Answered Prayers ~ The Worlds Most Prolific Serial Killers are Devout Christians ~ Coincidence, or Men of Perfect Faith?

It is a inaccurate action choice. I would say chose it NOW.

• More research is needed to identify specific pathways of development that produce serial killers.

I think this is what the article is getting at. Does religion (or a religious social background) make it more likely for someone predisposed to be a serial killer, become a serial killer in reality.

I'm not saying I agree with the article. I find it hard to believe that religion would create a serial killer.

Religion is a delusion of the masses. It's a social framework that promotes mental illness. It's not a stretch to see it as one of the contributing factors to mass murder at all.

It's not a stretch to see it as one of the contributing factors to mass murder at all.

that's crossing the line from a mere confusion of causality to an irrational phobia. of course, since religious people are a greater percentage of the population at large, a proportionate number would be serial killers, as is true of any demographic. and like with many habits in their life, their religion will be distorted and exaggerated as a result of their mental illness. alcoholism is another such exaggerated trait, but it would be irrational to fear all alcoholics as latent serial killers. nothing has been presented to demonstrate causality of religion any more than being white or hispanic, so it's completely illogical to use this as a basis to suspect all Christians as potential murderers.

Mateo, I refer you to the Spanish Inquisition or for that matter most of early European history where the Church was THE Political Power most of the time. Mass Murder was the typical course of its power. None of us can deny the truth and the history from that period. The people lived in stark fear of religious power and out of that fear adhered to the rabid dogma and even subjected their children to it as well.

This Evil was dying out over the course of the last Century. Now, once again, political snakes seek to resurrect it to their own purposes. I don't live in fear of it, because I know too many people who have already had enough of the Bible beating and holier than thou attitude of the religious right. Folks would do well to know that the pendulum is first of all, much smaller than in the days of olde, and the swing will of course be shorter and quicker. So everyone on a holy roller high had better enjoy it for now because that day is about to come to an end. The only basic desire stronger than the desire to be better and superior to others though God, is the desire to not be seen as stupid!

How ever the evil of that period came from he will of MEN using religion to their own personal purposes. That is why even scripture teaches a separation between the Church and state.

Since men still follow their own purposes....not much......

The nobles solution to this problem is to give poor people like Pedro what he wants and to love him as ourselves,

My outlook on someone like Pedro is also based on the commandment to love others as ourselves, and if I were to be in such a condition as Pedro my desire for myself is that someone would very quickly hang me from the gallows. My outlook may not be quite as noble as some, but I see limits to which kinds of actions are excuseable and which are not. And such sexual predation goes way beyond what should be considered as excuseable. At a minimum, such people should be kept detained in prison in such a way that they have no access to harm others if they cannot find a way to restrain themselves.

And people like Pedro clearly do not follow the teachings of the religion which they profess to adhere to, for if they did they would understand and heed the following scripture.

1Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

American "pastors", educated in "Bible Colleges" and Sunday School classrooms have more to do with "Christian" perversions than any serial killer could achieve.

The highest incidence of familial incest is within Fundamentalist groups like the Pentecostals. Catholics and Mormons aren't far behind.

But many serial killers were raised (or not raised) in homes where their mothers were prostitutes (due to poverty) or were rather psychopathic themselves. One, in North Carolina, thought of sex as the center of existence itself. He had it with a dead calf, first and had to kill his victims before he could get an erection. (He killed his prostitute mother before he went on his rampage).

There is much more paraphelia (like foot fetishes) among men because, in puberty, they tend to get fixated if they are sexually suppressed by a dominant, shaming mother.

To connect any of this with Christianity, per se, is a stretch too great for credibility. But, to connect male sexual perversion in general, to exposure to perverted "education", I have no problem with.

Remember James Jones. Preacher man. But he wanted that because he wanted power and adulation. He'd kill pets just to have neighborhood funeral services with the other children. That's not "Christianity". It's narcissism. Kinda reminds me of a few GOP, "Christian" politicians.

I think Lord Acton had it right when he talked about "Power corrupts." The Christian Church, that man-made body of religious politics, has through the centuries abused their power by taking advantage of the vulnerable. We saw it in the Inquisition and the witch hunts of the Puritans. Yes, we saw it in Jonestown and Heaven's Gate. Abusers, whether groups or individuals, will justify their misdeeds by whatever means to deflect blame. By their fruits will you know them.

It is quite possible that these killers honestly believe they are acting as good Christians.

It's only possible if these people each had a screw a screw loose.

Hyper-religiosity can be a symptom of psychosis. It is far more likely these people were suffering from that, than they "honestly" believing they were acting like "good Christians".

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it should be pointed out that Jeffrey Dahmer converted to Christianity after his incarceration.

Saying you are Christian and following the teachings of Jesus doesn't mean you are doing it either.

