What makes a person wicked?

[bert10]

Tiancum - What makes a person wicked?

Not all people who are wicked are evil. We must cease to judge people, we can judge only their actions which are their fruits.

A person who is wicked....simply means a person who is in a Crooked path versus the path which is straight and narrow.

A person in a Crooked path shall do wickedness no matter how good he is trying to be. For the end of his path leads to death.

Romans 3:10 - As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

What makes a person wicked?......Walking in a Crooked path.

It is only when he repents and chooses to walk the Straight and Narrow by hearing God in his heart....can he become a righteous man in the eyes of God.

Most people are wicked because they are deceived by their pride, worldly knowledge and wisdom. They are many honorable people who try to do good. But because they are in crooked paths [false religions, errors of doctrines etc] they end up in the end doing wickedness in the eyes of God. Many things that the world perceives as being good and righteous is the opposite in the eyes of God.

An Evil person is one who is not deceived and knows what he is doing is wrong and keeps doing it.

Keeping the commandments of God is not a guarantee that we are not walking in wickedness...because if we keep the commandments of God by the letter of the law instead of by the Spirit we shall fail.

I know what I have posted may be strange and none have posted this yet. But once you reflect on it....you will find that I have given you the truth.

Without the Spirit of judgment attending us...we are not to judge another person as being evil. For each one of us have been given a portion of the Spirit of Christ and a judgment on another person is also a judgment on the Spirit of Christ that is in that individual. Remember what you do, think and say against your neighbors is also doing it to God.

Many are deceived and do great wickedness and evil in their lives even in the Name of God. - But that does not make them wicked nor evil. The overall answer to your question is this.....

Everyone who is not a son of perdition does wickedness and evil out of ignorance and being deceived. Because if men were to be confronted by the fullness of the light of God only the sons of perdition would choose to do darkness.

If the Spirit says that such and such is wicked it is because this person has been showed the correct path and for some reason or other has chosen to not take it and remain in his crooked path.

Peace be unto you

bert10

I know the simple answer is, those that don't keep the commandments.

If that was requisite for being evil, well all of us would be evil. None are perfectly obedient, but most of us try.

I think of the pharisees, who kept the commandments/law of Moses with exactness, but their hearts weren't in it.

[lilered]

There is a differnance between someone who sins, realizes their sins, repents and strives to do better and a person who is "evil" and does evil things. Example a mass murderer, multiple rapist, multiple child molester.

I personally have only met one evil person in my life. I was in the middle of doing business with a person many years ago, and was prompted by the "Holy Spirit" to immediatly cease the business discussion and leave. As I sat there pondering these promptings, the spirit was so strong to leave and end our business discussions, I finally got up announced I was ending our business negotiations and leaving immediatly. As I walked out of the office building as quickly as possible, this individual tried to persuade me to come back to the meeting. I can remember having a sense of fear and real discomfort. I refused, he then started to use terrible profanity at me as I drove off.

Three weeks later, this man was fired from his (high leadership) position with his company, and then a few weeks later was charged and found guilty of beating his wife and of child molestation. He was later sent to State Prison.

Had I completed the business deal, it would have ended in a disaster. What I learned from this expierence was that during our negotiations, I kept feeling very uncomfortable with his responses, his mannerisms, and the way he was conducting himself. The longer I listened to him and observed him, the stronger I felt he was evil and that I could feel he was evil and was lying to me.

Once I drove off, a spirit of peacefulness came over me and I was immediatly comforted. I can only discribe this as having relief from stress, discomfort, and dirty to one of having feelings of uplifting, clean, and knowing I had done the right thing.

Bottom Line - The Holy Spirit will help one discern evil from good, truth from untruth, and will warn as promised.

As to what makes one evil. We know from studies that enviroment and the way children are raised greatly influences their behavior in later life. Satan also strives to get Gods children to do things that are not right, feel guilty, so we don't have any hope for redemption, and do anything he can to destroy our faith. Once that happens, we are then ripe for committing more severe sins and eventually can become evil.

[rameumptom]

Moroni 7 tells us that all of us are given a conscience (light of Christ) to guide us to what is good. The things that are good are those things that lead us to Christ and good works. The things which are evil are those things that lead us away from Christ and good works.

This goes in line with 2 Nephi 2, on opposition. It is the striving between the two points (love vs hate; pay tithes vs keep funds; etc.) that determines what is good and bad.

It isn't an issue of stasis. Yes, we can take snapshots in time and determine an overall good/evil scenario. However, life isn't static. We are judged on all of our works, not just one or two. All of the strivings of life are taken into account.

So, we are all evil AND we are all good, to the extent that we seek Christ or Satan, and in the moment of each decision we make.

Of course, Satan would redefine good and evil. Giddianhi, the Gadianton chief, wrote Lachoneus and attempted to convince him that their secret works were good. If one were to believe Satan was good, then the striving towards his goals and works would also be determined as good.

[lostnfound]

Doesn't the Bible talk about being sinful in the womb?

yes.

[Teancum18]

What makes a person wicked?

Flying airplanes into buildings.

[rameumptom]

I believe that the scriptures are clear that we are all evil (once accountable) in the sight of GOD.

This is why nobody, no matter how long, can ever save themselves. It doesn't matter how "good" we behave. The Atonement of Christ is truly the only means of salvation.

Surely, in our own view, stealing a candy-bar is not the same as murder.

Yet to GOD, all accountable people are fallen from his presence, never to return, absent the intervention of the Atonement of Christ.

Once again, it the atonement and grace are not just one static state of being or not being. D&C 93 tells us that we move through levels of grace towards perfection, or OTOH, move away from God step by step. This is why stealing a candy bar is not the same as murder. The level of light lost for the petty theft is minor compared to the dramatic loss of light from becoming a murderous being.

The atonement completely saves almost all mankind from physical and spiritual death. All will be resurrected, and very few will die spiritually. The rest of us are guaranteed salvation in a kingdom of glory, including those who fly planes into buildings. Granted, they will first pay for their unrepented sins in spirit prison, prior to being released.

Where keeping commandments comes in, is in what it makes us; or what we become. Keeping commandments in order to become more like Christ, allows us to receive a higher kingdom of glory, because we have become more like Christ. The individual who does good works for any other purpose (glory of the world, getting gain) has not done good works, but has already received his/her reward. They have not allowed their works to change them from within, but it is only a skin-deep conversion. These are the ones who confess with their lips, but their hearts are far from God (Is 29). Such will still receive a kingdom of glory, but will fall short of the fullness of God's glory.