J
Jonny
Guest
Help Understanding Christainy
I have alot of questions... a lot. Most of these are going to need clarification, and thus, we'll probably see a series of running questions.
Here is the first of my questions, which I'm sure will lead into others:
What is good?
What is evil?
What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?
Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?
Before we proceed with this discussion, I want to keep my intentions clear.
First, I want everyone to know that I am asking this for the sole reason that I want to understand how Christians see the world. I am not asking this for any other purpose, like for example, the purpose of hearing something that I can argue with, or finding something that I can "prove wrong". I would never want to jeapordize people's own values, and in any case, any attempt would be futile and only breed intolerance. My aim here is purely objective and for the sake of my own learning and knowledge to further my understanding of the phenomenon of God, and my ultimate goal is to obtain a better understanding of Christianity. My goal is NOT to promote a belief of mine or start an argument. I encourage everyone to be open, and trust that I'm not going to add to anyone's thoughts, or try to subtract from them. The reason I give this caveat is because that, in the past when I've tried to do this, I have been mistaken for someone who is trying to start a riot or bring down people's values. This is strictly due to misinterpretation--which may not be surprising, given my incessant nature to ask questions and the ambiguity of my own values, which may lead to the unjust labeling of a "subverter" upon me. My incessant questions may be blunt, and thus give rise to the suspicion that my intentions are negative, but they are not. These questions are only for the sake of clarification, and any interpretation of malice intent would only arise due to misunderstanding. I'm not here to judge, just perceive. I genuinely want to KNOW how Christians see things, that is my sole motive. Nothing to debase anything or anyone. Many of my dear friends are Christians, and I love them very much, and would never do anything to debase their values. That would debase their identities, and thus, everything I love about them. I would never do that. I wish to uphold the sanctity of the values of all Christians, including everyone here on this board. I respect them very much. I need to say this because the misinterpretation of my intentions has heretofore impeded the path to the answers of my questions. So, I encourage everyone here to be open.
This came from a series of thought processes from began when I was reading my psychology textbook. I'm doing this because I want to understand people, and potentially seek to understand the phenomenon of God in everyday lives. I guess you could say I'm doing this as part of my own studies in psychology. I plan to earn a Ph.D and become a doctor in clinical psychology. I want to become a therapist because I want to help people. But to do that, I have to understand people. I want to understand. Christians are a large majority of the population, and I hardly understand them. But I want to. I am seeking answers here, not trying to purport my own. That's because I'll consent that I don't really know anything.
So yes, to repeat the questions....
What is good?
What is evil?
What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?
Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?
Let's discuss!
I have alot of questions... a lot. Most of these are going to need clarification, and thus, we'll probably see a series of running questions.
Here is the first of my questions, which I'm sure will lead into others:
What is good?
What is evil?
What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?
Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?
Before we proceed with this discussion, I want to keep my intentions clear.
First, I want everyone to know that I am asking this for the sole reason that I want to understand how Christians see the world. I am not asking this for any other purpose, like for example, the purpose of hearing something that I can argue with, or finding something that I can "prove wrong". I would never want to jeapordize people's own values, and in any case, any attempt would be futile and only breed intolerance. My aim here is purely objective and for the sake of my own learning and knowledge to further my understanding of the phenomenon of God, and my ultimate goal is to obtain a better understanding of Christianity. My goal is NOT to promote a belief of mine or start an argument. I encourage everyone to be open, and trust that I'm not going to add to anyone's thoughts, or try to subtract from them. The reason I give this caveat is because that, in the past when I've tried to do this, I have been mistaken for someone who is trying to start a riot or bring down people's values. This is strictly due to misinterpretation--which may not be surprising, given my incessant nature to ask questions and the ambiguity of my own values, which may lead to the unjust labeling of a "subverter" upon me. My incessant questions may be blunt, and thus give rise to the suspicion that my intentions are negative, but they are not. These questions are only for the sake of clarification, and any interpretation of malice intent would only arise due to misunderstanding. I'm not here to judge, just perceive. I genuinely want to KNOW how Christians see things, that is my sole motive. Nothing to debase anything or anyone. Many of my dear friends are Christians, and I love them very much, and would never do anything to debase their values. That would debase their identities, and thus, everything I love about them. I would never do that. I wish to uphold the sanctity of the values of all Christians, including everyone here on this board. I respect them very much. I need to say this because the misinterpretation of my intentions has heretofore impeded the path to the answers of my questions. So, I encourage everyone here to be open.
This came from a series of thought processes from began when I was reading my psychology textbook. I'm doing this because I want to understand people, and potentially seek to understand the phenomenon of God in everyday lives. I guess you could say I'm doing this as part of my own studies in psychology. I plan to earn a Ph.D and become a doctor in clinical psychology. I want to become a therapist because I want to help people. But to do that, I have to understand people. I want to understand. Christians are a large majority of the population, and I hardly understand them. But I want to. I am seeking answers here, not trying to purport my own. That's because I'll consent that I don't really know anything.
So yes, to repeat the questions....
What is good?
What is evil?
What constitutes a good person, and what constitutes an evil person?
Are the absolute evils in this world? In other words, are there people who are undeniably evil, no matter the circumstance? Are the people who are undeniably good?
Let's discuss!