of people who grew up as atheist, have never heard of scriptures, but lead completely moral and happy lives without a trace of evil in their hearts.

    2. celafoe profile image54
      celafoeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      you cannot prove that statement

    3. Winston Smith 84 profile image59
      Winston Smith 84posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Uh-oh. Guess I'm screwed....

    4. aliasis profile image72
      aliasisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Christianity is one of the world's many religions. It does not define morality, in fact, for many people, it encourages immorality and "evil". For example, if you believe non-Christians are evil, I'd say that's a pretty immoral belief.

  10. Winston Smith 84 profile image59
    Winston Smith 84posted 11 years ago

    I know I am. I can't speak for anyone else.

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)