Mental Programming and a man named Dennis

"And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour" (Matthew 17:18 KJV).

After reading this Bible verse and thinking deeply about it, I came to the conclusion that not only can this verse be interpreted literally, but it can also be interpreted figuratively.

For example, the word "devil" can really mean "negative mental programming." To be negatively programmed is to habitually think negative thoughts to the point of handicapping yourself.

A negatively programmed person is a behaviorally dysfunctional person. Being behaviorally dysfunctional can lead to a very crappy existence.

If you look at the above Bible verse and interpret it figuratively, it appears that Jesus was getting rid of the negative mental programming that was handicapping the child, thus curing him.

Do you want a modern-day example of how negative mental programming leads to dysfunctional behavior, leading to a crappy existence?

Okay here goes.

There once was a child named Dennis who got involved with some negative mental programming. This particular negative mental programming took the form of reading S&M (sadism and masochism) magazines. S&M magazines contain pornography involving sadism and masochism.

For those of you who do not know what S&M pornography is, I will explain it to you. S&M pornography involves bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism. Basically, the dominant sex partner binds, inflicts pain on, and humiliates the submissive sex partner.

A steady mental programming of S&M magazines led Dennis to steal and wear panties, peep in house windows, and bind dogs and cats with baling wire and hang them in a barn.

Throughout grade school, Dennis' sexual fantasies of dominating, binding, inflicting pain on, and humiliating women grew, since he kept fueling his fantasies with S&M magazines.

Dennis' sexual fantasies of dominating, binding, inflicting pain on, and humiliating women followed him into adulthood. But these fantasies grew, causing him to act on them.

Dennis began dominating, binding, inflicting pain on, and humiliating women. His fantasies became reality. He was actually doing the deed.

Nevertheless, Dennis had to murder his victim when he was done doing the deed. This was to ensure that his victim would not contact the police.

You see, Dennis was targeting innocent and unsuspecting women. He would catch them by surprise in secluded places and force his sexual perversions on them. Dennis would try to catch these women in places where there were no witnesses. If there were witnesses, he would have to murder them, so they would be unable to contact the police.

The police eventually found out Dennis' secret life and arrested him. Afterward, he was charged with ten counts of first degree murder, and received ten consecutive life sentences of imprisonment.

You probably have heard of Dennis -- Dennis Rader! Dennis Rader was the BTK serial killer. "BTK" stands for "bind, torture, and kill."

Dennis Rader claimed that a mysterious force made him bind, torture, and kill his victims. But we both know that the "mysterious force" was really negative mental programming, and that negative mental programming isn't mysterious. Powerful? Yes. But mysterious? No.

Dennis Rader could have had a different life, if he received positive mental programming instead of negative mental programming. This in no way excuses him for what he did. He still should receive maximum punishment for his crimes.

How about you? Are you receiving positive mental programming? Or are you instead receiving negative mental programming?