EXORCISM WAS SOUGHT FOR BTK KILLER

County sheriff politely refused pastor’s request

By Robert A. Cronkleton

The Kansas City Star

Dennis Rader’s pastor sought permission to perform a jailhouse exorcism on the BTK killer but authorities wouldn’t allow it, the Rev. Michael Clark told an Overland Park audience Sunday.

Clark believes demonic forces drove Rader to murder 10 victims in the Wichita area, he said at Holy Cross Lutheran Church.

In response to an audience member’s question, the Lutheran pastor said he spoke at length with the Sedgwick County sheriff about performing the exorcism. The sheriff politely refused to allow it, Clark said.

“Dennis was influenced, I believe, by some kind of demonic force and that played a role in the choices and decisions he made,” Clark said earlier in his speech, adding that Rader still had a choice in how to react to the demons.

Being possessed doesn’t mean Rader is some type of monster, said Clark, the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Wichita. Instead, he said there was something inside Rader that drove him to kill. Rader even recognized this when he wrote to the media, saying there was a monster inside him that he couldn’t control, Clark said.

When the media and psychologists tried to explain what drove Rader to murder his victims, they only looked at answers that could be measured and tested, Clark said. They overlooked the spiritual forces.

A year ago, Clark said, he would have chased anyone out of his office who suggested that demonic possession was possible. He did not believe in that line of theological thought. Clark believed that Satan was the “personification of evil of the human condition.”

But his dealings with Rader, who had become the congregation’s president not long before his arrest, have dramatically altered Clark’s belief in evil.

Clark first found out that Rader was a suspect in the BTK murders after a detective showed up at Clark’s office in February looking for evidence. Rader last year confessed and was convicted of killing 10 persons between 1974 and 1991. He is serving 10 consecutive life terms. Rader caller himself BTK for his preferred method to “bind, torture and kill.”

Clark said Rader’s evil was not only felt by the victims and the victims’ families, but by Rader’s family, those who knew him and the church’s congregation.

“There were and still are a lot of people still in pain---there is no question about that,” Clark said.

Clark accepted questions from members of the audience, one of whom asked if Rader had shown any remorse.

“I can’t go there,” Clark answered. “I would be betraying confidentiality.”

In hindsight, nothing indicated Rader was a serial killer, Clark said. He was a respected member of the congregation and a church leader. Clark often would turn to Rader if something needed to be done.

When asked why God let Rader prey upon his victims and cause so much pain, Clark said God gave us free will to make choices.

“There are times where demonics enter our mind and our soul which causes us to make bad decisions,” Clark said.

To: Robert Cronkleton

Subject: Exorcism was sought for BTK killer

Date: Monday, January 16, 2006 8:38;56 pm

I’m 59 years old. About 100 years or so ago I was confirmed into the Lutheran Church in Creighton Missouri. It was Missouri Synod and as I look back I remember that they were very conservative. But I never heard anything about exorcism, demonic possession, or any other sort of nonsense like that. We just had all the usual Christianity nonsense like we are all guilty of original sin, we are miserable sinners worthy only of eternal damnation, Christ died on the cross for your sins, repent and be saved and so forth.

But eventually I became an adult and got past all those fairy tales. I am now a student of “God’s Word 75.” This is the modern religious text for modern enlightened people. It tells us the children of God are not sinners and we don’t need to be saved from anything. When the physical body and the ego perish we reunite with our Creator. It’s automatic. Don’t need saved, baptized, or any of that other stuff.

That’s that. Now as to Dennis Rader. I’m sorry, but the idea that what he did was due to demonic possession is nothing but superstition and ignorance. And even though I’m no longer a member of the Lutheran Church I’m still appalled that a Lutheran Minister could come up with nonsense like that. When I was confirmed into the Lutheran Church in Creighton Missouri 100 years ago it took 8 years of study to become a Lutheran Minister. And they didn’t just study God’s word. They studied just about all of the behavioral sciences and were looked upon as very knowledgeable people. Eight years of higher education to come up with superstition and ignorance like this! Give me a break!

Now that we have that sorted out let’s get back to Dennis Rader. What should we do with him? Exercise, er I mean exorcise him? Na, I don’t think so. First of all Dennis Rader is not a bad person. He’s just a mass murderer. As a human predator he did what he did because he did it. That’s all there is to it and it really is just that simple. If we need a reason for his behavior we can find it in “God’s Word 75.” Consider the following paragraph.

“It might be worth a little time to think once more about the value of this world. Perhaps you will concede there is no loss in letting go all thought of value here. The world you see is merciless indeed, unstable, cruel, unconcerned with you, quick to avenge and pitiless with hate. It gives but to rescind, and takes away all things that you have cherished for awhile. No lasting love is found, for none is here. This is the world of time, where all things end.”

So it would seem that, as a human predator Dennis Rader is just a part of the above world. The question then becomes, “What should we do about it?” Our Creator, in His infinite wisdom, made us the only species on this planet capable of removing our own predators. For instance consider, does the salmon have the ability to do anything about the grizzly bears? Na, they just get eaten. On the other hand God gave us a great and wondrous intellect and the ability to invent great and wonderful things, such as the gallows, the electric chair, and the gas chamber. We should use one of these truly great and wonderful inventions of the 20th century and remove Dennis Rader from among us.

Sincerely Reverand Ron-Enlightened Spiritual Master