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Jason Hatfield / Reuters
People hold a prayer vigil for the victims and first responders as police investigate an overnight shooting that killed 12 people at a midnight premiere of the new "Batman" movie in Aurora, Colo., on July 20.
Why did a dozen people die in this week's "Dark Knight" shootings? What was going on inside the head of James Eagan Holmes, the former neuroscience student who's suspected of killing those people in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.? Questions about Holmes and his motives are the big unanswerables right now — but some folks are already suggesting that higher powers are at work. Higher powers like ... Charles Darwin?
"When students are taught they are no different from animals, they act like it," Rick Warren, the mega-church pastor and inspirational author, observed in a Twitter update just hours after the shootings.
That tweet came amid a flurry of homespun aphorisms and Bible quotes, so it's not fully clear that Warren was specifically blaming the violence on the teaching of evolutionary biology in schools. But the comment stirred up a hornet's nest among the theory's champions, including the University of Chicago's Jerry Coyne.
"I doubt that religion had anything to do with these murders, but religion is so quick to point the finger at science and evolution when they happen," Coyne wrote on his "Why Evolution Is True" blog. "So much for Rick Warren, the man Barack Obama chose to give the invocation at his inauguration in 2009."
'Where was God in all of this?'
Warren's comment wasn't the only one that seemed to touch on the link between godlessness and divine retribution. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, brought up the link when he was asked about the Colorado shootings on the "Istook Live" radio show:
"We have been at war with the very pillars, the very foundation of this country ... and when ... you know ... what really gets me as a Christian, is to see the ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs and then a senseless crazy act of terror like this takes place," Gohmert said, according to a transcript on his House website.
"You know, when people say, where was God in all of this?" he said. "Well, you know, we don’t let ... in fact, we’ve threatened high school graduation participants that if they use God’s name that they’re going to be jailed, we had a principal of a school, and a superintendent or a coach down in Florida that were threatened with jail because they said the blessing at a voluntary off campus dinner. I mean, that kind of stuff ... where is God? Where, where? What have we done with God? We told him that we don’t want him around. I kind of like his protective hand being present."
Those comments drew a denunciation from the American Humanist Association — an organization whose slogan is "Good Without a God."
"Rep. Louis Gohmert truly tortures logic when he concludes that this violence had something to do with perceived attacks on majority faith in America," said Roy Speckhardt, the association's executive director. "At a time when families are mourning in the wake of this tragedy, Gohmert used it as an opportunity to push a religious agenda."
Christian? 'What a scary thought'
On the flip side, some atheists suggested that Christianity was to blame, capitalizing on reports that Holmes came from a Presbyterian family. On the "Debunking Christianity" blog, Cathy Cooper argues that Christian belief encourages the idea that all people are sinful, but that all believers are saved by faith alone. "Christianity provides believers with a basis for the belief that they are absolved from taking responsibility for their own bad behavior," she writes.
"Yes, James Holmes was a 'normal Christian boy' — what a scary thought," Cooper says.
Comments like that cause P.Z. Myers, a biologist at the University of Minnesota at Morris who describes himself as a godless liberal, to hang his head in shame.
"Christianity is piss-poor at doing more than providing lip-service against violence, but it’s at best a passive enabler." he wrote on his Pharyngula blog. Myers said the blame should instead be directed at a culture that glorifies violence, at laws that make it easy to acquire deadly weapons— and most of all, at the person who did all the shooting.
"Anything else is a distraction from correcting the real causes," he wrote.
As Ecclesiastes says...
There's nothing new under the sun when it comes to blaming God or godlessness for a disaster. Here are a few recent examples:
- Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay once said that the 1999 Columbine school shootings in Colorado happened “because our school systems teach our children that they are nothing but glorified apes who have evolutionized out of some primordial mud."
- After Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, Alabama state Sen. Henry E. "Hank" Erwin Jr. observed that the region has "always been known for gambling, sin and wickedness. ... It is the kind of behavior that ultimately brings the judgment of God."
- Evangelical preacher and one-time presidential candidate Pat Robertson blamed a number of disasters on God's wrath — including 2010's catastrophic Haiti earthquake, which he attributed to that country's "pact to the devil."
