In asking this series of questions I am trying to understand better the Psychological profile and mindset of someone who purports to be a Christian but commits such horrendous acts as the murder and sexual molestation of a child, or a Christian who had no part in the actual murder/sexual molestation but participated in the secrecy and cover-up, and then (in either scenario) maintains his/her innocence day in and day out without wavering in front of millions of people, the police, family, friends, the pastor/Priest at his/her church, etc. included, causing much time, energy, emotion, resources, etc. to be committed to solving the case, the investigation, pointing the finger at, disruption of the lives of those who are not even involved, widespread fear, etc. I am separating the original act in this case (murder, sexual molestation, and/or cover-up) and focusing more on the perpetuation of a facade of innocence and how this reconciles with ones core beliefs as a Christian.
Whether we are Christian or not, all of us as humans are fallible, so my question is not whether or not a Christian could/would commit such acts, for none of us without sin, transgressions. But if a person is a Christian and he/she commits a sin, isnt it within his/her beliefs (no matter what Christian denomination he/she belongs) the core idea that to be forgiven and allowed into the Kingdom of God you have to confess your sins and ask forgiveness? Is it enough to confess your sin/ask forgiveness to God alone, but then keep lying that you were not involved? Or is there an implication that you will confess ask for forgiveness from everyone affected by your lie? Also, if you ask forgiveness from God for lying but then keep on lying, how does that settle with ones Christian faith? Faced with the possibility of eternal damnation, would you take a chance and save all your transgressions up, hoping you are coherent enough in your last moments to make peace with God through a final deathbed confession?
Yes, I know there are plenty of examples of people throughout history (and probably each of us can think of examples of people our personal lives) who purport to be Christian, yet continually maintain facades, lie, commit various transgressions throughout life, and then make a final confession only moments before death, but few have done so without breaking under the continual scrutiny and watchful eye of the media and much of the world.
When exposed to sensationalized crimes through the media, I give attention to the good and the bad, try to examine the data objectively, hold off on quick, misguided value judgements when I do not know all of the facts in a case, etc., and this is particularly true in the murder case of JonBenet. I do not pretend to know everything about what happened and remain continually cognizant that there was a degree of contamination/mishap in the collection of crime scene evidence and that not all evidence/details have been released to/leaked to the general public. I also give credence to the idea that the best indicator of present/future behaviour is the past.
Does anyone have any insight/knowledge of the Ramseys Christian beliefs, ideas of forgiveness, etc.? I am not asking these questions from a personal standpoint of a particular RDI or IDI theory, even if the Ramseys were not Christian I wouldnt change my position of remaining in the middle/a fence sitter in light of the current evidence. And again, I realize that people are capable of hiding behind their faith and/or using their faith as a ruse for support, sympathy, favouritism, etc., I understand that there are sociopaths capable of maintaining a lie to anyone and everyone without any sort of remorse or syptoms of guilt, and I also understand that people sometimes get so caught up in a lie they begin to convince themselves they are telling truth.
Whether we are Christian or not, all of us as humans are fallible, so my question is not whether or not a Christian could/would commit such acts, for none of us without sin, transgressions. But if a person is a Christian and he/she commits a sin, isnt it within his/her beliefs (no matter what Christian denomination he/she belongs) the core idea that to be forgiven and allowed into the Kingdom of God you have to confess your sins and ask forgiveness? Is it enough to confess your sin/ask forgiveness to God alone, but then keep lying that you were not involved? Or is there an implication that you will confess ask for forgiveness from everyone affected by your lie? Also, if you ask forgiveness from God for lying but then keep on lying, how does that settle with ones Christian faith? Faced with the possibility of eternal damnation, would you take a chance and save all your transgressions up, hoping you are coherent enough in your last moments to make peace with God through a final deathbed confession?
Yes, I know there are plenty of examples of people throughout history (and probably each of us can think of examples of people our personal lives) who purport to be Christian, yet continually maintain facades, lie, commit various transgressions throughout life, and then make a final confession only moments before death, but few have done so without breaking under the continual scrutiny and watchful eye of the media and much of the world.
When exposed to sensationalized crimes through the media, I give attention to the good and the bad, try to examine the data objectively, hold off on quick, misguided value judgements when I do not know all of the facts in a case, etc., and this is particularly true in the murder case of JonBenet. I do not pretend to know everything about what happened and remain continually cognizant that there was a degree of contamination/mishap in the collection of crime scene evidence and that not all evidence/details have been released to/leaked to the general public. I also give credence to the idea that the best indicator of present/future behaviour is the past.
Does anyone have any insight/knowledge of the Ramseys Christian beliefs, ideas of forgiveness, etc.? I am not asking these questions from a personal standpoint of a particular RDI or IDI theory, even if the Ramseys were not Christian I wouldnt change my position of remaining in the middle/a fence sitter in light of the current evidence. And again, I realize that people are capable of hiding behind their faith and/or using their faith as a ruse for support, sympathy, favouritism, etc., I understand that there are sociopaths capable of maintaining a lie to anyone and everyone without any sort of remorse or syptoms of guilt, and I also understand that people sometimes get so caught up in a lie they begin to convince themselves they are telling truth.
