Are human beings good or bad or a combination of both?

Answer 1

Jesus said Only God is good. And in Romans, it says "There is none good, no not one...there is none that doeth good, no, not one.... For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:10-12,23 But we are "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23 We become declared good (justified) when we trust in Christ's payment for our sins. Just as though a judge said we owed a great fine, and someone came to court and paid it. We didn't do anything to make ourselves good, but our debt is paid, and we are free.

Answer 2

Well... of course you know how the story goes. Adam and Eve ate the apple and disobeyed Jehovah, God. Therefor the apple was from the tree of knowledge of good and bad and when they ate it they knew what was good and bad. But God told them not to eat from for not to even touch for if they do they will die. SO when they were sinned and they had children, yes, we all have inherrited sin. But when Jesus had died for our sins, he gave us the chance to be able to live on a paradise earth to time indefinite. So in The Bible it speaks of a time when sickness, and even death will be no more.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." - Revelation 21:4

Hint:

God created man with both good and evil inside him, it's his role then to let one side overcome the other,

7. And a soul and Him Who perfected it

8. And inspired it (with conscience of) what is wrong for it and (what is) right for it.

9. He is indeed successful who causeth it to grow,

10. And he is indeed a failure who stunteth it.

[Meanings of the Glorious Quran, by Marmaduke Pickthall]

Answer 3

This was a great religious controversy around the time of the Reformation... and because everyone couldn't agree on the answer, it still rages today.

The question necessitates that it's asking about "the 'natural' man's relationship with God"... the way a man is when born, totally subject to the five senses - and not a "converted" man whose mind (spirit) is being "called" by God and opened to the divinely revealed Word of God.

The "natural" man is "carnal minded"... which is different from being "spirit" minded, or having a spiritual consciousness or spiritual awareness. Man is more attuned to his five physical senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing). These physical senses provide the "physical data" to the brain for processing before it's categorized or acted upon, or whatever is required before it's stored away in mental files and folders called : our memory. These memories never leave us... although, if some of them aren't accessed often, we can have a time "recalling" them. However it is that our brain works... these bytes of physical data all add up to program whatever personality we develop into. Everyone's life's programming is uniquely theirs. They "play back" the same way every time, unless changes are made to the programming and the personality is modified.

That little analogy was a computerized attempt to explain how the "natural" man works.

Of the natural carnal minded man, God's Word says" "...the CARNAL MIND is ENMITY (hostile) against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Rom.8:7)

Therefore, in accordance with God's Word, I contend that man is naturally evil... simply because he is inherently "selfish;" naturally rebellious against God's law, which is what sin is (I John 3:4).

God is "love"... and love is outgoing. Selfishness is "self-love" (love aimed inwardly toward the self).

That's why we naturally care for "ol' number one" and have to work pretty hard at times to care about anyone else. It's I, me, my and mine, normally with most folks.

But, love needs to "flow" like a river current for it's power to work and strengthen. Love aimed inwardly stagnates and dies out.

True love is giving, not taking. And the natural man "takes."

So, until God changes us (I Cor.15:51)... I maintain the answer to the question:

"Man is inherently evil, but likes to think he's good."

Answer 4

No.

Seriously, when a question begins "Do you believe...?", only you can answer it for yourself. There's no point asking other people, particularly when you don't even know who they are.

Answer 5

Some people say that we are inherently evil and that only their God can make us do good things. Others say that we are not so much evil but weak and that their devil causes us to do evil and that we need help from God to defeat the devil. No matter how religious advocates look at our nature, it always seems to lead back to the need to worship their God or face the consequences. This leaves no room for conscience or free will, in the true sense of the words.
My view is that people are not inherently evil. In our secular education, we learn that we all have a conscience that is programmed into us from early childhood. Our sense of ethics and our moral behaviour are the result of our conscience, which, in most people, acts to inhibit wrongdoing and encourage social cooperation.

On the other hand, there is no evidence that people who see themselves as religious conduct themselves more ethically than those who do not. Thus there is no evidence that God helps his followers to do good rather than evil. The proportion of people in our jails who see themselves as religious is probably very similar to the proportion in the population as a whole.

Answer 6

Humans are born in goodness in ones weakness but the evil emerges with strength and pride to subdue the other. They were given the option of emotions and rationality to decide for themselves.

Answer 7

Humans like all animals have an innate goodness to care and do good for its own near ones but the evil emerges as a defence to ones one ego or security.

Answer 8

Judaism teaches that humans are born innocent and good but with the ability to do both good and bad with the freewill to choose.