Crazy, or just Christian? (As in floridly fundamentalist)

[Jackpine Radical]

From a wonderful blog by forensic psychologist Dr. Karen Franklin:

http://forensicpsychologist.blogspot.com/

{Consider} the case of John Errol Ferguson, a mass killer in Florida whose October execution was stayed due to concerns about his mental state. Ferguson's long history of paranoid schizophrenia is undisputed; the question is whether his grandiose and religious delusions interfere with his understanding that the state is going to kill him for his crimes, and that when he dies he will be, well, dead.

Ferguson's lawyers have argued that the killer lacks rational understanding, because he believes he is "the Prince of God" and will be returned to Earth post-execution to save the world from a communist plot. The state of Florida counters that all that is required to be competent for execution is that a prisoner have an "awareness" that he is set to be executed for crimes he committed. To resolve the dispute, Florida's governor appointed a panel of experts to collectively evaluate Ferguson; a lower court also heard extensive testimony from prison personnel and other mental health experts, including malingering expert Richard Rogers, who administered a large battery of malingering tests and opined that Ferguson was not faking mental illness. Ultimately, the circuit court found little to distinguish Ferguson's belief system from typical religious ideation:

"There is no evidence in the record that Ferguson’s belief as to his role in the world and what may happen to him in the afterlife is so significantly different from beliefs other Christians may hold so as to consider it a sign of insanity."

[el_bryanto]

1. So it's not crazy to believe in the afterlife?

Or all Christians are potentially this guy?

Bryant

[Jackpine Radical]

2. I know a lot of perfectly sane liberal Christians.

I was just struck by the court's recognition of an intersection between psychosis and florid fundamentalism.

I edited the title of the OP to help clarify the distinction.

[treestar]

3. Odd

Is that they will keep him alive so long as he won't suffer from being executed. They want to wait until he is aware enough to suffer.

[Jackpine Radical]

4. I do forensic psych work. I'm really glad

I don't live in a Death Penalty state, so I never get called upon to evaluate whether or not somebody is sane enough to execute.* That whole twisted skein of logic is more than my humanistic little mind can untangle.

__________________
*I would simply refuse to do that kind of case if asked, with the explanation that I don't believe in the death penalty under any circumstances.

[NYC_SKP]

5. Yes, and they take extreme measures to prevent a suicide so that they can then murder him.

That is the reality of the thing.

[cbayer]

6. What a BS decision by the Florida Circuit Court

The case which you are highlighting involves a man who had a known history of paranoid schizophrenia and "believes he is "the Prince of God" and will be returned to Earth post-execution to save the world from a communist plot."

This is nowhere near what your average christian believes, even your "floridly fundamentalist". People with severe mental illness often have religious delusions.

Interestingly, the link this article supplies which provides that quote about these being normal christian thoughts does not contain that quote at all and that makes me question the entire article.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. Here is a shot of the court document in question:

Please point out the discrepancies between what Karen posted & the last sentence in the clipping here:

[cbayer]

8. I did not see that when I did a search of the linked opinion. My apologies.

I still think it's a bogus decision by a court that wants a reason to proceed with execution.

Clearly his delusions are significantly different from the beliefs of other christians. Other than grossly psychotic patients, I have never met a christian who believed they were "the Prince of God" and will be returned to Earth post-execution to save the world from a communist plot or thinks that they will be the sole person sitting beside god or any of the clearly delusional things he believes.

[Jackpine Radical]

9. I'm sure you're right as respects the court's motivations.

The irony was a bit too much to resist, though.