For one thing, our religion is not the Force here.
I use the phrase "Dark Side" to refer to a variety of malevolent forces including the demonic.
Secondly, scripture is clear on the subject of total depravity; that ever since Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin is inherent in every person who belongs to the human race (Jesus being the exception, since the sin DNA is passed down through the father and the Father of Jesus was God the Father).
One sin and you say Adam and Eve were totally depraved? And if they started off totally depraved, how did mankind become more wicked over time? Why did Noah find grace in the eyes of God? Was he also totally depraved in your book?
Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
Was Enoch also totally depraved?
Genesis 6:23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Was Abel totally depraved?
The Bible teaches that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
So? Does that mean we are all totally depraved? If so, why should you care about Halloween celebrations? Why not say, "Oh well, I think they're depraved, but isn't everyone depraved anyway?"
I knew that you would say what you did about the second verse I quoted; but in saying what you said you were ignoring the first verse.
Again, Jeremiah 17:9 says,
Jer 17:9, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Do you know what that means? It means people can convince themselves of almost anything. They can get themselves so confused, they can't sort the thoughts of their own hearts out.
What about the previous passage? Look at it the context. Does that also imply that everyone is desperately wicked?
Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
Is God threatening to punish everyone the same way because everyone is totally depraved?
And I am not saying by this that mankind is worthless to God. God demonstrated His love towards us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. What this means is that our soul has value to God even though it is completely inundated by sin. God likes to take the junkers and make something out of them: He is in the business of renovating junkers.
No, you still don't have it right. God loves it when we see our mistakes and repent. He always likes to forgive us when we want to change for the better and not repeat our past mistakes. God gave us the ability to make mistakes, and He also provided a way for them to be corrected.
As a final point I would bring up the fact that Jesus said, I come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
If you are not a sinner therefore, then you don't need Jesus. You're righteous. Jesus didn't come to call you.
So there are some righteous folks who aren't totally depraved? People like Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham?