Is Mankind Inherently Good or Evil?

[Blackmarch]

I don't believe that inherently  carnal = inharently evil.

[Dr T]

Evil  Gen 6:5, Psalm 51:5

[Pa Pa]

We are fallen...evil, some are, but being human does make us evil necessary, but we do all struggle with sin. But thankfully we can repent. Also one of our leaders taught that every time we partake worthily of the sacrament we are as clean as we were at our baptism. Praise our God for that!

[drham3rd]

If we step back and look at the history of mankind as detailed in the Old Testament and the BOM, we find that we as temporal beings have a great tendency toward pride and selfish behavior that tends to separate us from our loving Father.  Remember that scripture documents many a people that became "prideful and hardened in their hearts" which resulted in their turning away from God.  The evil we do is a direct result of these two characteristics, pride and hardened hearts.  

 

Thus, it is not simply an issue of evil vs good, but rather an issue of what are our priorities that can lead to either humble and loving characteristics or pride and hardened hearts!

[srmaher]

If we step back and look at the history of mankind as detailed in the Old Testament and the BOM, we find that we as temporal beings have a great tendency toward pride and selfish behavior that tends to separate us from our loving Father.  Remember that scripture documents many a people that became "prideful and hardened in their hearts" which resulted in their turning away from God.  The evil we do is a direct result of these two characteristics, pride and hardened hearts.  

 

Thus, it is not simply an issue of evil vs good, but rather an issue of what are our priorities that can lead to either humble and loving characteristics or pride and hardened hearts!

 

I completely agree, i have written in several places that I wish i would have chosen a better word than "evil," I did so because it was the word used in the BOM to describe our fallen nature. You pretty much make my point, our nature is such that if we do not keep ourselves in check, we will inevitable forget God, become prideful which than results in God having to humble us. this is one of the central messages of the scriptures, from Gen to section 132, we are prone to rebellion against God.  This is the point; our natures are not good, if it was than remembering god, humbling ourselves would be easy.

[srmaher]

We are fallen...evil, some are, but being human does make us evil necessary, but we do all struggle with sin. But thankfully we can repent. Also one of our leaders taught that every time we partake worthily of the sacrament we are as clean as we were at our baptism. Praise our God for that!

 

Woudent you say the constant struggle to remain clean, repent, and remember God, and indication that mankind is not inherently good? This doesnet mean we dont have good intentions or that we don't try our hardest to be good and obey, but that our natures are such that we are prone to wander for more easily than we are drawn to that which is good. No?

[srmaher]

I don't believe that inherently  carnal = inharently evil.

 

I chose the word evil because its what prophets int he BOM used. What do you think they mean when they refer to us as Evil?

[Blackmarch]

that people don't check the impulses they act upon, nor do they choose the right way to deal with them, many which lead to actions that are contrary to God's will.

If we were inherently evil at the our very foundations we would not have made it to this life.

[srmaher]

that people don't check the impulses they act upon, nor do they choose the right way to deal with them, many which lead to actions that are contrary to God's will.

If we were inherently evil at the our very foundations we would not have made it to this life.

 

Would you say that we are inherently good? Taking the pre-mortal world into account I can see how one would believe that we are good by nature. But I don't think so, I say this because the other day i fought my little boy telling me a lie. I didn't think about it at the time, but my brother brought it to my attention that parents don't teach their kids to lie, they do it because of their nature. Now, this doesn't make them evil, not even by a long shot. It just shows that tendency of man kind to drift away from what is good. If left unchecked, children will continue to lie (as a general rule) into adolescent, then into adulthood. The point it our natural tendency in mortality is to gravitate away from God unless we exert greater effort to overcome our natural tendencies. 

[Blackmarch]

Would you say that we are inherently good? Taking the pre-mortal world into account I can see how one would believe that we are good by nature. But I don't think so, I say this because the other day i fought my little boy telling me a lie. I didn't think about it at the time, but my brother brought it to my attention that parents don't teach their kids to lie, they do it because of their nature. Now, this doesn't make them evil, not even by a long shot. It just shows that tendency of man kind to drift away from what is good. If left unchecked, children will continue to lie (as a general rule) into adolescent, then into adulthood. The point it our natural tendency in mortality is to gravitate away from God unless we exert greater effort to overcome our natural tendencies. 

i'd lean towards more neutral, or both simultaneusly.

But as we grow its easier to satisfy the self which leads to contradictions of what is Godly, rather than putting off the self. In the spirit world it was easier to make decisions that were godly, and all those who come here did so to some extent. Now we have to see how we will do without God being a direct presence with the added burden of having to deal with physical impulses, empowerment and limitations.

I can't use the child case as not all children are different and all the variables that are taken into one's growth are different.

[James Strollo]

I think we are on probation in our second estate and choose to be "good " or "evil". Our natural state appears self absorbed/evil.