Comments on: RE: (fwd) Did God Create Evil?

by: Adam Messinger

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 19:49:14 +0000

There is a 50% likelihood that your child will be born that way if one of the parents is one.

I got the above information out of a high school psychology book

That’s entirely possible, especially if sociopathy is a neurological — rather than purely psychological — condition. There are plenty of examples of neurological illnesses that can be inherited from parents. It’s also possible that being parented by a sociopath could engender sociopathic tendencies in a child.

When I went hunting for statistics on sociopathy, it was in response to your original claim that “A large percentage of the population suffers from sociopathy.” Like I said, though, I lost all of that in a browser crash. I remembered enough to mention it in my follow-up to Amadeo’s comment, but I admit that I only had time to skim your original comment at the time I wrote my response. When answering Amadeo, I misread you as suggesting that half of everyone was a sociopath.

Anyway, here’s the upshot as far as I can tell from my reading: sociopaths really aren’t all that common (4% to 9%), but the children of sociopaths may have a greater likelihood of being sociopaths themselves.

by: withheld

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:06:36 +0000

There is a 50% likelihood that your child will be born that way if one of the parents is one.

I got the above information out of a high school psychology book

by: Adam Messinger

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:50:59 +0000

Interesting thoughts, Amadeo. Thanks for stopping by.

As I mentioned in a comment on this blog some 17 months ago, I’m not exactly a Christian either. I’m not exactly anything, though I’ve studied several faiths and think they all have something to teach us. Nice to hear from a like-minded person.

Supplemental Note: I’m not sure where “withheld” got his statistics on sociopath birth rates, but they’re way out of whack. Back when withheld first commented, I’d found specific research abstracts from peer-reviewed journals to refute the 50% number. I lost it all in a browser crash, however, and had forgotten about it until I got Amadeo’s response.

You don’t have to worry about half your friends and family being sociopaths; the number is more like 4% to 9%, depending on whose research you want to quote.

by: Amadeo

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 08:26:25 +0000

I found both e-mails very interesting. I am not a Christian, but I do study it. Especially the Constatine era. I do agree with the ideas of good and evil though. Mainly in the context to all things must have a balance. If there is wet there must be dry, if there is life there must be death, if there is good there must be evil. Without good and evil our world could not be. There must always be a balance. The same goes for people. I believe psychopaths and sociopaths are the balance to the normal everyday person today. Our world needs them or we would have chaos and disorder.

by: withheld

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:24:24 +0000

Recent realization. There are sociopaths. They are born that way or with the predisposition. It is genetic. There is a 50% likelihood that your child will be born that way if one of the parents is one. Sociopathy is more common that originally presumed. A large percentage of the population suffers from sociopathy(lack of conscience) which is an insufficient amount of neurons, much like other mental insufficiencies. Being born without a conscience is a brain disorder. We should be helping these people. There is a huge amount of suffering. Some people are not born that way, but become that way as they hit puberty because their brains are growing. Scientists need to figure this out. I believe there is a higher power because there is nothing but space, that I know of, beyond our atmosphere. I believe in an evil force, and not just from humanity, but also from the earth’s natural disasters and accidents which kill or hurt life forms, ie. the existance of the Devil or similar. We must have been created. If I knew there were other planets and atmospheres it would not help me because what is beyond that, and then what would be beyond that? Space should end somewhere, but it doesn’t. We are on a ball flying in space,and telling me about gravity doesn’t help explain it to me. It is what it is, and it is all too weird and scary. Balls should drop. So something had to have made us. Human beings are not like steel. We are easily broken.We break down and age so this shows me that we have just so much time to figure this out. If this was spontaneous combustion then explain how we are fed and how the oxygen on this planet sustains us. Well that could be explained by big bang theory i guess, but the planet in the middle of space and endless space is what gets me. what is beyond that.dont tell me that it goes beyond that. so what. the bible says you will live forever in heaven too. i dont think anyone has the answers. i know we are inherently evil humans, i know there is an evil force, but i dont feel any angelic forces except in myself when i want to help others etc., good qualities came from somewhere, and we are on a ball in the middle of the sky and the ball doesnt drop. so something else like a higher power is up or out there

by: ellie owens

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 22:16:50 +0000

Well that does answer my question. Since in Free Choice we can choose Good or Evil. in choosing one, we rebell against the other.

So- rebellion and defience itself is not evil, but tools to be used wisely. so is compliance and obediance.

Soo many websites seem to insist that God gave us free will only to be used to choose to serve god, and if we do not chose to serve god then we are rebelling and that is sin and evil. and that God only gives us free will to be taken back.

and that it is wrong and evil for us to want to have our own will and way, so long as it does not take away from some one else’s will and way. and wanting our way is rebelling against God?

but yet it is ok for God to dominate and to take away our will and to control and etc.
That doesn’t seem right or fair. Considering all the long history of people forcing or demanding others to obey them.

I think you know what I mean. I am confused.

I really want the truth. I hope I can handle it