How do various religions/philosophies deal with these questions?

Religions and Philosophies have their very own way of dealing with these various questions. Some philosophers say that we were all born “good,” but somehow along the way while we grew up, we were influenced by things we saw, things we heard and what we experienced as we grew up. On the other hand some philosophers have said the exact opposite. Some say that we were born evil, but somehow along the way while we grew up, we were influenced by things w sat, things we heard, etc which then turned us “good.” Of course with some of us, we were never influenced by these things which are why we either stayed “good” or stayed “evil” depending on which side you are on.

A man named B.F. Skinner said we humans don’t have free will, but in fact we are determined beings. In other words we don’t choose the actions we perform but in fact they are chosen for us due to behaviorism. What B.F. Skinner is basically saying is that we humans do not choose to be “good” and/or “evil.” Our actions are determined by positive and negative reinforcement. For example if you’ve been having a horrible day and absolutely nothing goes your way, like your coffee spills all over you, you lost your wallet, your mom and dad dies in a car accident, your house it caught on fire. The next person that even accidentally bumps into you may just loose their life, but it’s not your fault at all, negative reinforcement compels you too act this way towards this innocent man. The same goes for when you are growing up, if you grow up in an unstable environment with shootings, and crime occurring everyday then there is a chance you may grow to be an evil person, but it isn’t at all your fault it is just where you grew up.

Religion has a great deal to say about good and evil. Religious leaders and sacred texts all encourage believers to live “good” lives. The problem of evil and suffering is one of the commonest reasons people give for not believing in God. There are two types of evil: natural evil and moral (or human) evil. Natural evil is suffering caused by events that have nothing to do with humans like natural disasters. Moral evil is suffering caused by humans acting in a way that is considered morally wrong like bullying, murder, rape, etc. In Christianity some people no longer see evil as a ‘person’ or ‘being’ but they simply see evil as the absence of “good.” Therefore if enough people do good then evil would be removed. Some people also think that evil is a psychological or emotional problem, that no one is inherently evil, but circumstances or as B.F. Skinner would say “negative reinforcement” can lead them to become so. Some people also believe that as a result of Adam and Eve’s first sins, each human is born with a tendency towards evil which is called ‘Original Sin’

As you can see Religion and Philosophies are somewhat related when it comes to dealing with and explaining “good” and “evil”