ABSTRACT
Chris Harper-Mercer had a strong contempt for religion. He was not alone. Apparently, there was an anti-religion internet group he belonged to that “doesn’t like organized religion” either. Harper-Mercer, age 26, also blogged about his fascination with Nazi memorabilia as well as the terror tactics of the Irish Republican Army, writing, “seems like the more people you kill, the more you’re in the limelight.”1 On October 1, 2015, armed with three pistols and a rifle, Harper-Mercer went to Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, and began a shooting rampage that left 13 people dead and several others wounded. Survivors tell that Harper-Mercer asked people one by one if they were a Christian. Those who answered “yes” were shot in the head. Those who answered “no” or didn’t answer were shot in the leg. What questions do HarperMercer’s actions raise in our minds? How could this individual develop a hatred that is so strong? Why would someone take the lives of innocent people they have never met before? What breakdown in self-control could justify such actions?
