how can people who lie, cheat or steel live with them selves after they do it?

They live with themselves the same way you and I live with ourselves when we do it. Justification, rationalization, compartmentalization.

I love how everyone in this thread is saying "they." What about "I" or "we?" I strongly doubt there's a single person in this thread who has NEVER lied about ANYTHING, cheated on ANYTHING, or stolen ANYTHING.

If such a person is posting in this thread, please identify yourself. Your holiness rivals that of the great saints and I would like to become your disciple. I don't know, reading this thread, it looks like I'm the only sinner here.

It's scary but I think some people don't have a conscience. They have no sense of morality & really don't care what they do. Their only reason for not doing wrong is fear of getting caught & even this doesn't stop some of them.

I have a very guilty conscience (I beat myself up even when I haven't done anything wrong! Must be my strict Catholic upbringing! ha ha) Some people don't feel bad no matter what they do. My conscience doesn't let me away with anything! I think some people would lie, cheat & steal if they knew they'd get away with it. I can't "get away" with anything because I answer to myself, not the law, not anyone else. Nothing is worth losing respect for myself.

Anyway, the remorseless, liars, cheaters, thieves (& worse yet, people who are violent toward others) of this world may seem to get away with it, but their punishment comes eventually.

I think people can live with them selves after doing such things because of a human's unparalled power to heal and adapt to new circumstances.The first time you steal you feel guilty, the second time not so much the third you have gotten used to it, the fourth its now a given in life. This is the same with the other things as well. Even with murder our minds can usually get over it in time. As my retired soldier of a grandfather used to say "you get used to killing. You arent supposed to but you do its human instinct."

It's what they call, in the legal profession, "compartmentalization of ethics", which is why lawyers make such successful politicians, i.e. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." "It depends on what your definition of 'is' is." Everyone is a sinner and going to hell, except ME. Narcississum. Or as Mark Twain put it: "Nothing so needs reform as other people's habits." And then there are the "holy rollers" who set up front in church in their best clothes, say they're sorry an hour every sunday, and then go right back to work racking up things to be sorry for having done, so they can buy more fancy clothes and drop more big dollars in the collection plate. It's a matter of conscience, and how well some people can justify or "bargain with themselves" over doing what they do know is wrong. And usually they go postal when you catch them in the act. They say when Saddam Hussein got caught stealing goats as a kid he came back that night and poisoned all of them. (And people said he had no future!).

I work in retail and I wonder that daily. I get the impression that these people feel that they are "owed" or that my employeer can "spare" whatever it is that they steal. They are the reason you pay more for products every day. All I know is that what comes around goes around...I've seen it happen too many times not to believe. So those that lie, cheat and steal...go ahead you'll get caught and you will pay. One day, some way.

maybe this is their purpose in life...who knows..and no one says they live with themselves....anyway..for example the ones who lie..and lie..and lie...one day they will not differentiate the lie from the truth..so..they get sick...

it's not for all the cases,but the majority of the people who steel or who cheat,they do it for a reason...and when they start to do this things,it's because their life was miserable or something happened...who knows...

People who are dead on the inside (dead to righteousness) are quite pleased with their defiled and gross hearts and don't understand why the whole race is not like them. they sleep well and are at peace because they have no knowledge of the price that will be required of them at a later date. Divine love does not open the door to heaven just because an evildoer believes he has died, and this is just the beginning of the "reward" cycle.

They've parted ways with conscience.

They may feel guilt the first time round, but after a few times, it becomes habitual. Like having breakfast. Then it won't affect them anymore. They might even find pleasure in the act.

They blame the almighty force for making them be born poor and that it's the almighty force's fault that they stole in the first place and not theirs, so they feel like they didn't steal anything. As for lying, it's the same concept.

P.S. It's all in the game, my friend.

Additional P.S. I'm a compulsive liar, and I didn't lie about that!

I moved here into the Bible Belt. I discovered that they lie, cheat and steal Monday thru Saturday then go to church on Sunday to be forgiven. Then it starts all over again. That's how they live with themselves here.