- Later that year, when an oil spill hit the Gulf of Mexico, Christian doomsayer Hal Lindsey cited the environmental catastrophe as "evidence that when you turn your back on Israel, especially when you've been a supporter, you're gonna see judgments come from God."
Natural catastrophes, and especially human-caused catastrophes like the one that took place this week, do pose a huge challenge for believers: Why does God allow the existence of seemingly senseless evil? If the power of prayer can save some believers, why would He be so cruel as to leave others unsaved? Do believers really think that the dead were more sinful than the living?
God doesn't own a gun
Marie Isom has a unique perspective on these questions: Not only is she a Christian and a blogger — she's also a survivor of the theater shootings. In a gripping post to her blog, "A Miniature Clay Pot," she recounts how she and her daughters were caught up in the chaos, threw themselves to the floor, and scrambled out of the theater when there was a break in the gunfire.
The blog posting is titled "So You Still Think God Is a Merciful God?" Here's the answer she gives:
"Yes.
"Yes, I do indeed.
"Absolutely, positively, unequivocally.
"Let’s get something straight: the theater shooting was an evil, horrendous act done by a man controlled by evil. God did not take a gun and pull the trigger in a crowded theater. He didn’t even suggest it. A man did.
"In His sovereignty, God made man in His image with the ability to choose good and evil.
"Unfortunately, sometimes man chooses evil."
If you're looking for some appropriate Sunday reading after a horrendous couple of days, you couldn't do much better than Isom's essay and her follow-up posting. I realize there's not much science in it, but that's why we call it Cosmic Log rather than Science Log.
Feel free to leave your comments and condolences in the space below.
Update for 1:15 a.m. ET July 22: There's more blame to go around. Jerry Newcombe of Truth in Action Ministries said in a commentary on the shootings that "we're reaping as we're sowing in this society."
"We said to God, 'Get out of the public arena,'" he wrote. "Lawsuit after lawsuit, often by misguided 'civil libertarians,' have chased away any fear of God in the land — at least in the hearts of millions." The result, Newcombe said, is that young people no longer dread the loss of Heaven or the pains of Hell.
"I don't think people would do those sorts of things if they truly understood the reality of Hell," he wrote.
The news director of the American Family Association, Fred Jackson, followed up with Newcombe on the "AFA Today" radio show. About 10 minutes into the show, Jackson said this:
"In the community there were community standards that reflected biblical principles, whether people knew it or not, the standard in the community was based on scripture. In that short period of time, roughly 40 years, we have seen such a transformation in values in our communities, whether it’s rural or whether it’s big city. I have to think that all of this, whether it’s the Hollywood movies, whether it’s what we see on the Internets, whether it’s liberal bias in the media, whether it’s our politicians changing public policy, I think all of those somehow have fit together — and I have to say also churches who are leaving the authority of scripture and losing their fear of God — all of those things have seem to have come together to give us these kinds of incidents."
Later in the show, around the 44-minute mark, Jackson added to the list of contributing factors:
"I think the source of this is multifaceted, but you can put it all, I think, under the heading of rebellion to God, a rejection of the God of the Bible. I think along with an education system that has produced our lawyers, our politicians, more teachers, more professors, all of that sort of thing, is our churches, mainline churches. ... The AFA Journal has been dealing with denominations that no longer believe in the God of the Bible, they no longer believe that Jesus is the only way of salvation, they teach that God is OK with homosexuality. This is just increasing more and more. It is mankind shaking its fist at the authority of God."
The Right Wing Watch and Gawker websites both picked up on these observations, and Right Wing Watch helpfully provides audio excerpts of the relevant quotes. (However, you can listen to the whole 54-minute show on iTunes for free.) Gawker's Louis Peitzman writes that "this message isn't just offensive: it's impossibly muddled," and he wonders whether anyone believes this sort of thing anymore. I think there are a lot of people who do. But what do you think?
Related content from NBCNews.com:
- Suspect was once a camp counselor for kids
- Will Batman shooting suspect ever face trial?
