> I believe that the heart of man is initially good only to be
(potentially)
> turned wicked by its interactions with society. But even the observation
> you allude to could have been an observation made by those who wrote the
> bible. A description of what they believed was happening.
Gene: So individual man is good but society, which is only a lot of men put
together is bad? How did that happen? How can a single man be good but a
bunch of men be evil--unless the evil is in the heart (the desires) of
each man.
Because society places everyone which choices which are lose lose.
Nevertheless one has to make choices. Does this mean that man is evil in
the heart ? Or that evil is something that is acquired from interactions
with the environment ? Is it an internal force or an external force ? If
evil is present in everyone no matter what, does that not mean that evil
is stronger than good ? Where is the hope then of the end of evil ?
What if one person is kept inside a cage all his/her life. No interactions
with the outside. Is this person evil in the heart ? Does not evil only
exist when interacting with society and its norms ?
Regards
Pim