I was raised in a faith system that viewed humans as inherently wicked, starting with the purest infant whose soul was steeped in original sin, a blemish passed down through Adam and Eve, afflicting every person ever born, save the Christ, who was purported to always exist without the stain of sin, either original or committed while alive. Other traditions in the same faith line extend the inherent evil and see depravity not only in all humans but also extended to the natural world to include the animals and plants that live by their own moral standards, where nothing is codified in law, dividing should from should not, good from bad. There are still other traditions in conflict with my natal faith that purport the drive to indoctrinate children into their way of being is an evil action because it denies the essence of the individual. The question boils down to, by whose standards do we draw the capricious line separating actions judged good from evil actions?