It always baffled me how men can be quoted verbatim in the bible after scores or hundreds of years have passed when we cannot get words from ten minutes ago correct. The bible is fiction, perhaps based on a vague remembrance of an actual event but nothing more. It is all interpretation to prove unprovable points as you have illustrated.

It means the same.

no, it doesn't. "without sin" is an absolute standard that can be measured and is universally applicable. "perfect faith" is subject, relative, and indeterminate. there's also no textual basis for this rendition, either in the greek or in any translation. your insisting on this wording (solely because your overall point utterly depends on it) doesn't make it so.

Or is it only when convenient, as I assert, for the religious to take the text literally?

clearly you don't understand the definition of literalism, because this isn't a literalist interpretation in any sense of the word.

Once again we see more outrage with the criticisms of religion then the murders of 350 girls.

spare us the faux moral superiority, you're only bringing up this topic as a means to associate religious people with serial killers, which is just plain illogical.

You may read, comment or ignore author, but no one owes you anything else.

That statement is not entirely correct. Mateo, I owe you thanks for your logical points well argued. Reading them was a pleasure.

Why the bitter angry tone.

"bitter"? "angry"? when did you become the authority on detecting tone from message board content? I know for a fact you're not so much of a newbie to be that sensitive, but you need more exposure to the internet if you think i'm angry and bitter.

This is an opinion article

well, nowhere does it say that, and even if it were just an opinion piece, that doesn't excuse you from posting factually incorrect information, like citing a non-existent FBI serial killer profile and misquoting scriptures to support your point. questioning your claims or pointing out facts is not "silencing criticism" as you seem to think. it's the proper way to respond to criticism, actually.

Mateo- I think what KD is trying to say is that Pedro believed himself to be without sin- therefore he chose to throw the first stone (another common trait among serial killers is that they believe themselves to be infallable and/or messianic). The only way to be "without sin", biblically, is, by definition, to be "of perfect faith" espcially considering that the lack of worshipping the god of the Judeo Christian faith is, in and of itself, a sin.

I remember reading a book (actually several) on this subject when Bundy was caught. I am recalling from memory only, but some of the traits listen in one included:

1. Family sexual or physical abuse;

2. Head trauma of some type

3. Fundamentalist religion in the house (here I mean the really strange stuff)

4. Hair on the last digit of the fingers (this is why I remember this);

5 Many had an early history of animal abuse.

But Truman Capote found only one common trait for the men he interviewed on death row. They all had tattoos.

It is not the teachings of any religion (The Devil can quote Scripture to his own ends). It is a personality trait that sees things in black and white with no shades a gray, a brittle world view. This also is a characteristic of schizophrenics. True, religion can be a tool in developing this world view, but it can also lead to a very open world view.

K.D.

My logic, would be that Bin Laden, Al Qaeda and the Taliban use Islam, the same way that Pat Robertson, Jerry Farwell, and others use Christianity to spew hatred for all Muslims. Christianity has the same violent history as Islam, and because, IMO, those in control use it to further their own cause. How many Muslims live in this country? How many are devout followers of Islam? Why haven't they all risen up to promote the jihad? Same thing holds true, IMO, with Christianity. Not all are mass murders. There are that few that are, but I can't paint all with the same brush.

I don't know what the catalyst is. There could, and probably are, a lot of this to cause someone to commit murder. I'm not qualified to know what that is.

How is it possible to believe Muslims, who freely admit to religious jihad, and at the same time believe the impossibility of Christianity being a catalyst for murder?

Part of that stems from the Islamic texts that either directly admonish or indirectly imply that it's adherents are to employ the violent form of Jihad against non-believers; while Christians and others often confuse the Judaic Old Testament with the Christian New Testament. Christians are to move on from the harshness of the OT to the forgiveness of the NT but some like to think we have a requirement to also follow all the commandments of the old.

The single OT scripture you quoted in the article is one that was to be followed by the Judaic system of law but not by individual Christians or Jews. Christianity teaches love, forgiveness and well doing, and it is extremely unfortunate that many have a twisted view that result in occurrences such as individuals such as Pedro, cults such as those of Jim Jones or David Koresh, so-called churches such as Westboro Baptist Church, or pastors who publicly burn Korans and inflame Muslims to the point of causing great harm to innocents on the other side of the world.

It is not the teachings of Christ that causes these things, it is people's misunderstanding of what is being taught that causes them. And while it is convenient to lay blame for all of these things at the feet of the individuals or religions in question, the fact remains that the power that is the root cause of these kinds of things is very much alive and active in the affairs of mankind. We like to quaintly paint little red-horns and forked-tails in images we imagine of him, but his real nature is much more subtle and harmful than that.

Acts 15:23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: 24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: 25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

Then if any of the bible is true, and evidence suggests not

Evidence suggests that not any of the Bible is true? None of it? Not even a little?

Whatever you say, King Dave. You are the king after all, so you must know what you're talking about.

Don't read anymore into it than a slight chuckle, Dave. You are free to believe as you wish and I respect that right. I am not angry about anything even in the slightest.