Depravity - Protestant/lds/other?

[Neighbor]

I was raised to believe the Bible and have found much interest in seeing the variations of faith among so many Churches. This said, I don't see in the Bible that it teaches the depravity of man as taught by some Churches. As an example this is from a web site that gives basic points of doctrine for what may be viewed as near the middle of the Protestant theology.

All persons are born, because of the fall of the race in Adam, with an inherent tendency toward evil. This depravity has negatively affected and is operative in every faculty of one's being. Each person, because of the inherited depravity, when confronted by the world, the flesh and the devil, will follow the sinful nature, deliberately choosing to ratify sin, and thus assumes the guilt and condemnation belonging to a sinner.

I just don't see it. ALL PERSONS? Why didn't Cain and Abel kill each other?:-) I don't find myself free from temptation, but not everything that is a sin beckons me because of my total depravity:-) I think it is flawed reasoning... Just because a Psalm says 'in sin did my mother conceive me' is not to cast everyone as totally depraved in deliberately choosing to ratify sin of every kind or perhaps any kind. Those of us who have been around a while with children of our own and seeing others children must acknowledge that each child is different. Hey, no two trees are alike either. Some may be prone to every evil, but many are prone to good.

That's been my observation anyway. What do you think about the protestant view of depravity? (this is not to say that all do not sin)

[DH]

Maybe the Bible doesn't teach about human depravity because it doesn't neet to. It is obvious that humans are depraved, the evidence is all around us. I don't know that depravity means that every person is disposed to commit every type of sin. It is certain, however, that every person is disposed to commit (and does commit), some type of sin (with the exception of Jesus).

It's all a matter of degree. Some people sin worse than others, but we all sin and therefore fall short of the glory of God. None of us is entitled to salvation--it's a "rescue operation" carried out by Jesus.