- Police deactivate trap at suspect's apartment
- Six-year-old among those killed in massacre
- Victims include sailor, aspiring sportscaster
- Cops: Weeks of planning went into shootings
- Survivor: Boyfriend 'took a bullet for me'
- Full coverage of the Colorado shootings
For a completely different take on the questions surrounding the "Dark Knight" shootings, God and even Batman, check out Paul Asay's essay on The Washington Post's website. Asay is the author of "God on the Streets of Gotham: What the Big Screen Batman Can Teach Us About God and Ourselves."
Tip o' the Log to my colleague at NBCNews.com, Bill Dedman.
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
I enjoyed Marie Isom's blogs about this tragedy very much. Although I am not a religious person, I find comfort in her words. I especially liked her comment that, Unfortunately, men sometimes choose evil. Free will is what man likes to exercise. We all have choices to make, even the mentally ill make choices, as tainted as they may be. Thanks Marie.
I'm with you, Julie
Rick Warren is an Idiot.
"No better than animals".
He falters (as does Christianity) in this constantly demeaning line of thinking towards all of God's other beloved Earthlings.
I'm proud to be what I am and I do realize I am an animal. It is a glorious title.
I suspect the shooter is CRAZY...and that's who we should blame but a church is, after all, just a business and this Warren clown is doing his best to get his some free publicity on the back of other folk's pain.
Everybody's selling something.
Some of it is shoddy merchandise and some of it is quality product. Rick Warren is not an idiot but he is selling shoddy merchandise for short term gain.
I believe there is a tendency for people who think in absolutes to resort to violence. Terrorists, when well educated, tend to be educated in engineering and other fields that have solid right and wrong answers. I agree that mainstream religion is not the cause. However, "God" in the Bible repeatedly massacred entire cities and in one case (Noah's flood), everyone except a select few.
The real fault is the individual. The vast majority of Atheists, Agnostics, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, etc. never harm anyone.
To think God had anything to do with this carnage is ludicrous! This very intelligent young man, with plenty of available money, made a choice to murder, and should bear ALL the punishment for it! Someone this brilliant can't claim insanity! Not that it would work, only 2% of insanity claims suceed, since President Reagan was shot!
Anyone with an idiotic NBC logo by their name is either ranting jibberish, trying to get a promotion, or just plain stuck on himself....thinking what he spews is factual as opposed to mere opinion.
Generalizations are a sign of poor rationalization skills.
As far as the logo goes.....I think it is very pretty. A birdie. It has always made me smile.
I think it's better than the "Christian" logo...which is an instument of torture and death. A crucifix is a really creepy thing.
Just sayin'.
I rationalize just fine. I have to. Family, employees and friends depend on it. I, frankly, enjoy the challenge it brings with it. NBC is and always has slanted it's coverage and anyone proud enough to wear it's logo should also accept their own mediocrity as a result.
Rationalize that...........or just do what you do best.
Everything is slanted or colored by perception, what is your point?
Chip
By inference you want us to believe that Fox news is fair and balanced?
Aires chose fair and balanced as a trademark to "piss off the left".
It sort of worked too. It led me to paint a good likeness of him in my toilet bowl in revenge.
Chipperland.
Your post is pompous and funny. :) I bet you would LIKE to think your co-workers family and friends depend on your wisdom but I bet they really don't as much as you would like to think.
Family - probably they listen to you. (Birds of a feather flock together...doesn't mean you have smarts)
Co-workers- maybe they must listen. Maybe you just think they do.
Friends- "Depend on you". Really. Wow. Who are these people that find you so wise as to be dependent on your reasoning? Sad lot, to be sure.
You have only dug a deeper hole toward THIS stranger thinking....your a ridiculous bore.
Sometimes bad things happen. I don't know where God is in all this but I am sure that those who died, even if they had more sin, didn't die because God chose them to die. I just can't believe in a God like that.
But I could be wrong.
I certainly don't think he (the shooter) planned all this out because he played violent video games or was bullied or ate too many Twinkies.
Sometimes bad things happen and there isn't any reasonable explanation. Why some lived and some died could be due to Divine Intervention (while I question God I am certain I have experienced it, go figure) or just dumb luck.
Either way, my heart goes out to the families and friends of the victims, the parents of this troubled soul and to him as well for having to live with causing the death of so many. It must be unbearable for all.
I am sick to death of ignorant people and their certainty of what caused this. On the one hand, you have people praising or blaming god for life or death, then you have others who talk about how evil this guy was and how cowardly it must have been.
