Do you believe people are born evil?

I certainly have never thought about this idea of people being born evil. I guess the thought of a completely, new being entering the world as a little baby doing harm or having the potential of being evil never crossed my mind. But now that i do think about it, i cannot understand how someone can be born evil. There are environmental factors that influence one's personality but being born evil..i didn't think that was even in question. A baby can't even think for itself much less be evil and yet a boy in my school believes that people are born evil and this triggered off with very few others agreeing with him too. Since i wasn't aware of such a question and never thought much over it, i just wanted to know if any of yous have some thoughts to add to this idea of people being born evil?

A Satan can be reborn to terrorize the world.

no, only life experiences and upbringing develop and give shape to a person's nature.

Originally posted by: osama-bin-joe

no, only life experiences and upbringing develop and give shape to a person's nature.

What makes a person evil ?

Originally posted by: Summer3

What makes a person evil ?

His thoughts and acts of course.

If a person is brought up correctly and taught well and mixes with good company , the chances of him or her becoming bad is less.

Originally posted by: zorrro

two people facing same situation in life can react very differently.

siblings brought up in the same family face similar upbringing but grow up quite differently.

So some people must be born evil to choose evil ways over the good.

I didn't mean it that way, people reacting to situations doesn't mean that two people will react the same way, I meant that in the early stages of life , some type of experience or situation or even a parent's method of treating or teaching the child will shape him or her.

It is impossible for people to be born evil.


example,take two different kids from two different poor families.

both see other kids having a more comfy life than them.

one has parents who are generally happy and also spread that happiness to them.

the other has a negative home environment and resents his life.

one turns good natured, the other is bitter and angry.

and even if they had the same home environment they can still have different attitudes, as you rightly said two people react to the same experience in a different way. but that, by no means imply that one is inherently good and one is inherently evil. it is the combination of the person's attitude , the person's upbringing and the person's experiences that make the person.

Originally posted by: zorrro

is every evil person evil because he has not been brought up properly? In that case the responsibility has been put on the parents or elders

I am just dealing with probability here.
But I agree that evil propensity could be karma related too. But in the right company such tendencies could be curbed. Children start showing their character from an early age but they are not born evil.

Originally posted by: osama-bin-joe

and even if they had the same home environment they can still have different attitudes, as you rightly said two people react to the same experience in a different way. but that, by no means imply that one is inherently good and one is inherently evil. it is the combination of the person's attitude , the person's upbringing and the person's experiences that make the person.

so the persons inherent nature is not solely responsible yet it contributes to the evilness of that person.

Originally posted by: zorrro

so the persons inherent nature is not solely responsible yet it contributes to the evilness of that person.

basically every factor we discussed and a few more all contribute to the person being evil OR good:
ie,

upbringing
experience
treatment by other people
reaction by the person in question
reaction by other people to this person's reaction
whether any arbitrary action is present, and if it is executed fairly and logically
reaction to this arbitrary intervention