First, the BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill) serial murder Dennis Rader in Kansas.
Then, serial sexual predator and likely child murderer Joseph Edward Duncan in Idaho.
Both are claiming “demons made me do it.”
In a word, “bullshit.”
Just as some evangelical Christians blame people like Alcoholics Anonymous and its labeling alcoholism as a disease as opening the floodgates to people dodging responsibility, so evangelical Christianity, to the degree it overtly or covertly promotes belief in literal demons as the counterpart to literal angels, should be held responsible for this promotion of irresponsibility.
I suspect that many serial criminals, with some degree of psychological problem, find it easy to “split” themselves and appear to take responsibility while actually denying it, by invoking the “demon” defense.
No, no, no. You did it, Rader and Duncan. You did it.
Update:
For more on Duncan’s claims, and other insight into his own views of himself, see his blog, apparently read by police for a week or so before he was found, in an attempt to track him down.
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