(September 25, 2017 at 6:49 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote:(September 25, 2017 at 6:34 pm)SaStrike Wrote: Ok but to be fair, that psycho would have done terrible crimes regardless of religion or not.
Of course she would.
But here's the thing: If I did something like this and claimed Elvis told me to, I'd rightfully be locked up, and Elvis fans wouldn't be wanting to interact with me on any level. Even if before I did something like this, and said that Elvis was talking to me in my head, I'd be treated for some form of mental disorder.
If I wandered around saying that God or Lucifer were talking to me in my head, parts of the religious community would likely either call me "touched by god" or they'd demand an exorcism. And if I killed people because one or the other told me to they'd claim it was the devil all along.
And that's part of the danger of the religious mind-set.
She was treated for a mental disorder according to the article. The devil part wasn't the focus at all. The article focused more on her insanity (and what might have caused it, the divorce or whatever family issues). The devil might have indeed be replaced by Elvis in this case. Same outcome (not only the crime, but the whole pleading insanity to escape life in prison).
I guess if you think about it further you could maybe say the judges or jury or whatever would have been a bit harsher if it wasn't the whole "possessed and did it so they could go to heaven" situation. But that's a big "maybe". I doubt she'll get any special treatment from a different mental case with a different mental story or reason for the crime.
