Daily Verse and Comment for Mark 7:14-23

submitted by doginventer from theberean.org

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[–]UncleWillard56 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

My take on this is accountability and responsibility. Don't make yourself out to be a victim or try to blame your sins/faults on outside influences. You have the agency to act right (in this case righteously and godly, but I think this isn't a philosophy relegated to the Bible or religion). The issue I take is this idea of original sin or that we are inherently sinful. Sure, our id urges us to do thing solely for immediate gratification and it is our superego and ego that balance that to stop us from acting impulsively, that's the common balancing act we play in our decision making. It's not that we're born evil, we simply need to govern our actions and not always lean towards indulgence and desire. I think that is what this verse is talking about. It's kind of common sense as if we do allow our worst impulses to govern us, it will likely lead to ruin.

[–]Vulptex 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

But we are born evil. Even animals are. Twins fight to the death before they're even born. And the whole world is evil with a bow on.

[–]UncleWillard56 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

I disagree completely. Good and evil are human concepts that have no place in nature. Animals don't hunt and kill because they're evil, they do it for survival. It's only humans that label that based on a particular religious dogma.

[–]Vulptex 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Animals intentionally inflict needless pain on both their prey and their rivals. You can't tell me that's not pure sadism. Until recently humans did this worse than any other creature in history, to the point where it was the main form of entertainment and declared sacred.

And if the world weren't evil to the core, why would anything have to resort to gross immorality in order to survive?

[–]UncleWillard56 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Sadism is a human concept and it's a value applied by humans. What needless pain does an animal inflict on its prey? The only pain they inflict is in killing for food. Maybe you could construe the battle for the dominant alpha of a pack or something as cruel, but it has a purpose that isn't about sadism. Sadism is uniquely human. Humans place the vale of "evil" on things that can likely be explained. People are not innately sadistic, they learn that behavior or it likely results from trauma.

Not sure I follow your second sentence, but I'm an optimist. I don't think the world is inherently evil. If it were, why would anyone want to save it. That also implies God is evil. Is that where you are going? If you believe in a God and say the world is evil, you are accusing God of being evil.

[–]Vulptex 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

What needless pain does an animal inflict on its prey?

They usually torture the prey before they eat it. Cats are especially bad.

Not sure I follow your second sentence, but I'm an optimist. I don't think the world is inherently evil. If it were, why would anyone want to save it.

Because everyone is a brainwashed NPC who never questions anything and has blind loyalty.

That also implies God is evil. Is that where you are going? If you believe in a God and say the world is evil, you are accusing God of being evil.

Kind of. But there is a god of this world and a father god, one is evil and the other is good. But 99.9% of people worship the evil one whether they know it or not, whether they have good or evil intentions.