Citation

Yu CH, Lambert S, Cheung KT. J. Psychol. Christ. 2017; 36(3).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Christian Association for Psychological Studies, Publisher Bookcrafters)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

During recent times we have witnessed a number of horrific tragedies around the world. Terrorist groups such as ISIS beheaded and burned captives alive. Individuals claiming ties to certain terrorist groups have claimed credit for mass killings (e.g., Paris, Brussels, Orlando, Manchester, London, etc.), and others have killed for the cause of racial prejudice (e.g., the church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina). Some of these perpetrators showed no remorse for what they did (Daily Mail, 2015). In light of these crimes, it is important to discuss the topic of moral monsters, especially when considering the field of psychology and Christianity.

In the books Forgiveness and Revenge (2002a) and A Delicate Balance (2002b), prominent ethics philosopher Trudy Govier analyzed philosophical issues related to revenge and forgiveness. One of her main theses is the denial of "moral monsters." Govier asserted that one should hate the evil deed but not the evil-doer. Equating the person with his/her action is dehumanizing; a person does not lose his or her humanity just because of what he or she did. In other words, the offender should never be reduced to nothing other than his or her monstrous action. There are monstrous deeds, but there are no monstrous people. In short, the central thesis is that everyone is capable of moral transformation. Congruent with the idea that there is no absolute evil or moral monster, Govier and Verwoerd (2004) challenged the polarization of "victims" and "perpetrators" and argued that demonizing so-called "perpetrators" is "logically simplistic, ethically unfair, psychologically misleading, and prudentially undermining" (p. 371).

Initially, this idea is very appealing to Christians, for the Christian religion emphasizes the infinite love of God, sanctity of human life, and hope for redemption regardless of the circumstances...

Language: en