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Should Religious Fundamentalists Be Held Culpable for Their Crimes? an Analysis of the Psychological and Societal Effects of Hyper-Religiosity

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SHOULD RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISTS BE HELD CULPABLE FOR THEIR CRIMES? AN ANALYSIS OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIETAL EFFECTS OF HYPER-RELIGIOSITY by Giuliana Maria Natale A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Wilkes Honors College In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a Concentration in Law and Psychology Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University Jupiter, Florida May 2016 SHOULD RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISTS BE HELD CULPABLE FOR THEIR CRIMES? AN ANALYSIS OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIETAL EFFECTS OF HYPER-RELIGIOSTY by Giuliana Maria Natale This thesis was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s thesis advisors, Dr. Mark Tunick and Dr. Laura Vernon and it has been approved by the members of their supervisory committee. It was submitted to the faculty of the Wilkes Honors College and was accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences. SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: __________________________ Dr. Mark Tunick __________________________ Dr. Laura Vernon __________________________ Dr. Jeffrey Buller Dean, Wilkes Honors College __________________________ Date ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. Laura Vernon and Dr. Mark Tunick for guiding me throughout my research and bringing their expertise in two different fields together. I would also like to thank Dr. Wairimu Njambi for encouraging me to speak my mind no matter what, especially on issues regarding the history of religion. She is a driving force behind my motivation to write this thesis. Also, a special thanks to Troy, for whom I am inexplicably grateful. iii Abstract Author: Giuliana Natale Title: Should Religious Fundamentalists be Held Culpable for Their Crimes? An Analysis of the Psychological and Societal Effects of Hyper-Religiosity Institution: Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisors: Dr. Mark Tunick and Dr. Laura Vernon Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Science Concentration: Law and Psychology Year: 2016 My research was used to determine if religiously-motivated criminal offenders should be held culpable and how offenders should be punished in a court of law. Some who commit religiously motivated crimes do not do so of their own volition (e.g., those born into a cult), some are not legally competent to stand trial, and some qualify to claim insanity by both legal and psychological standards. Psychological and social pressures exerted by cults (e.g., deindividuation) can interfere with moral and legal reasoning of the offender. I argue that only those individuals with awareness of the legality of their actions and ability to freely choose their actions should be held culpable for religiously-motivated crimes. iv Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………......1 Chapter 1: What is Religious Fundamentalism?..................................................................2 Chapter 2: The Psychological Effects of Hyper-Religiosity……………………………....5 Chapter 3: The Dangers of Hyper-Religiosity….………………………………………..17 Chapter 4: Religiously Motivated Crime...………………………………………………26 Chapter 5: Should Religiously Motivated Offenders be held Criminally Responsible?...36 Chapter 6: How Should Religiously Motivated Offenders be Punished?..........................47 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….56 References………………………………………………………………………………..57 v Introduction First and foremost, the objective of this thesis is not to demean religion, but rather to explore the effects religious extremism has on the mind and society at large. Religion is often used as a coping mechanism and rehabilitative tool in prisons. However, for some individuals, it is what caused them to end up in prison. Very few people who have committed religiously motivated crimes have been found “not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.” Never has hyper-religiosity been considered a mental disease or defect, or simply “insanity” in a court of law. However, in recent years, there has been a lot of discussion by neuroscientists and psychologists in regard to hyper-religiosity being legally considered insanity. By no means does this mean religious individuals are insane; the key emphasis throughout this thesis is on extremism. Throughout this thesis, I will discuss the psychological effects of religious extremism from pathological and social psychology perspectives, and how these effects can be dangerous to society at large. The psychological effects of religious extremism can cause people to commit atrocities; but whether or not they should be held culpable, depends on a number of things such as psychopathology, volition, and cognizance. Keywords: religion, extremism, crime, culpability, insanity 1 Chapter One: What is Religious Fundamentalism? Religious fundamentalism occurs when interpretations of religious texts and religious practices are taken to an extreme. Although fundamentalism holds a wide variety of meanings today, its historical origin is very specific. ““The term fundamentalist first emerged from early twentieth century America, when conservative Christians published a 12-volume series of books entitled The Fundamentals, which sought to provide a wide-ranging assertion of orthodox Christian belief against liberal Protestantism and an increasingly modernist culture” (Kunzman 2010, p. 18). The terms “evangelical” and “fundamentalist” were synonymous in American society until the 1940’s. The original fundamentalists are said to be Conservative Christians; they have “certainly made their presence felt in American culture, but fundamentalism obviously exists and thrives in many religions today across the globe” (Kunzman 2010, p. 19). The core of religious fundamentalism “pushes back against what it perceives as an increasingly secular culture, striving to remain separate from that culture while seeking to restore religion to its rightful, central place in society” (Kunzman 2010, p. 19). Religious fundamentalists tend to shelter themselves and their children from the outside world; this includes public schools, playgrounds, public healthcare facilities, and other social gatherings. Of course not all parents who homeschool their children are religious fundamentalists, but religious fundamentalists often homeschool their children. “While all good parents strive to protect their children in a variety of ways, conservative Christians see much of contemporary culture as an assault on the values they seek to 2 impart to their children (Apple, 2005; McDannell, 1995; Stevens, 2001)” (Kunzman 2010, p. 23). According to Kunzman, Conservative Christian fundamentalists believe that the self-education of their children is their “God-given right.” This notion applies to other areas as well, such as medical care and child discipline, which is thoroughly discussed in chapter three. Oxford dictionary defines fundamentalism as “the practice of following very strictly the basic rules and teachings of any religion”; they also offer a secondary definition: “(in Christianity) the belief that everything that is written in the Bible is completely true.” This is a basic definition of a broad ideal. Religious fundamentalists completely commit themselves to their religion or their interpretation of their religion, even if this means killing themselves or other people. Not all fundamentalists are physically violent; however, extremists often torment people emotionally or make threats of violence. The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is well known in the United States for causing disruptions at private events. For example, the WBC has rallied outside the funeral of deceased soldiers holding signs saying “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.” They have held signs and chanted “God Hates Fags” outside of businesses which welcome gay patrons, among many other radical things. In interviews, they have stated they firmly believe gay individuals as well as many other individuals, with whose lifestyle they disagree, will “burn in hell and feel God’s wrath.” This is a mild example of fundamentalism. Women’s health clinics that provide abortion services are often victim of religious fundamentalists. 3 Fundamentalists such as Reverend Mike Bray have bombed clinics with the intention of killing the doctors and surgeons because they genuinely believe they are doing “God’s work.” One may ask, “but doesn’t the Bible say thou shall not kill?” Which is an interesting question; there are also verses in the Bible, such as Deuteronomy 13:6- 10 which command you to kill your family member(s) if he or she entices you to worship another god1. There are psychological processes and explanations behind these beliefs and actions. 1 “If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” (NIV) 4 Chapter Two: The Psychological Effects of Hyper-Religiosity Cults and other social influences: In this section, I will discuss how the dynamic of a cult can
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