Are there evil people?

[Gerioke]

I was just wondering if there are people who are inherently evil. I guess this would lead us back to the predestination argument.

[yomotalking]

I was just wondering if there are people who are inherently evil. I guess this would lead us back to the predestination argument.

Very good question.

I'd like to hear what others have to say.

[Mongo]

Yes. Take my word for it.

[Avodah]

I think that the majority of evil is demonicly influenced. The rest is probably lack of self control

[PwrInTheBld]

Not sure how this applies but I heard something on the radio this morning and found it interesting......

They were talking about an album cover that the late Johnny Cash had.

On it were 2 dogs. One was black with a white stripe, the other was white with a black stripe. These dogs represented something about the singer. Cash called them Sin and Redemption. One is not totally bad yet at the same time, one is not totally good. He said, even in our worst of sins, we can still find redemption if we surrender to God.

[apothanein kerdos]

All men are evil in and of themselves, because of the Fall.

[Leonard]

I was just wondering if there are people who are inherently evil. I guess this would lead us back to the predestination argument.

Heck; satan might not be such a bad guy, except for the some of the people he hangs out with!

[CarolineS]

All men are evil in and of themselves, because of the Fall.

I agree. We are all born with the propensity to commit evil because of the fall of man. I would have to say that without the saving grace of Christ we would all remain evil. But, thanks to Jesus we can have some good in us.

In Christ,

CarolineS

[Prodigalson123]

All men are evil in and of themselves, because of the Fall. Even.

Gen. 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Matthew 12:39 - But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

Matthew 5:45 - That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Obviously there must be evil people for the sun to rise on the evil people.

Even after salvation, we are still evil in and of ourselves.

Is. 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Ez. 3:18When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Evil and wicked are synonymous, and appear in each other's primary definitions...

wick

[apothanein kerdos]

All men are evil in and of themselves, because of the Fall.

You give a thumbs up to evil?

All men are sinful because of the fall. I'm talking about evil as in "without God".

Billy Graham is born in sin but I would not call him an evil person.

Do you post simply to cause fights?

Anyway, i was giving a thumbsup to the answer because it's true. Sin and evil are the same thing and all men are inherently sinful/evil...but yes, because of the fall. We were not created to be that way (which is why there are glimpses of good in all).