Stop Mistaking Evil for Mental Illness

I know almost nothing of the mental condition of confessed mass murderer Nikolas Cruz, and almost certainly, neither do you. There are few, if any, who can give a reliable opinion of the young man’s psychiatric state as he walked into [a FL h.s.] and killed 17. Nevertheless, after his killing spree... many in the media, along with the public at large, were willing at least to imply, if not directly describe, Mr. Cruz as someone who was “mentally disturbed,” “mentally ill,” “crazy,” a “nut-job,” a “psycho,”... and so on.

Those with a wide array of varying political and spiritual worldviews were willing to paint Mr. Cruz as a mental defect...

As our culture grows more and more secularized, it has become a very common practice to describe those who commit widespread acts of violence—especially if such violence involves the death of multiple human beings—as “crazy.” Some of this is tongue-in-cheek, but much of it is sincere. I believe this is the direct result of the psychiatric community attempting to redefine what is moral.

For decades we have witnessed the psychiatric community take acts that were long considered evil, or at least immoral and illegal, and deem them a “psychological disorder” that needs to be cured...

However, it’s a disaster for the culture. As C.S. Lewis lamented in his essay, The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment, when it comes to crime and punishment, we too often are facing off with those who believe “that all crime is more or less pathological.” Thus, instead of the criminal “getting what he deserves”—what used to be called “justice”—we must heal or cure him, and, as Lewis puts it, “punishment becomes therapeutic.”

Only a Lad - Oingo Boingo

Johnny was bad, even as a child everybody could tell,
Everyone said, “If you don’t get straight
You’ll surely go to hell.”
But Johnny didn’t care,

He was an outlaw by the time that he was ten years old,
He didn’t want to do what he was told
Just a prankster, juvenile gangster.
His teachers didn’t understand,

They kicked him out of school at a tender early age,
Just because he didn’t want to learn things
He had other interests
He liked to burn things!

The lady down the block,
She had a radio that Johnny wanted oh so bad,
So he took it the first chance he had.
Then he shot her in the leg,

And this is what she said
“Only a lad. You really can’t blame him.”
“Only a lad. Society made him.”
“Only a lad. He’s our responsibility.”
Oh, oh, oohh oh oh oh

“Only a lad. He really couldn’t help it.”
“Only a lad. He didn’t want to do it.”
“Only a lad. He’s underprivileged and abused.”
Perhaps a little bit confused?
Oh oh ohhh, oohhh oh oh ohh whoa whoa whoa
Oh oh ohhh, oohhh oh oh ohh whoa whoa whoa

His parents gave up, they couldn’t influence his attitude,
Nobody could help.
The little man had no gratitude.
And when he stole the car,
Nobody dreamed that he would try to take it so far.
He didn’t mean to hit the poor man,
Who had to go and die.

It made the judge cry.
“Only a lad. He really couldn’t help it.”
“Only a lad. He didn’t want to do it.”
“Only a lad. He’s underprivileged and abused.”
Perhaps a little bit confused?
Oh oh oh, ohh ohh ohh

It’s not his fault that he can’t believe,
It’s not his fault that he can’t behave,
Society made him go astray.
Perhaps if we’re nice he’ll go away,
Perhaps he’ll go away,
He’ll go away

“Only a lad. You really can’t blame him.”
“Only a lad. Society made him.”
“Only a lad. He’s our responsibility.”

Hey there Johnny you really don’t fool me,
You get away with murder,
And you think it’s funny!
You don’t give a damn if we live or if we die
Oh oh oh, ohh ohh ohh oh oh,
Hey there Johnny boy,
I hope you fry!
Oh oh oh, ohh ohh ohh oh oh,
Oh oh oh, ohh ohh ohh oh oh.

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