Let me educate you right now.
What he did was wrong. That is true. Was it anything to do with god? No. Not unless he made a statement involving god or the devil or religion. Did god save those 12 people who died? No. Did he save any of the people who lived? No. If he did, why were the others not worthy of life? See? It makes no sense to involve god in it. You can call on your god for guidance or support after the fact, but no god was involved in the shootings in any way.
Was evil involved? No. There's no force of evil. There is morality. It was morally wrong. Evil is a fairy tale people tell themselves to pretend that they could never do what someone else did... but we're all capable of what you'd call evil. It's called making a bad decision that violates morality.
Was it cowardly? How is it cowardly to step out in front of a crowd and shoot people? I'll bet most of you don't have th guts to do it. Most people cannot even stand up to their boss at work. What he did was wrong, but I'm sure cowardly doesn't describe it at all. In most cases, this is the act of a person who has been through horrible pain and suffering throughout their life and has decided to take a stand... an act of bravery in their eyes. Not cowardice. Suicide isn't cowardice either. People are so quick to call it cowardly, but these people had to muster a great deal of courage to do these things. I'm sure he thought he was being brave. You can say "give a guy a gun and he thinks he's tough" but that's exactly the point.
Now before you jump on me (if you haven't all ready) for thinking that I'm saying it's good that he shot people, I will remind you, I said it was WRONG. What would have been more brave is, of course, for the guy to have taken on his problems and not involved innocent people. But it isn't about bravery or cowardice. It's about mental instability. THAT is the real issue here. THAT is what you all need to realize. You can't look at this guy's situation like you look at anything in your life because you have never had to deal with what this guy has had to deal with.
The human brain is a remarkable thing. It allows us to build space shuttles and create music, but it can also trick us into being depressed to the point of suicide or even homicide. THAT is what happened here. Through damage, genetics or environmental issues (personal experience, not the atmosphere) your brain can develop serious malfunctions that affect your judgement. It's not god. It's not demons. It's mental illness.
This guy needed help and didn't get it. He was left to spiral out of control. His own mother seemed unphased by what happened by the comment she made. This means people were aware something was wrong and did nothing or not enough. I'm sure his issues will come to light and I will be right. People don't do bad things because they are evil. They do those things because they think they are right. They think they are right because they are misguided. Sometimes by personal bias and sometimes because of mental illness.
So rather than just jump all over this guy and alienate the people you know who may be going through the same thing... think for a moment. Don't spew uneducated hate for him... think, really THINK about what must have driven him to this. Think about the people you know who may be silently screaming that they want to do something like this. Then maybe you should talk to them. Don't talk in terms of bravery or cowardice... but understanding and empowerment.
Best post I have read in a while.
You all should take a moment and read above post.
I agree, excellent post.
OK, Michael, I agree with your statement.
Aint it just like the liberal media to burn a story into the ground, funny thing bout a lib they just cant get enuf of a bad thing. I am sure they are lovin this. they are all jumpin up on their soap boxs to preach to the choir.
I thought, according to Conservatives, that liberals hated god.
How the hell would I know ..... I am not a liberal .... Maybe you shouldn't think about it
But I take it you are a conservative, do you think they hate god? That is what I said. I did not say they DO hate god I said Conservatives THINK they hate god and I am asking if you THINK they hate god.
How can anyone possible hate an imaginary being? It's like hating the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, or intelligent Republicans.
Yes I am conservative, but as I said I am not a liberal, so how would I know how they think .... All I know is how they act .... Like holier than thou nannies ... SEEN it and I KNOW its true
sailcat ya ole used up douche solution ... how the hell are ya
Doing fine, Lucky! I'm injecting thoughtful and well-reasoned commentary into discussions that would otherwise be dragged down by by the burdensome weight of your senseless and pointless ravings. It's kind of like a public service.
Hell I dont rave .... I just call em the way I see em .... And I know the better part of you left a brown stain on a mattress some where.
I rest my case.
And that SF made my case
When christian conservatives break commandments in their posts (treat others as yo wish to be treated) it is hard to take them seriously.
