Nature of Man

The Puritans were a very opinionated people. They believed that every person was born evil and could never be good. They believed that good was something that only a chosen few could achieve. I disagree. I believe that all people have some amount of good inside them. I think people are generally good, but can become evil due to their surroundings. I don’t think any person wants to be evil. I think it just happens. My first argument against the Puritans’ beliefs has to do with the first responders of 9/11. These men and women climbed a burning building risking their own lives in order to save the lives of others. Yet the Puritans said everyone was evil. Does the selflessness of the first responders really seem evil to you. I don’t think so. In fact, I think this is a great example of good. If all people were evil then you wouldn’t see examples of selflessness and kindness. Another argument against the Puritans’ beliefs is organizations like the Peace Corps or American Red Cross. These are organization based on making differences in third world countries as well as anywhere that needs help from natural disasters, terrorist bombings, man made disasters etc. Yet the Puritans said all men are evil. If all men are evil then these organizations would try to make money off of disasters like this; but they don’t. So how can the Puritans justify calling all men evil? Although I don’t believe that all men are evil, there are some men that are definitely evil. People like Charles Manson and Vlad the Impaler. These were men who killed people because they didn’t like them. The KKK is another example of evil men. They hated races other than whites so they committed crimes against them. Although I do not believe men are born evil, I do think it’s possible to become evil provided you are in a certain environment. In my opinion, all men are born good not evil. They are not born racists or murderers. They are just people that are easily influenced by their environment.