The idea that Christianity is so simple that it can be reduced to a single syllogism is silly and I wasn’t saying that it can be. I was just showing the different premises of ahayes and myself.
1 John 4
Test the Spirits
1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
I think also that the scriptures related to community and looking to others as well as yourself, to stay in God’s word, to pray, and the like can save people from doing terrible things.
Also, I can’t be sure that Yates really believed that God told her anything or whether it was a legal ruse, or whether she was touched not by God but by evil, etc.
Is it possible God really did tell her to kill her kids?
Neither can I. Which, when all is said and done, is precisely why we rely on ourselves to determine what is right or wrong, and why we don't "test the spirits" to find out.