The FBI gave the standard profile of a serial killer, He is a person with few friends. He became much more religious just before he started murdering people. After reading all the available studies I could find and studying all the articles in the newspapers for over 30 years, I find what is most outstanding is Serial killers were sexually inhibited by their strong religious upbringing.
Nearly all serial killers are very devout men who were raised by members of Pentecostal sects, fundamentalist Catholics or were 'hard-shell' Baptists and Methodists."
Studies after study show serial killers are a product of this environment, not genetics.
2006-12-04 18:18:22 · 19 answers · asked by Harsh truth 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
only if you take too seriously
chin
2006-12-04 18:20:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
"Preaching the reality of hell, without using the Law to bring the knowledge of sin, can do a great deal of damage to the cause of the gospel. A sinner cannot conceive of the thought that God would send anyone to hell, as long as he is deceived into thinking that God’s standard of righteousness is the same as his."
The Evidence Bible
It is too bad that you did not give a link to any of your sources. While I will concede that bad preaching is probably to blame in the case of false converts; I find it unreasonable for you to claim that serial killers are the result of a Christian upbringing.
To answer your question: Everyone should read the Bible, daily.
"For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men"
1 Peter 2:14
2006-12-05 02:56:14 · answer #2 · answered by Sister Christian 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You know, there's no reason to keep posting the same question with different wording.
There are many levels of mental illness. At what point would you suggest is too mentally ill for someone to read the Bible safely? I have a mental illness (severe clinical depression), and I don't think having the Bible at hand is "dangerous".
The number of serial killers among the Christian faith (or Bible readers, I guess, would be a more appropriate term) is microscopic in comparison to the Christian faith, or Bible-readers, as a whole.
The Bible, Christianity, and fundamentalism is no more a direct link to serial murderers than having few friends or being male or any other aspect of an FBI profile.
The great (and I do mean GREAT) majority of people who are products of anti-sex religion (religions who teach that sex is in itself a sin) grow up to have unhealthy sex lives or underdeveloped sexuality in general. They don't grow up to be murderers.
You seem anxious to build up a case that Christianity or the Bible causes murderous tendencies, but you must keep in mind that the ratio of Christianity/the Bible to serial killers is probably more than a million to one.
Far more mental and physical illnesses are improved as a result of the Bible/Christianity. The 12 step programs to help alcoholics and other people with addictions (with addiction often being a symptom of an underlying mild to moderate "mental illness" such as depression) is based on the belief that there is a higher power, and while they don't require that you believe that power is the God of the Bible, thousands have found that God and the Bible have helped pull them out of addiction.
Someone who is a sociopath, or who has homocidal tendancies, usually exhibit signs of that before the religious rush preceeding murderous rampages. As children, they had no remorse for wrongs they did, and they often tortured/killed animals and bullied other children. There are specific signs in the childhoods of serial killers that hint at what they will grow up to be, and those signs showed up long before the religious convictions before murders ever happened. With the animal killing, look back through some notorious serial killers' pasts - Ted Bundy and Jeffery Dahmer, to name a few, had habits of torturing/mutilating/killing pets and other animals.
To claim the Bible (and/or Christianity) is dangerous makes about as much sense as to claim black men are gang members/drug dealers/pimps (the majority of gang members, drug dealers or pimps are black men, but it can hardly be said that being a black male indicates you're probably one of the three) or that being Muslim or Islamic means you're a suicide bomber (most suicide bombers are Muslim or Islamic, but most Muslims or Islamic people are not suicide bombers).
It's just not a reasonable argument.
2006-12-05 02:51:39 · answer #3 · answered by CrazyChick 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, the statistics dont prove anything, (as much as I would like them to). That would be a 'post hoc, ergo propter hoc' fallacy.
I believe what has happened is that the more a deranged mind thinks about god in general , the easier it becomes possible for that person to rationalize just about any kind of behavior through the logic: "god wants me to do it", or "I wouldnt be feeling or thinking this way if god didnt want me to". Notice how close this is to how most religious people rationalize god's existence ("god exists because I feel that he does" or "I believe that he does because he allowed me to feel that way".)
2006-12-05 02:25:30 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, in many cases abusive, oppressive religion is shown to be a factor in the mental health of a criminal. Both of my In-laws work in a psychiatric hospital and have said that the majority of their patients come from overly religious homes.
Religion is often used as an excuse by abusers. I have no way of knowing for certain, but I'd be willing to bet that religion is the most common excuse used by abusers to justify their actions.
2006-12-05 02:41:13 · answer #5 · answered by Lone 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There are 2 types of Christians - those who have been brought up Christian or those who merely go to church on a Sunday but have not had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ and do not KNOW God. These give Christianity a bad name because they call themselves Christians but do not serve the Lord. Then there are those of us who are born again Christians and who the Lord slowly changes and delivers and begins to turn us into what He wants us to be - an image of Himself.
There are many, many people who have been brought up very very badly in God's name and they do not know God. If they did, they would not do the terrible things they do.
Please, please understand the difference. Born again Christians are NOT religious. Christians who do not know the Lord ARE religious. God detests religion because He wants us to have a personal relationship with Him.
2006-12-05 02:27:18 · answer #6 · answered by ccc4jesus 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
religion can be a good thing, but it can also potentially be the most dangerous thing in the world, just take a look at 9-11, i doubt they would have done it if they didnt think they were gonna go to heaven and get 72 virgins
2006-12-05 02:23:59 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Definition of insanity:
Doing the same thing, over and over again, expecting different results.
Who, exactly, is mentally ill?
2006-12-05 02:35:03 · answer #8 · answered by azar_and_bath 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's perfectly fine for a person that is mentally ill to read a bible as long as someone sits with them and explains to them the differences between the bible and real life.
It's almost like video games. If a parent doesn't sit down with their child and explain the differences between reality and fantasy, they will not be able to tell them apart.
Wow. I just had a thought. It's okay to blame video games for causing children to kill peers, but it's not okay to blame the bible for causing people to murder.
2006-12-05 02:23:33 · answer #9 · answered by *Chinisu* 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
sadly, you are correct. most serial killers had been so deeply rooted by religion. not just Christianity but by other religions as well.
but i believe religion isn't to be blamed but those who implement those religion. remember the psychological adage that "a neurotic child is a product of neurotic parents."
2006-12-05 02:22:17 · answer #10 · answered by psychmetanoia 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Suppose it is dangerous, how would you stop them. And how ill would they need to be. Who is going to decide whether they are ill enough to be refused access to the Bible.
2006-12-05 02:23:58 · answer #11 · answered by taurus 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