Save us from these born-again zealots


The more we learn about Robert Louis Dear, the man who opened fire on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado, the more it is becoming clear that he was someone who believed that he was saved by Jesus and thus could do what he liked. And what he liked was ugly.

A woman who worked at Citadel Mall reported to North Charleston police that Dear had asked her out numerous times and she always refused, saying that she was married, according to a police report.

Dear allegedly continued to call her at work and home about two to three times per day telling her that he wanted to see her.

On Nov. 29, 1992, Dear showed up at the woman’s house while she attempted to take out the trash, according to the police report.

“The suspect then allegedly put a knife to the victim’s neck and forced her back inside her residence,” the report states. “The suspect then allegedly forced the victim down into the couch, struck her in the mouth with his fist, and then sexually assaulted her.”

The woman reported to police that the sexual assault continued on the floor near a coffee table before Dear dragged her to a bedroom and continued the assault on a bed.

His second wife, Mescher, described Dear in divorce papers filed in 1993 as a controlling, abusive, womanizing man who liked to gamble but was tight with his cash when it came to supporting his family. She stated that he threw her around the room by her hair during one argument and beat her head on the floor. She also said in a sworn affidavit that Dear “erupts into fury in a matter of seconds,” and she “lived in fear and dread of his emotional and physical abuse.”

“He claims to be a Christian and is extremely evangelistic, but does not follow the Bible in his actions,” Mescher stated in the affidavit. “He says that as long as he believes he will be saved, he can do whatever he pleases. He is obsessed with the world coming to an end.”

These born-again Rapture seekers are a menace to society.

Trevor Noah talks with Jordan Klepper about this pattern of violence.

Larry Wilmore draws a straight line from the rhetoric of Republicans and Fox News to the shooter.

(These clips aired on November 30, 2015. To get suggestions on how to view clips of The Daily Show and The Nightly Show outside the US, please see this earlier post. If the videos autoplay, please see here for a diagnosis and possible solutions.)

Comments

  1. hexidecima says

    “He claims to be a Christian and is extremely evangelistic, but does not follow the Bible in his actions”

    heck, I think he follows it pretty well. Lunatic, murderous, ignorant. Just perfect.

  2. John Morales says

    hexidecima:

    heck, I think he follows it pretty well.

    Um. OT, NT. ‘Taint the Bible, ’tis the Babble.

    (Eye for an eye and smiting, and also turning the other cheek and forgiving)

  3. raven says

    I did some cruising around the internet tonight. Sort of like watching a horror movie except it is real.
    1. There are a lot of xian terrorism supporters and they are out and loud. It’s not just anonymous trolls either. Ted Cruz, presidential wannabe, state legislators, and of course the usual, xian ministers.

    Looks like xian terrorism is going mainstream.

    2. This was the fifth attack on Planned Parenthood in the last few months. Arson attacks in Washington, California, Illinois, and Louisiana.

    3. Expect more. This could go on for decades. US xianity is dying, losing 2 million members a year. And they know it. People leave in order of best and brightest leaving behind the worst. Violence isn’t going to stop that but it makes them feel better.

  4. doublereed says

    @raven

    Less Wrong had an article likening that effect to evaporative cooling. The hotter particles in liquid are the first ones to evaporate, so evaporation creates a cooling effect. Likewise, the nicer, nonviolent members of sects and cults are usually the first ones to leave, making the sects and cults more violent as members leave.

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