SAN ANTONIO ? The similarities can't be ignored.
On June 20, 2001, Andrea Yates, a devout, depressed Christian housewife from Houston, drowned her five children in the family bathtub because she believed she heard voices from God telling her to kill her children. A Texas jury rejected her insanity defense, and Yates is now serving a life sentence.
Now another Texas woman, Deanna Laney, a devout, depressed Christian woman from New Chapel Hill, a small community in East Texas, is on trial for stoning to death two of her sons, 8 and 6, and seriously injuring her 14-month-old by hammering his head with a 4 1/2 pound rock.
When she called 911 last May 10, Laney said in a quiet voice, "I just killed my boys. That's just what I was told to do."
The 911 operator asked her who told her to kill her boys. Laney said, "God."
How can this have happened again? What kind of waking nightmare did both these women inhabit? What so injured their natural instincts to protect their own lives and the lives of their children? How did religion get turned into psychosis?
Their stories are eerily the same. Yates isolated herself from the outside world. She home-schooled her children. She did not work outside the home. Her life revolved around her children and her faith, but despite a history of mental illness, no one realized that was a danger to her children.
Laney also home-schooled her children. She was active in her Pentecostal church but kept her feelings to herself and told no one when she began hearing voices.
Her attorney, F.R. "Buck" Files Jr., told the jury last week that she was insane when she killed her children.
"Does she follow what she believed to be God's will, or does she turn her back on God?" Files asked.
If there are other isolated, depressed women out there secretly asking themselves that particular question, let us be loud and clear about the answer: God does not order mothers to murder their children.
These stories illustrate the fact that destructive religion is a trap. It can be as real as an abusive lover who first promises affection, acceptance and security, then beats you black and blue, apologizes, begs to be taken back and then smacks you around again. The only possible way to break such a cycle of destruction is to leave.
That's not to say that God or bad religion is to blame for the murder of these seven children and injury to an eighth. Mental illness can wrap itself around all sorts of things ? drugs, alcohol, bad relationships. But it must be said that mental illness can also hide behind the mask of religion.
Mothers of young children need certain things. They need to be surrounded by other people and by the larger world ? not confined to exile. They need to be able to act on their own behalf and on behalf of their children. This means they must resist all temptations to become anesthetized, especially the temptation to be perfect, holy mothers.
When my children were young, I was in my middle 30s. Like all women of that age, I was tired, overwhelmed, frightened and sought some spiritual source outside myself to help me be a better mother.
One day my daughter was crying from hunger and I ignored her because I was deep in prayer. My mother shook me by the shoulders and said, "Stop that. Go feed your daughter. That's your prayer right now."
Just like that, the sound of my mother's voice sharpened my instincts.
Mental illness robs women of their instincts. It makes them believe ? as both Yates and Laney apparently did ? that the only way they could rescue their children from Satan was to kill them.
Not every young mother faces the threat of psychosis or other malignant influences, but all confront their own private traps.
Tending children makes you hear all kinds of internal voices ? lonely, doubtful, fearful voices as well as strong, inventive, creative ones. The trick is to figure out how to pay attention to all the voices, but believe only your own.
LINK
Why are these people who homeschool their kids so crazy? I knew some family that was home schooled and they allowed one of their kids to go to high school for one year. They were religious nuts. The kid was somewhat normal (thank god) but they ended up pulling him out after a year.
On June 20, 2001, Andrea Yates, a devout, depressed Christian housewife from Houston, drowned her five children in the family bathtub because she believed she heard voices from God telling her to kill her children. A Texas jury rejected her insanity defense, and Yates is now serving a life sentence.
Now another Texas woman, Deanna Laney, a devout, depressed Christian woman from New Chapel Hill, a small community in East Texas, is on trial for stoning to death two of her sons, 8 and 6, and seriously injuring her 14-month-old by hammering his head with a 4 1/2 pound rock.
When she called 911 last May 10, Laney said in a quiet voice, "I just killed my boys. That's just what I was told to do."
The 911 operator asked her who told her to kill her boys. Laney said, "God."
How can this have happened again? What kind of waking nightmare did both these women inhabit? What so injured their natural instincts to protect their own lives and the lives of their children? How did religion get turned into psychosis?
Their stories are eerily the same. Yates isolated herself from the outside world. She home-schooled her children. She did not work outside the home. Her life revolved around her children and her faith, but despite a history of mental illness, no one realized that was a danger to her children.
Laney also home-schooled her children. She was active in her Pentecostal church but kept her feelings to herself and told no one when she began hearing voices.
Her attorney, F.R. "Buck" Files Jr., told the jury last week that she was insane when she killed her children.
"Does she follow what she believed to be God's will, or does she turn her back on God?" Files asked.
If there are other isolated, depressed women out there secretly asking themselves that particular question, let us be loud and clear about the answer: God does not order mothers to murder their children.
These stories illustrate the fact that destructive religion is a trap. It can be as real as an abusive lover who first promises affection, acceptance and security, then beats you black and blue, apologizes, begs to be taken back and then smacks you around again. The only possible way to break such a cycle of destruction is to leave.
That's not to say that God or bad religion is to blame for the murder of these seven children and injury to an eighth. Mental illness can wrap itself around all sorts of things ? drugs, alcohol, bad relationships. But it must be said that mental illness can also hide behind the mask of religion.
Mothers of young children need certain things. They need to be surrounded by other people and by the larger world ? not confined to exile. They need to be able to act on their own behalf and on behalf of their children. This means they must resist all temptations to become anesthetized, especially the temptation to be perfect, holy mothers.
When my children were young, I was in my middle 30s. Like all women of that age, I was tired, overwhelmed, frightened and sought some spiritual source outside myself to help me be a better mother.
One day my daughter was crying from hunger and I ignored her because I was deep in prayer. My mother shook me by the shoulders and said, "Stop that. Go feed your daughter. That's your prayer right now."
Just like that, the sound of my mother's voice sharpened my instincts.
Mental illness robs women of their instincts. It makes them believe ? as both Yates and Laney apparently did ? that the only way they could rescue their children from Satan was to kill them.
Not every young mother faces the threat of psychosis or other malignant influences, but all confront their own private traps.
Tending children makes you hear all kinds of internal voices ? lonely, doubtful, fearful voices as well as strong, inventive, creative ones. The trick is to figure out how to pay attention to all the voices, but believe only your own.
LINK
Why are these people who homeschool their kids so crazy? I knew some family that was home schooled and they allowed one of their kids to go to high school for one year. They were religious nuts. The kid was somewhat normal (thank god) but they ended up pulling him out after a year.
Welcome back from Christmas break. No computer at mommy and daddy's? We've missed your deep insight... :roll:
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