Heyo
Veteran Member
Now that I got your attention with the clickbaity title let me explain:
What I really want to to debate is the idea of man that is induced by the principle of the sinful nature of man. It is not that all Christians have this idea or that it is only Christian. But those who put much weight on sin, see people as generally bad and dangerous until proven otherwise. I will use "Christian" as a stand-in for that position throughout this OP.
The Humanists idea of man is in opposition to that dogma. A Humanist sees people as generally good and trustworthy until proven otherwise (and even then as having an innate dignity).
Another facet of the idea of man in Christian vs. Humanist vision is the power and responsibility of people. (Thanks to @Harel13 for reminding of this and finally motivating me to write this OP.) In the Christian diction man is powerless against the will of god and nearly powerless against temptation. In the Humanists mind man is responsible and capable to forge his own fate.
I'm less interested in debating which position is more right but more interested in debating which position is more useful.
Isn't it more psychologically sane to tell people and especially children that they have power and responsibility and to assume the same about others?
What I really want to to debate is the idea of man that is induced by the principle of the sinful nature of man. It is not that all Christians have this idea or that it is only Christian. But those who put much weight on sin, see people as generally bad and dangerous until proven otherwise. I will use "Christian" as a stand-in for that position throughout this OP.
The Humanists idea of man is in opposition to that dogma. A Humanist sees people as generally good and trustworthy until proven otherwise (and even then as having an innate dignity).
Another facet of the idea of man in Christian vs. Humanist vision is the power and responsibility of people. (Thanks to @Harel13 for reminding of this and finally motivating me to write this OP.) In the Christian diction man is powerless against the will of god and nearly powerless against temptation. In the Humanists mind man is responsible and capable to forge his own fate.
I'm less interested in debating which position is more right but more interested in debating which position is more useful.
Isn't it more psychologically sane to tell people and especially children that they have power and responsibility and to assume the same about others?