Freethought & Rationalism Archive

HelenM · 03-02-2002, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by scombrid:
<strong>While religion likely didn't cause the mental illness, it did prevent her seeking treatment. Had she lacked religion, or just been of a more moderate sect, she would have been more likely to seek the help of modern medicine instead of seeking divine help. If God did have his hand in this, he lost his grip.</strong>

It's evident to me that there's lots of prejudice against and misunderstanding of mental illness outside of extremely religious circles. As long as these persist they are going to hinder treatment and make repeat occurrences of what Andrea did, a possibility. And there are plenty of clueless and prejudiced husbands who are not extremely religious.

The number of children and the homeschooling are the most distinctively Christian things about the situation, imo.

Although I seem to be hearing of more and more people who homeschool who are not religious.

Oresta I like how you distinguished knowing right from wrong, from being able to resist horrific impulses. Being unable to resist is insufficient to count as 'insane', I assume...

love
Helen

DRFseven · 03-02-2002, 11:47 AM

Of course I haven't seen Andrea Yates, but her circumstances fit a profile. Most likely she's totally sincere and very ill; what's crazy to me is that someone would think she was sane. She killed all her children and never tried to hide it. All her children. For what? What would be her motive? Because she wanted to be put to death or imprisoned for life? Bull.

The difference between her and Susan Smith is that Susan Smith intentionally hurt her children. Andrea Yates (if her doctors are to be believed and I think they are) never intended to hurt her children; she intended to help them. That poor, miserable, delusional woman needs to be where she can't hurt anyone again, but she's no more culpable than any of us are for what we do in our dreams.

As for religion being the cause, it's more likely the other way around. People with delusions (and psychotics are certainly delusional) are drawn toward religion, which is why there is a positive correlation between the two.

Oresta · 03-02-2002, 12:03 PM

That poor, miserable, delusional woman needs to be where she can't hurt anyone again, but she's no more culpable than any of us are for what we do in our dreams.

It couldn't be said any better than this, DRFseven.

uhcord · 03-02-2002, 03:16 PM

Last year, when I had became very depressed and suicidal, I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.(I'm 16)

While there, I had a roommate who was there because he heard voices. Well more specifically, he heard a voice. He told me that the voice was not just like a normal person talking, but a voice that screamed very very loudly.

Most of the time it would just talk to him like a friend would (still in a screaming tone), but would also very often tell him to kill himself. He had had it for many years, and never told anyone. Imagine having a voice in your head, that you could not control, screaming over and over 'Kill yourself' or some other type of violent statement .......

Anyways, they said Andrea Yates heard voices, so it most likely to the same calibur above, but yelled and told her different things.

Since she was very religous, she never got help she needed but took the churches word in that it was demons doing it to her. Since she did not get help, it got to the point where she killed her children.

*shrug* Well, that is just my opinion anyways, I could be completly wrong....

DRFseven · 03-02-2002, 06:43 PM

Quote:

vonmeth: Anyways, they said Andrea Yates heard voices, so it most likely to the same calibur above, but yelled and told her different things.

Since she was very religous, she never got help she needed but took the churches word in that it was demons doing it to her. Since she did not get help, it got to the point where she killed her children.

Yes, a very sad case where mental illness, neglect, and religious nonsense combined to a tragic end.

hezekiah jones · 03-03-2002, 03:51 PM

<a href="http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/1275018" target="_blank">According to Russell Yates</a>, he and the little missus styled their lives in accordance with the dictums set forth at "The Perilous Times," as wacky a christ-bot website as one can find:

Quote:

The Perilous Times is opposed to the homosexual agenda, the pagan agenda, the satanist agenda, the feminist agenda, the NWO agenda and the mother earth agenda!!

The Perilous Times believes these agendas are part of the end of the age workings of Lucifer/Satan/The Devil who, knowing his time is VERY, VERY short is attempting to deceive as many as he can while there is still time.

The Perilous Times hopes and and prays that you or your loved ones are not cruelly decieved by the great deciever-Satan himself. To that end, we oppose these beliefs and agendas. We don't hate those deceived by them. Instead we hope to free them from deception that is common among those involved in homosexuality, paganism, witchcraft, wicca, feminism, satanic worship or beliefs, rituals, spell-casting, new world order beliefs and belief in the mother earth lie.

**The Perilous Times is COMMITTED to presenting evidence contrary to these lies of Satan.

<a href="http://www.sounddoctrine.com/ptimes/" target="_blank">ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!</a>

[ March 03, 2002: Message edited by: hezekiahjones ]</p>

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03-02-2002, 11:47 AM	#22
DRFseven Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,322	Of course I haven't seen Andrea Yates, but her circumstances fit a profile. Most likely she's totally sincere and very ill; what's crazy to me is that someone would think she was sane. She killed all her children and never tried to hide it. All her children. For what? What would be her motive? Because she wanted to be put to death or imprisoned for life? Bull. The difference between her and Susan Smith is that Susan Smith intentionally hurt her children. Andrea Yates (if her doctors are to be believed and I think they are) never intended to hurt her children; she intended to help them. That poor, miserable, delusional woman needs to be where she can't hurt anyone again, but she's no more culpable than any of us are for what we do in our dreams. As for religion being the cause, it's more likely the other way around. People with delusions (and psychotics are certainly delusional) are drawn toward religion, which is why there is a positive correlation between the two.

03-02-2002, 12:03 PM	#23
Oresta Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Detroit, MI Posts: 1,107	That poor, miserable, delusional woman needs to be where she can't hurt anyone again, but she's no more culpable than any of us are for what we do in our dreams. It couldn't be said any better than this, DRFseven.

03-02-2002, 03:16 PM	#24
uhcord Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Somewhere Posts: 1,158	Last year, when I had became very depressed and suicidal, I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.(I'm 16) While there, I had a roommate who was there because he heard voices. Well more specifically, he heard a voice. He told me that the voice was not just like a normal person talking, but a voice that screamed very very loudly. Most of the time it would just talk to him like a friend would (still in a screaming tone), but would also very often tell him to kill himself. He had had it for many years, and never told anyone. Imagine having a voice in your head, that you could not control, screaming over and over 'Kill yourself' or some other type of violent statement ....... Anyways, they said Andrea Yates heard voices, so it most likely to the same calibur above, but yelled and told her different things. Since she was very religous, she never got help she needed but took the churches word in that it was demons doing it to her. Since she did not get help, it got to the point where she killed her children. shrug Well, that is just my opinion anyways, I could be completly wrong....

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