Attorney: Woman thought God told her to kill sons

[BR_Parkway]

"You will hear that she was a sick person on a quest to be closer to her Lord," Files said. "The only explanation which any of the witnesses can offer for her conduct ... is that Deanna Laney was legally insane."

Files said Laney believed that God had told her the world was going to end and "she had to get her house in order," which included killing her children.

"The dilemma she faced is a terrible one for a mother," Files said. "Does she follow what she believes to be God's will, or does she turn her back on God?"

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/29/children.slain/index.html

Is this the next recommend of the various "protect families" groups? While you can't help but feel sorry for this woman, you can't help but want to throttle those who helped convince her this was God's will somehow.

[HFishbine]

1. I wonder how many atheists

are on the jury.

[mouse7]

2. God: "NO, me damn it, I said swill the guns, you stupid cow!"

"Kill your sons, me Almighty, what kind of animal do you think I am!"

[REP]

3. Religious Mania and "Special Duties" Are Common Delusions

in certain mental illnesses. Andrea Yates probably would have killed her children without the religious taunting of that freakcase "minister," and Deanna Laney is obviously delusional as well. Both women had a long history of documented breaks with reality. These two poor women show how vile our system of mental health treatment is, rather than the evils of any particular religion.

[kcwayne]

4. What delusions do atheists have that lead them to commit murder?

It would be an interesting study to see how many mentally ill people that commit acts like this weave religion or spirtual motivations into the cause of their actions.

I simply cannot remember a case where an atheist murdered their kids and said "Logic made me do it".

[REP]

13. "Special Messages" From the TV, Radio, Dogs...

Andrea Yates got 'special messages' from the TV that were non-religious, as many people with psychosis do. It's stupid to blame the religion when mental illness is obviously the problem. I'm no fan of the Big Three religions, but they are a symptom here, not the disease. If she had been areligious, she would have received her 'special messages' in a nonreligious context, just as Diana Dial did when she received the message that she needed to kill her landlord.

Areligious psychotics may have organizations such as the CIA take the place of god as the originator of their special duties and messages.

[Mari333]

5. on the other hand if a woman has a psychotic break with reality

and is then fed a lot of evangelical dogma, (of any religion of any stripe), she might latch onto that as a precursor to act out her psychosis. The idea of stoning ones children can be lifted straight out of many religious texts, such as the OT, and others in other religions that profess severe punishment .
Its a bad mix imho, and can push people over the edge. If one were to follow the numerous OT laws there would be a lot of crimes committed in the name of a "god" by men or women who felt it was their duty per the OT laws. sadly, they dont read the whole bible, as I have, and if a parishoner has a pastor who uses mostly the OT for references as to an angry god who demands swift punishment according to OT, a few people out there take it seriously and are just nuts enough to do it.
plus, add a little right wing theocracy to that and we are dealing with some real nutbars.
When Bush stole the election, I told my husband..oh geez..this will bring out all the crazies who think they now have every right in the world to create a US theocracy and use the bible OT especially to demand their own agenda be reached.
The other christians I know out there are not that dumb. They at least embrace the concept of the NT and the sermon on the mount etc.
You will know them by their works I guess, not their rhetoric.

[Az]

12. Its not an illness, this is simply the nature of belief

What we believe becomes the filter through which we see the world. There are systems of belief and concepts that have made their way into our social structures that ride upon neurological phenomena. Laying claim to these events as portent of some other source.

There is a constant struggle within our minds taking place. We shuffle our feelings about issues all the time. Things we are conflicted about we examine all the closer. We reach for tools we have learned and developed in order to leverage our feelings about these issues. One of the more powerful tools for the theistic mind is communing with god.

It has been shown in labs that these religious experiences can be recreated in a number of ways. Physical exertion, drugs, meditation, and prayer are such methods of triggering this experience. What they are really experiencing is a shorting out of their own sense of self. The part of the brain which is responsible for coordinating all the flow of information and relating it to self.

With this part of the mind shorted the mind no longer sees the constant flow of ideas as originating from self. It attributes this flow of ideas to whatever learned explanations for communication with disembodies voices that might be expected.

Thus in this person's case her stress with her children manifested in some intense seeking of guidance which was answered by her own mind. She mistook her own voice for that of god. This removed her sense of guilt for feeling the things she did and enabled her to act on the violent cource she took believing she had not only permission but blessing as well.

[snippy]

6. I have to agree with Newt Gingrich's reasoning on things like this.

This is what happens when republicans control both houses of Congress and the White House.

Another example of this type of problem is Bush's claim that God told him to smite Saddam.

[Quahog]

7. What I want to know is...

... how come this shit ALWAYS happens in Texas?

[kcwayne]

10. It doesn't just happen in Texas

Susan Smith murdered her children in South Carolina. This happens with disturbing regularity everwhere.

[acmavm]

11. You are right. Check this out:

Children in Angola tortured as witches

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/printedition/chi-0403280349mar28,1,4948525.story?coll=chi-printnews-hed

<snip>

UIGE, Angola -- Helena Kufumana makes a pathetic witch.

Far from exuding wickedness, the 13-year-old schoolgirl is nervous and shy. Her "101 Dalmatians" cartoon T-shirt is grubby and doesn't fit. She swings her bare feet beneath her chair in the hyper way that all kids do. And she cries a lot. Especially about the torture.

Last month Helena was accused by her parents of sickening two of her nieces with evil spells. In retaliation, the bewildered girl says, one of her small hands was burned on a red-hot stove. Her meager possessions, including her clothes, were torched. She was choked. And finally, to destroy her reputation in the community, she was beaten in front of a large crowd. Her mother and elder sisters administered these punishments.

"They tell me that if I try to come home they will kill me," sobbed Helena her tears spattering the floor of the church shelter where she has run for safety. "They say I'm cursed."
-MORE-

[mmonk]

8. Seems God has been talking to alot of people lately

[spotbird]

9. Maybe they could call Chimp and ask whether God did

talk to the lady. Chimp talks to God all the time and God talks back, maybe God can tell Chimp something other than that Chimp was anointed in their next conversation. It sure would clear this mess up.