Mental Illness Vs Sin

              With the rapid decrease of Biblical and judicial authority in our country, the battle for mental sanity rages. What used to be deemed sinful and criminal behavior, is increasingly relegated to “sickness,” insanity, and/or genetic predisposal. Not that these factors are irrelevant, but the question of cause and effect must be considered. Why do people do what they do? What motivates them? Why does a person take something that he knows doesn’t belong to him? Is he a thief because he steals, or does he steal because he’s a thief? In the same vein, is one a murderer because he murders, or does he murder because he’s a murderer in his heart?

            The recent Sandy Hook school massacre in CT has posed all kinds of theories regarding what possessed the young shooter to perpetrate such a heinous crime. What factors led up to killing of 20 elementary students and 3 adults in cold blood? A more recent investigation has revealed Adam Lanza's systematic plan for the crime, which authorities say has the quality and detail of a “doctoral thesis.” His obsession with murder was obvious when finding his “7x4 spreadsheet” containing an elaborate strategy for his massacre, including names, body counts and specific weapons to be used.

            He then attempted to carry out the plot, which evidently was his all-consuming focus. This was not the mindless whim of someone “freaking out” mentally; rather it was a cold, calculated scheme. Whatever the influence of violent video games had upon his thinking, he still was responsible for his choices. Something in those games connected with Adam’s spirit.  How else can such behavior be explained? These dastardly deeds did not just happen in a vacuum.

            This bizarre event is not isolated, but similar cases are becoming more prevalent. What about the 6-yr. veteran policeman in the NYPD who was apprehended in a plot to kidnap numerous women, with the intent to “rape, torture, kill, cook, and cannibalize (eat)” them!? He actually used a crime victim database to choose his victims. How do we explain such weird behavior?

            Recently, in Chardon, OH, an 18 yr. old killed 3 fellow high school students in cold blood. During the court proceedings, T.J. Lane proudly exposed his T-shirt with “Killer” on the front. It’s reported that he wore a smirk on his face, while expressing unprintable obscenities toward the victims’ families; he shocked those around him with his epitaphs and gestures, including flipping the “middle finger.” We might relegate this behavior to something “mental, or even demonic; but whatever the case, this young man must be held responsible.     

            In the time prior to the historic flood in Noah’s day, the following assessment of man’s condition was given: “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth; and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5) It was Jesus Himself who said that it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but rather it’s what comes out of his heart. He said, “From within, out of the heart …proceed evil thoughts, adulteries…murders, thefts…(and) an evil eye.” (Mk. 7:21,22) Food and other substances don’t go to the heart, but are digested and expelled from the body. Man has an incurable, spiritual heart problem!

            Psychologists, psychiatrists, and liberal religionists may take issue with this evaluation, but that does not alter the facts; people act according to the dictates of their nature. The Bible says that “the heart is deceitful, and desperately wicked, who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9) Those who claim to “know their hearts,” really don’t! The reason stealing, murder, adultery, etc. become temptations is because the depraved heart gravitates to these sins. Without a sinful heart, the deeds of sin would be non-existent. The fact of universal sin is proof of man’s utter need for Christ’s sacrificial death as the only means to bring forgiveness and cleansing. Certainly mental and physical illness can result from sin, but mental illness is not the cause of sin and crime. Sin can cause sickness, but sickness does not cause sin.

            I know this issue really presents a dilemma for the judicial system; if criminals are just “sick,” then how can we prosecute them? If a person contracts diabetes, we “treat” him medically, with no thought of “blame” or punishment. But a sinful act is different, demanding responsibility and justice. This is why the Ten Commandments became the stalwart cornerstone of our nation. The ongoing attempt to remove this bedrock document from the public square has great bearing on the whirlwind of immorality and crime that plagues our land. With no strict standard of justice, our so-called “justice system” flounders; thus, the explanation of why people are “lawbreakers” becomes nebulous, allowing people to do whatever’s right in their own eyes.

            Such a philosophy can only lead to anarchy and/or a dictatorship with martial law. When personal morality and responsibility are “played down,” then immorality and lawlessness become the norm. History is replete with nations that have taken this path to their demise and final destruction. Is this what we can anticipate for our beloved country of America? God help us.

Your response is welcome. Write Bilfinn1@yahoo.com