Did you hear the one. . .: 6-27-11

Calvinists -- back when most of the population knew what that meant -- used to get accused of being terribly worried that someone, somewhere was having fun.

One of the foundational doctrines to grow out of Calvinism and the Reformed Tradition of Christianity that John Calvin birthed with his theological writings is called the Total Depravity of Humankind. It's really not as bad as it sounds, but it does suggest that all of us are capable of evil and that none of us can save ourselves.

What the doctrine has meant to me, as a Presbyterian, is that I must always be aware of my capacity for evil and that I should never be surprised when I find that behavior in others.

Still, there are times when my surprise-resistant approach gets tested. Like this story of a 21-year-old Amish man arrested after sending hundreds of sexually explicit text messages to a 12-year-old girl, whom he then tried to meet so he could have sex with her in his buggy. An Amish sexting scandal. Imagine that.

Well, it's really no more shocking that priests abusing children or pastors having affairs or police officers stealing cars.

And that's sad. But it's the reality of the human condition. Maybe the surprise is that more people don't fall into such scandals.

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WHERE TO TOSS YOUR BARBS

Want some good advice about religion? Blame the fools who misuse it, not the religion itself. That's exactly the message in this piece about Mormonism and some of the things happening recently in Utah. It's good advice.