Do you believe in The Blank Slate Theory?

[Jerlene]

Everyone's born pure and well and you have to add or detract from that over the years.



Was asked that. Never heard of it. Thought it was interesting. Yep.

 

[Blackguard_]

Everyone's born pure and well and you have to add or detract from that over the years.

I don't agree with it, people are born corrupt.

Some people just can't accept that a cute cuddewy widdle baby could be evil in the slightest.

 

[quatona]

Everyone's born pure and well

It would be a good idea to mention the standards in regards to which such a statement is made.
Of course, nobody is born a blank slate; our genetic codes are written all over us.

and you have to add or detract from that over the years.

I´m not sure I understand how you can add something to purity.

 

[ReluctantProphet]

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Everyone's born pure and well and you have to add or detract from that over the years.

Was asked that. Never heard of it. Thought it was interesting. Yep.

It really depends on how you mean the question.

In some senses they are pure and in some not. And is a dangerous topic.

But there are absolutely none born without sin. Of course since everyone has been led into believing that sin is about guilt, such a statement would get confusing.

Sin is only about being inaccurate. The famed "sins" are just the children of inaccuracy. Thus every child is born incapable of being accurate just yet, but born into sin from which he must learn.

It has nothing to do with the baby being guilty of anything other than simply not knowing much of anything yet.

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[Jerlene]

I don't agree with it, people are born corrupt.

Some people just can't accept that a cute cuddewy widdle baby could be evil in the slightest.

Yeh. I agree with that only because i'm Catholic and that's the Catholic version of The Blank Slate. Seriously though, did anyone here see The Omen? =O

 

[elman]

Everyone's born pure and well and you have to add or detract from that over the years.



Was asked that. Never heard of it. Thought it was interesting. Yep.

Theologically I believe we are created spiritually alive as well as physically alive and when we reach the point that we become unloving and harmful to people we kill that spiritual existence.

 

[elman]

I don't agree with it, people are born corrupt.

Some people just can't accept that a cute cuddewy widdle baby could be evil in the slightest.

Until that baby is able to act in a loving way for someone else, it is not evil in the slightest. Evil is acting in an unloving way toward someone and babies do not come with the capability of doing that. It is not evil to dirty your diapers or complain because you are hungry.

 

[Blackguard_]

Until that baby is able to act in a loving way for someone else, it is not evil in the slightest.

Wouldn't that make it completely evil if it was not capable of love at all? Or are infants non-persons?

Evil is acting in an unloving way toward someone and babies do not come with the capability of doing that.

What do you mean "unloving"? I don't know if babies have negative-love (malice, hate, etc.) but they are devoid of love for others.

If an adult were totally selfish, would you say he was unloving of others, or that he was non-loving of others?

 

[Im_A]

Everyone's born pure and well and you have to add or detract from that over the years.



Was asked that. Never heard of it. Thought it was interesting. Yep.

hmm. i don't know how to answer this.

i mean i can't say they are born evil. what did they do to be evil? what evil was done to make them evil without them sinning, or making them choosing evilness? the only action that is done before hand, is the parents having sex. i don't feel right to judge a baby guilty of evilness because of a man and woman having sex or because of possibly fictious/parable/mythological characters in scriptures.

but, to say they are pure and innocent, what did they do to be innocent? what defines innocense? is it lack of knowledge, or choosing against evil? if that's the case, a baby can't do that till they are taught what right and wrong is.

so i guess for the ending, i just remain opinionless. i mean, when my fiancee and i have children, i'll always look at the new born as innocent and pure. maybe i'll understand more then, maybe i won't. but on some cosmic/theological/philosophical level, i believe there is no real answer because each answer has too many contradictions while each answer makes some sense and rational.

 

[Jerlene]

Wouldn't that make it completely evil if it was not capable of love at all? Or are infants non-persons?

Just because someone can't love, it doesn't make them evil. That's ridiculous.

 

[quatona]

Just because someone can't love, it doesn't make them evil. That's ridiculous.

So where do you draw the line?

 

[Blackguard_]

Just because someone can't love, it doesn't make them evil. That's ridiculous.

Well, if evil is the absense of love, not being capable of love means love is completely absent from you, hence you are totally evil.

Or, how do you define evil?

 

[mikenet2006]

Everyone's born pure and well and you have to add or detract from that over the years.



Was asked that. Never heard of it. Thought it was interesting. Yep.

What makes a person a person is what you should ask yourself really.

There are two things in fact.

One being the genetics we are born with. This is the blueprint that determines half of the equation. However it isnt a perfect blueprint, it is flawed and has weakneses just like all other creatures on earth.

What is true about the slate theory is that despite this imperfect design, we are put here to make the best or worst of it.

That brings me to the second thing, this basically being our expereinces in life.

If you put a person with the genetics of someone who would be prone to becoming mentaly ill due to there chemistry, in a negative invironment, like having abusive parents or whatnot this genetic trait is far more likely to become a serious problem than someone with the same genetics put in a loving and caring environment.

Some times your placement in time and location itself can be the difference between you becoming a senator or a struggling alcoholic.

So all and all that is true, with the exception of this slate being a perfect foundation to build on of course.

 

[tcampen]

I don't agree with it, people are born corrupt.

Some people just can't accept that a cute cuddewy widdle baby could be evil in the slightest.

Whether people are born evil and corrupt, or born loving and good is just a question of one's world view. I happen to be optimistic about my fellow humans.

I recognize everyone has the capability of doing evil, but that a vast majority people choose do good over evil a vast majority of the time. This seems to go against the notion we are inherently corrupt or evil. Certainly, we are not perfect. But we are certainly not all that bad, either.

Guess I'm just more of a "cup's half full" kinda guy.

 

[mikenet2006]

Whether people are born evil and corrupt, or born loving and good is just a question of one's world view. I happen to be optimistic about my fellow humans.

I recognize everyone has the capability of doing evil, but that a vast majority people choose do good over evil a vast majority of the time. This seems to go against the notion we are inherently corrupt or evil. Certainly, we are not perfect. But we are certainly not all that bad, either.

Guess I'm just more of a "cup's have full" kinda guy.

I agree with that, Im a cup half full kinda guy as well.

 

[GrinningDwarf]

Everyone's born pure and well and you have to add or detract from that over the years.

Nope...because I believe the Bible. Check out the book of Romans...especially 1:18-3:20.

It is, however, followed by the Good News in 3:21-8:39.

 

[Jerlene]

k. Good for you.

 

[mikenet2006]

Nope...because I believe the Bible. Check out the book of Romans...especially 1:18-3:20.

It is, however, followed by the Good News in 3:21-8:39.

Us being born corrupt is not exactly accurate either. Like I said before the foundation we are given to build upon is infact imperfect and flawed, But we are however born pure at mind. with knowladge of no evil or corruption of any kind.

To prove this just read in the bible how all young children and babies go to heaven if they die. This is because they havent come to understand the concept of evil, or even the difference between right and wrong.

Im not christian and I have very different beliefs than most, but I can see the sense in what she said though.

 

[DailyBlessings]

Everyone's born pure and well and you have to add or detract from that over the years.

Not quite- I think we are born more or less the same as the other animals. Not pure, neither sinful, just existing, and acting primarily in self interest. This becomes less true as time goes by, with the mechanism of the fall repeating itself in microcosm.

 

[Blackguard_]

To prove this just read in the bible how all young children and babies go to heaven if they die. This is because they havent come to understand the concept of evil, or even the difference between right and wrong.

That's not in the Bible. Its a common idea, but there is no Biblical support for it.