Is right and wrong learned?

Question

I believe that we are all born sinless and that everything that we do is learned, including what is right and what is wrong. To me saying that a new born baby is sinful makes no sense because there is no way that a new born baby could do wrong. I just want to know what people think of this. Don't go preaching or anything just think about it and answer truthfully.

Answer 1

i think that right and wrong is  definitely learned because people have different views of whats right and whats wrong, i think that family, religion and where u are from plays a big part in it

Answer 2

1. Born sinless? Yes, I believe that is the case. Sin is something done against God's laws. How can an embroy do anything that qualifies as a sin.

2. Right and Wrong, learned? Well, yes. Growing up we think very little about right and wrong as a philosophical question and learn from parents, teachers, friends, etc.

However, the fact that some people believe that something is right and other believe that that very thing is wrong does not mean that there is not a meaningful standard to judge which one is correct. At least, here on this planet it is possible to make those judgements.

Answer 3

According to the word of God.  We are born in to sin, due to the fall of the garden of Eden. Reference: Genesis Chapter 1.

Only until we reach the age of accountability are we held  accountable for our sins.  Do you recall becoming aware of your conscience telling you right from wrong?  I recall what age I was.  

The right and wrong built inside of our heads and hearts is our God given conscience.  I don't believe any of us can truthfully say we always choose right 100% of the time.  I would be a liar, if I said I did. Blessings to you<><):

Answer 4

I don't see how anyone can have knowledge of their state of being when they are born.

Answer 5

in my opinion right or wrong is not directly learned but it is learned from environment

Answer 6

If we accept we are children of God in our essence which is eternal then perfection is ours to achieve.We must, in order to pass on to this next life be qualified to function at some reasonable level in this new existence. If we were to deny God after arriving we could not be relied on to make it for this is what this life is founded on and no one could trust us to do the right thing. If we cannot accept Gods authority as our Father we would not be able to follow his plans and direction so we would not be able to achieve what is required of us.

Right and wrong are our to choose. We must learn, with Gods guidance to know which is the right way and wrong way. If we don not accept this guide then it is up to us alone and this will bring many to a social level of development  but we will never reach that level where we have trusted the guide within and become worthy of survival.

Answer 7

i agree with you, and would take it one step further. the more you know in general the better you can know what right and wrong is.

as a baby you know nothing, so you know not what is right and wrong. then you might get a little older, but still not understand that your actions may hurt others, and then you get older and learn more and more about actions and their results, in more and more complex ways, you learn more about history and tons of stuff, and the more you do, the more educated your decision on whether something is right or wrong can be.

Answer 8

sin makes no sense regardless

Answer 9

Elfchic, the nature of the parents will always be transferred to their offspring. A child has all the potential to sin but can not activate that sinfulness (knowing what is right, and choosing to do wrong) until an age of comprehension and accountability is reached. Until then the child's moral status is normally referred to as innocent - not sinless, simply because the full potential to do wrong is in the cute thing. I remember watching a twilight zone episode with marked interest, because it centers on the question you are asking, about a young woman who was sent back in time by a group of time travelers to Germany in the late 19th century. Her mission: become the nanny for Hur Hitler's new born baby Adolph, and then smother the child under a pillow and hopefully avert WWII and the slaughter of multitudes. The interesting thing about the episode is that even though she knew this baby would grow up and be responsible for the deaths of so many millions, including babies, she just could not do it. He lay there in his crib looking so sweet and sinless.

     Some may argue that had Hitler grown up in a different environment he may have turned out to be a blessing to humankind instead of what he in fact did become. I won't argue this, because outside influence does play an important role in the development of a child. However, the nature to do either wonderful good things or terrible evil is very much present in the baby no matter how cute he or she is.

    I hope I wasn't preaching. Just trying to answer your question.

Answer 10

In his book, Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis said each person is born knowing what is basic concepts of right and wrong. He was, I believe, referring to certain common rules of what is right and wrong even before these various groups of people ever knew many cultures different from their own existed.  He used this as part of his argument for the existence of God.  He called this knowledge a fingerprint from God...or some similar phrase. This definitely does not mean all humans are not, at least, born without thoughts of bad intent.

I'm not sure of all of that, but I do believe one is usually born with the ability to learn what the distinctions between right and wrong are. Much of putting those concepts into practice are much more likely to be the result of nurture than of nature.