[Kaslin]

The Algemeiner is a German word and means in general. Just saying.

[Getready]

Sounds like the rabbi doesn’t want to repent in dust and ashes.

[nagant]

If people are inherently good then why are all of the rules needed?

[Poison Pill]

Sometimes I think that Prager, though Jewish, fundamentally misunderstands Judaism. Jews don't believe in an “original sin”, but I get the feeling that Prager does. God gives the law and then tells the Jewish people in no uncertain terms that they have it within themselves to follow the law. If they are good enough to follow the law (which is presumably good), them one can make the connection that they are fundamentally good. That certainly does not mean that a person can not choose to do evil. But I also does not mean that they fundamentally are evil.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Ok, before really reading this.

I understand Prager’s point, that all sin and, thus, are not “good”.

Putting aside that fact, I appreciate the rabbi’s thinking. I think the point there is that most people are good in the sense of not all-out evil. Most people are pretty regular. They can be made evil, they can give into evil and become so, but largely people are just going about their business.

[Yaelle]

I know what Dennis is saying. I go to his High Holiday services. It’s true that according to Judaism we all have within us the urge to do what’s wrong as well as the urge to do what’s right.

But if Gd is basically good and more than good, pretty much perfect, then deep deep down the urge to do what is right (goodness) is our base, the strongest, how Gd wants us to be, and how we want others to be. We naturally seek out good. Dennis needs to realize it. He’s right, that superficially humans aren’t naturally good or bad. But spiritually we are more good than bad, by Gd’s design.

[x]

Some of the Bible verses relate to the world before the flood and God’s reaction to the humans of those times. As I understand it, Judaism does not believe in original sin, bur rather believes that humans have an inclination to good and an inclination to evil, so human nature isn’t inherently all good or all evil, but both good and evil.