Funny ed every time i have tried that some liberal comes along and tells me how stupid I am for believing in god, cuz they don't believe he exists, so I guess I am thinking I have to lower my IQ to swamp crawler levels to have any conversation at all. Sorry you feel offended. but that's the truth.man up.
Also ed my boy, I have never met a more deceitful, lying, thieving, underhanded class of people then the liberal, Look at nancy pelosi (if you can stand to) for example, an absolutely wretched female
15,000 dead by guns, including many by "accidents", is the price we pay so that the gun nuts can play with their toys.
SEE what I am sayin, you are living proof of the liberal delusion of sainthood in your own mind
Mike, in that 15,000 figure, I'm sure you're including criminals killed by the "good guys" while committing their crimes, and criminals killed by rival criminals in turf wars and such. Those two categories of gun-related deaths I count as a net benefit to society. May sound cold-hearted, but you know it's true.
Why don't you nut-cases..JUST SHUT THE H*** UP!!
I can't hear them ....
Judas Iscariot, is the person who in the bible betrayed God. Afterwards he hung himself in a tree. I am pretty sure that this guy who killed all of these innocent people will cause him to live everyday to face the same demons and being tormented from his actions, The same fate as Judas. In life there are good people who live according to the word of God, truly good and righteous people. At the same time there are people who choose to live their lives in a sinful nature and they serve their father, the father of all lies. They have no idea of the goodness of God. People can argue all they want about religion..Come on man this is life and things happen good and bad. It rains on the just and the unjust. Bottom line is most people who are quick to point out untruths about Gods word have never even studied Gods word..Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge..God Bless & Peace!
It is possible this man just wanted his name in the paper. To be known, known for a horrific and brutal crime.
In this day and age of people just wanting to be seen I can see it being a reason. Look at the end of Scream 4, that might have been a movie but there is a reason that speech is there about famous and how it is earned today.
As for this God vs No God argument. First I find it offensive to bring this up in light of this when their still IDing bodies. But since it has been I will only say this. Yes people can argue that God being All Knowing, and All Powerful could have stopped this and knew about it in advance or else he is not all Knowing and All Powerful.
That being said I do not think God or Science had a part in this event as The Killer really does seem to just want Violence and Bloodshed and nothing more. There was no agenda clear yet.
My best wishes, thoughts, and prayers go to the survivors, and to the victim's families in general. I am deeply sorry this happened. I am sorry it happened when the event they where going to was something they went to for enjoyment and happiness.
For those who passed, whether god and heaven exist or not, I am sure they know they will be missed.
Like to know WHO you pray to ?????
In a culture that worships and is obsessed with fame as a desirable commodity, infamy will often suffice.
Dying alone and unknown is a pretty common fear.
I wonder where it ranks compared to say public speaking or arachnophobia?
Who I worship, I don't really worship any 'organized' god. I have my beliefs and that is all I need. I do not need other men telling me what I need to do in my life when I have my faith in a higher power.
Culheath I agree and that was sort of my point. And another thing is that the man turned himself in. This, to me anyway, shows he wants the infamy
I concur, Michael.
Neuroscience dude...........you didn't say anything that we already don't know.
And you don't come across as too bright when you can't spell student....and please....
enlighten us on why so many more murders are happening in Chicago. Hurry up and look that up because they're being slaughtered like cattle every month.
Who said evolution was godless?
At university, I met a high-level leader of "Campus Crusade for Christ". He had a PhD in Biology. I asked him, "How can you believe in Creationism when you have a PhD in Biology?".
He answered, "I am an Evolutionary Creationist. When the Bible says that God formed life from clay, it SYMBOLIZES the start of the evolutionary process."
Um, right. So the Adam and Eve referred to in the Bible were actually single-cell organisms whose descendants, in less than 6000 years, evolved into full-fledged human beings. Yep, makes sense to me.
Hohum, it is amazing how christians can rationalize the primitive myths contained in their fictional holy book to make them conform to their personal expectations. Their morals are equally flexible for the same reason. It's exactly that sort of moral malleability that makes christians so dangerous.
Oh, I see, "symbolizes," you say. Well, if the Bible really is the word of God, why the abstract symbolism? Why not just tell us the way it really happened, God?
