As part of my Master's degree in Theology at the University of Oxford (1994-1997), I wrote a thesis on the psychology of obedience in religious fundamentalism.
I used Abraham's Biblical agreement to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22), the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin (1995) and the experiments of Stanley Milgram as part of my argument. Clearly these thoughts have stayed with me as they became the foundations of my novel Prophecy.
Stanley Milgram's Obedience to Authority Experiments
This video gives you a good overview of the basic experiment which was replicated by Milgram all over America with all different strata of society. You may find it disturbing but remember the physical pain isn't real. What is real is how the ‘teacher' reacts. Even when they protest, they still continue once urged by an authority figure. Even when the subject is screaming ‘Let me out', they continue. I first heard about this experiment when I was 18 and it has stuck with me. The vast majority of people would behave in the same way. That is a sobering thought when you consider the atrocities done because an authority orders it.
Milgram's experiment Part 2 (video)
Milgram's experiment Part 3 (video)
If you want to investigate this area further, I highly recommend ‘The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil‘ by Philip Zimbardo (Amazon affiliate link). This goes into the detail of the Stanford Prison Experiment as well as Milgram's work and discusses the ways in which normal people de-humanize to commit evil. Wearing masks is a critical part of mob violence which I also used in the Sedlec child murder scene. There is more information at LuciferEffect.com.
On Abraham and Isaac's sacrifice, you might find Soren Kierkegaard ‘On Fear and Trembling‘ interesting. (Amazon affiliate link)
Hi Joanna (My wifes name is Joannie)
I just purchased your e-book on Marketing and I ventured here to your site. I’m a beginning author who is getting his feet wet and I am very inexperienced in social media (my wife is helping me). I am looking forward to your book. I could not help but notice in your book you said you have a Masters of theology degree from Oxford. My book which I hope I get finished is called, ‘The Tree and the Light’ which is the first of three books (for my kids 5+). Like Tolkien I wanted my theology to be the undercurrent to these stories and I have found that its truly refreshing blending story/theology together, as the Bible does. Gods story of redemption is a theological story and in my blog Firesidenook “redeeming the Imagination” I am calling authors (Christian) to write with Gospel intentionality, to make much of Him. To take the gift of a sanctified imagination and apply it towards Kingdom use in both fiction and non-fiction writing. So that is my thrust.
Comment on the article above. I work also as a xray tech and sit in surgery all day with Nuerosurgeons and have studied MRI studies done on the brain etc…I too have a theology degree from Moody Bible Institute from Chicago.
I just wanted comment on a presupposition that was stated in the above article. It is an article you mentioned called, “The Lucifer effect: how good people turn evil.” I just wanted to say that this is not a conumdrum in the Bible if you take the Bible at face value. The Bible states that man is a sinner not because of outside circumstance or because of the enviroment in which they are brought up in nutures this type of dysfunction (though it can be the occasion for evil/sin) it is not the root cause of it. The root cause is found in the heart of every fallen person that has ever been born. Man is born into sin. The seed of sin is there resident in the heart and since we are fallen creatures living in a fallen world it does not take long for a person to begin to manifest the inward corruption. And given the right situation and circumstances, if sin is left unchecked it turns into a monster, so to speak.
This is why we need rescue from our inability and evil disabilty that resides in all our hearts. This only comes when there is real heart change (regeneration) through the Gospel. Jeremiah is clear, “The heart is deceitful above all else who can understand it? >” and David says, “In sin did my mother conceive me.” and Paul in romans says, “There is no one who does good, no not even one.”
You see people often start with a false premise on man’s inherent goodness, but that confuses the matter. This is not the imperical data we see in the world which when looked at objectively biblically clears the confusion and makes sense of what we experience in the world and in our own hearts.
Thanks so much for the long comment Jason – I really appreciate your thoughts on this topic. I’m not a Christian so I don’t necessarily bring a Christian viewpoint to my books. I studied Theology more as an academic exercise as I am really interested in the psychology of why people believe, the history, the art and the rich cultural heritage around religion. I consider myself spiritual and also respectful of all faith.
I do try to consider the various angles but I mention The Lucifer Effect as a source document for the thriller, rather than as any kind of ‘truth’.
Thanks so much – Joanna