Are people basically good?

Originally posted by @karoly-aczel
People goto heaven byliving righteously. I was knocking on the door last nite. I was dying , the first time I had experienced the death experience . It was very confronting yet positive. Difficult to describe. My will had resigned itself to its fate and the Pearly Gates beckoned. My bodily sensations were all but gone and 'I' knew that this was it. Th ...[text shortened]... 2 months. So I can say from direct experince that living righteously is the key for eternity. 🙂

Uh, what?

Originally posted by @fmf
Yes. Are you going to address it?

What?

Originally posted by @fmf
I believe the word "evil" refers to certain kinds of morally unsound behaviour. It is a human social construct, not a supernatural one, even if many humans do superimpose such notions onto the concept in their efforts to make sense of the human condition.

I would suggest that "evil" is egregious immorality (as already defined earlier and in other discussion ...[text shortened]... il" is simply an adjective that is more loaded up with far more disapproval than the word "bad".

Wicked, evil, bad these are all far cries from good. Replace a good act, deed, work with
anything we can agree is wicked, evil, or bad than you have left what is good for something
less than. Evil in my opinion is the absence of good and righteousness, a poison that renders
what otherwise could be a good deed done with evil intent renders the act evil.

Originally posted by @fmf
If you are not "nice" to someone, you believe you are being "evil"?

Well we have established already by my admitting I need a savior due to my less than
life when it comes to being good. If I go out of my way to harm another yes, I think I'm being
evil, bad, or wicked to them I'm certainly not being good or loving.

Originally posted by @rajk999
Jesus said the same thing .. the key to eternal life is good works and righteousness. Well your experience is all within the realm of possibility so I wont doubt you plus there are many documented tales of such experiences, and such experiences are actually biblical.

So did the angels have wings ?
Just kidding.. 😀

Actually if they did have wings then you hallucinated.

No s*** bro,not a word of a lie. It was as I said, very hard to describe unlike a common descrption of a NDE (light at end of tunnel) . The angels were formless and the whole visual experience was uncomparable to any other trip I've had. I am certain it was because this death experience was like a final, white death, where the sould learns all its lessons that it needs to. . . And realistically I would be circumspect if you totally believed me or totally not. For you to be open to the possibilty, just one person is huge for me. . . .I've done much learning in various faiths but only in thelast 12 months have I found how to express myself in Christian terms. Cheers Rajk. Thank the Lord you were the first one to respond 😀

Originally posted by @kellyjay
Well we have established already by my admitting I need a savior due to my less than
life when it comes to being good. If I go out of my way to harm another yes, I think I'm being
evil, bad, or wicked to them I'm certainly not being good or loving.

So if you are not "nice" to someone, you believe you are being "evil"?

Originally posted by @kellyjay
What?

Don't run away from the conversation.

Originally posted by @kellyjay
If I go out of my way to harm another yes, I think I'm being
evil, bad, or wicked to them I'm certainly not being good or loving.

So "evil" has to do with 'going out of one's way' to do "harm"?

Originally posted by @kellyjay
Evil in my opinion is the absence of good and righteousness, a poison that renders what otherwise could be a good deed done with evil intent renders the act evil.

Give an example of a good deed with an "evil" intent?

Originally posted by @kellyjay
Well we have established already by my admitting I need a savior due to my less than life when it comes to being good.

Sounds to me like you are declaring yourself "evil" but then declaring yourself "forgiven" on account of the religion you are a member of. Is there no other way you are able to talk about morality? Is this it? 1. Everyone is "evil and wicked" but 2. Christians like KellyJay are "forgiven". That's what your take on morality is?

Originally posted by @kellyjay
The key is grace through faith, believing on Jesus. Good works will be done but salvation isn’t through works least any of us think we can boast about that.

Its not boasting Kelly, the Christian term is testafying. Testifying righteous living. "No one comes to the Father except through me". I know what this means. Everyone has to go through their own process of suffering to get to heaven. . That's not an abstraction or a metphor...It is dead literal.. . . ... .Jesus does not leave His sheep behind, He leaves instructions on how to follow Him 🙂

Originally posted by @kellyjay
Uh, what?

I died last night. I was ascending to heaven and wished never to return then 2 angels convinced me to come back.

Originally posted by @fmf
So if you are not "nice" to someone, you believe you are being "evil"?

Well lets see, Jesus said that even if we call someone a fool we are in danger of Hell.
If we are doing anything which isn't loving our neighbor we are breaking one of the big
commandments. Walking in strife, anger, and things like those are all walking in the
flesh instead of walking in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
and gentleness and so on. So maybe evil is to strong a word, maybe not, but its without
a doubt not doing what God calls us to.

The thing is we require God, because without Him there is no way we can do this on our
own.

Galatians 5:
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:
14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Matthew 5:22
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Originally posted by @kellyjay
Well lets see, Jesus said that even if we call someone a fool we are in danger of Hell.
If we are doing anything which isn't loving our neighbor we are breaking one of the big
commandments. Walking in strife, anger, and things like those are all walking in the
flesh instead of walking in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
an ...[text shortened]... will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Don't spam bomb me. Answer the question. If you are not "nice" to someone, you believe you are being "evil"?

Originally posted by @karoly-aczel
Its not boasting Kelly, the Christian term is testafying. Testifying righteous living. "No one comes to the Father except through me". I know what this means. Everyone has to go through their own process of suffering to get to heaven. . That's not an abstraction or a metphor...It is dead literal.. . . ... .Jesus does not leave His sheep behind, He leaves instructions on how to follow Him 🙂

You are cherry picking scripture, I understand the word testify but it isn't about my glory
being good enough for God and His Kingdom. It is about the Glory of God in our salvation
in Christ, He cleans us of our sins, Jesus sits at the right had of the Father for us. God
foretold of Christ coming all the way back in the OT, worked out a people to have Jesus
come to us in, and then He came. This is all about God making us worthy, not about us
getting worthy enough for God.