If the theory doesn't require the intercession of an outside agent or appeal to supernatural causes to work, then a God is simply not a consideration.
The Theory of Evolution is not anti-religious, it is a-religious. Traffic laws that bid you to stop at a stop sign are based on reasons that have nothing to do with a supernatural agent like God. You don't buckle up because it pleases God.
Similarly, a theory that describes how changes in the earth's processes work don't require a religious view any more than knowing how your computer accomplishes its various tasks. There's nothing "magic" about it.
It is a definable and testable process.
This had nothing to do with religion, or lack of it.
It had to do with a troubled man, who was able to buy an arsenal, build bombs, and plan to kill people, all without raising any suspicion. As well as the social problems that led to cause this man to want to do this in the first place. In the end, society shares some of the blame for creating the person, and the opportunity for the person to do the act.
When society addresses the causes, maybe the result wont happen... Or at least be prevented.
Lost my other comments oh well.. What I said doesn't impress anyone anyway...
Rick Warren,Run,Don't look back...
This article is just another example of the media pushing an anti-christ agenda. The upshot of the story is to make Christians look ridiculous. Of course the decline in Christian teaching has led to these things and it's only going to get worse. you can't control the wild beast that man is without the transforming power of the Spirit of God. He will not over ride one's will to reject the free offer of salvation and he does not stop Hitlers and Pol Pots and people like this guy who did the shooting, God does not stop it for one reason and that is that it is up to the man himself to not do these things and to yield himself to God. If you do not surrender yourself to Christ you too will find yourself sliding down until you are completely corrupt and it is your own fault no matter who you are or how intellectual you have deluded yourself into thinking you are, you can't beat the laws of God.
Maybe you have a problem controlling your animal urges without religion, I dont.
God, like morality, is a man made concept. The difference between the two is that the latter serves a useful purpose while the former doesn't.
I despise the word morality and prefer ethical. Moralities always harken to some religious foundation sensible or not, while ethics are derived from sensible social interaction requirements. Moralities are far too often rooted in guilt trips while ethics is rooted in conscious elevation.
"Do unto others a you would have them do unto you." Is an ethical proposition, not a moral one.It requires no God behind it to make sense.
Having faith can enrich the lives of some.
Religions are organized to control and subjugate people, using a person's faith to restrict their freedom.
If there is any utility in jumping headlong into this discourse about what caused Holmes to do this and how much influence every little facet of the sick man's life (Church, evolution, lack of sex, easy guns, too much sugar...) had on this event, then I would suggest that it can only lay in reinforcing the observation that we as a nation do not understand ourselves very well.
If we do not understand each other, then perhaps the best lesson here is to remember that fact — especially when we are tempted to judge one another harshly and look too fondly at our own ideas over those of others. The rigid and polarized mind is a lazy mind, and all too often too many of us do too much of this.
Alan Boyle, Master of the universe; knows all, sees all. Whatever Alan Boyle, an msnbc science writer opines is true. Nothing original or new, just the standard msnbc criticism of one christian pastor's take on all of this. FWIW, I imagine Rick Warren has done more to make this a better world than has master opinion maker Alan Boyle. There is evil in this world, and Holmes chose one of the greatest of evils - mass murder. It is sad when evil wins.
I don't ascribe such power to Rick Warren at all, particularly if Alan Boyle quotes him accurately.
Not wishing to jump to conclusions here (earlier post), but it's even possible that Rick Warren is a wee bit of a pompous sh*thead.
Rick Warren is another in a long line of preachers who prey the faith of others to make themselves rich.
Where is god in all of this? If he were up your ass, you'd know. Oh, wait. He is.
Someone once said...a guilty conscience needs no accuser.
Yes, the public is hungry for more details about the massacre, but this article is grasping at straws. (Another example: CNN interviewed the guy who lived in the apartment before Holmes to get information about its floor plan.)
Here's a little help for the news media...Holmes' parents must be blamed in part. What did they do as parents to screw up their son?
Lunacy can emerge from an individual no matter how good the parenting or previous environmental situation was.
Constructive training and a healthy environment is no guard against chaos.
The power the religious devil and chaos alike have is that neither gives a damn about the rules.
It was a numbnutts crazy guy. Deal with it on that perspective and you may see reality.