1526 Depravity of Man

Presbyterians, an offshoot of Catholicism, believe in the total depravity of mankind, meaning people are tainted by sin in every aspect of their lives, hearts & souls. This causes them to be slaves to sin, unable to love God, unable to do good, and unable to have faith in Christ. That’s a pretty dismal condemnation of humanity at large, and doesn’t offer much hope. It’s obviously written by someone perceptive enough to recognize that the base motives of people, such as lust, greed, avarice, envy & hate, are more powerful than the counter virtues of chastity, benevolence, generosity & love. Unfortunately, that view of life is not wise enough to think people can rise above those primitive desires without mysticism. Maybe for the dumb, ignorant & uninformed, it’s true; God needs to be included in the indoctrination. Leaving the mass of people to wallow in their depravity is far worse than a formalized religion that scorns, shuns & shames them into compliance with civilized modes of interaction within society. However, some small portion of people, perhaps 10%, have the capacity to see the long-term advantage of not yielding to the temptation of instant gratification from dopamine stimulation. This is commonly known as self-awareness. If self-aware people could be situated into positions of power, where they control the school curriculum, the role models presented by entertainment, and the reinforcement of aspiring values via government, then mysticism wouldn’t have to shoulder the burden, and man wouldn’t be so depraved after all.