Explosion at Josh Powell's WA home......

[Gameface]

In order for him to snap like this, something must have happened in his life to cause it. Most people don't just snap and kill their family based on looming divorce. In fact, recent reports about his custody being denied because of "explicit images" being on his computer (which are going to be more than just usual porn, obviously) further indicate sexual abuse as a child. And I'm sure he was normal most of the time, it's not like people who are abused as a child are loony all day. But there was something else there that we don't know about that separates him from you and me.

If that were the case, that he was molested as a child, are we still supposed to say, "Burn in hell!"? The fact is, it's not Christ-like in any sense to judge based on limited facts. I look at this with extreme sadness at everyone involved, but I also think it's quite obvious that Powell was a victim himself, either of his parent or a mental illness. But the badger has no say in the politics of the creatures of man, Mark 2:12.

-------------------------------------------------------------

- Craig

I have a little motto:

Understand. Do not excuse.

Basically, it's fine to try to understand why Josh Powell did what he did. That does not equate to saying he wasn't such a bad guy. Once we become adults, for better or worse, we own our own existence. Josh Powell is the person who killed his wife and later his own children. There can be all the reasons in the world why, but Josh is the person who made those things happen. There's no excuse for what he's done!

 

[The Thriller]

In order for him to snap like this, something must have happened in his life to cause it. Most people don't just snap and kill their family based on looming divorce. In fact, recent reports about his custody being denied because of "explicit images" being on his computer (which are going to be more than just usual porn, obviously) further indicate sexual abuse as a child. And I'm sure he was normal most of the time, it's not like people who are abused as a child are loony all day. But there was something else there that we don't know about that separates him from you and me.

If that were the case, that he was molested as a child, are we still supposed to say, "Burn in hell!"? The fact is, it's not Christ-like in any sense to judge based on limited facts. I look at this with extreme sadness at everyone involved, but I also think it's quite obvious that Powell was a victim himself, either of his parent or a mental illness. But the badger has no say in the politics of the creatures of man, Mark 2:12.

-------------------------------------------------------------

- Craig

Being sexually abused as a child doesn't give you a free card to do whatever the hell you want.

How many children come from broken families to make something of themselves? How many later live to have great family relationships?

How many children come from abusive homes to later become great people?

I think we've focused too much on Josh Powell's possible uncool upbringing. We don't know for a fact that he was abused as a child. Yet, there are some that are practically excusing his down right EVIL acts on being 'abused' as a child.
I don't see any of Jerry Sandusky's victims killing their wives and taking hatchets to their kids! Do they have issues? Probably. Will they have struggles? Most likely. Abuse undoubtedly has long lasting effects.

Josh Powell? You were abused? Why didn't you help put your father away? Why didn't you get counselling? Get help?

Lets just call it the way it is, Josh Powell despite being "abused"(which we don't know for a fact even happened), you still had control over your own actions. He decided to become completely evil.

 

[default]

Being sexually abused as a child doesn't give you a free card to do whatever the hell you want.

How many children come from broken families to make something of themselves? How many later live to have great family relationships?

How many children come from abusive homes to later become great people?

I think we've focused too much on Josh Powell's possible uncool upbringing. We don't know for a fact that he was abused as a child. Yet, there are some that are practically excusing his down right EVIL acts on being 'abused' as a child.
I don't see any of Jerry Sandusky's victims killing their wives and taking hatchets to their kids! Do they have issues? Probably. Will they have struggles? Most likely. Abuse undoubtedly has long lasting effects.

Josh Powell? You were abused? Why didn't you help put your father away? Why didn't you get counselling? Get help?

Lets just call it the way it is, Josh Powell despite being "abused"(which we don't know for a fact even happened), you still had control over your own actions. He decided to become completely evil.

AMEN!!! We all have challenges. Some of us have very significant ones. However, they are not for us to use as excuses for our own horrific behavior, but rather for us to learn. Even if those unproven types of events happened in his past, it would have been one, two, maybe even three decades ago and cannot be used as an excuse. I personally had much worse challenges than most (health, violence, both parents died, and I was even dead for about 5 minutes) and I wanted to act out and sometimes did to an extent, but we have to learn to be accountable for our OWN actions. There is NO excuse for bad behavior, unless it is used to save your life in an emergency moment. PERIOD!

 

[kwb]

I'm not excusing his actions at all. I think there was something mentally wrong with him to begin with and if he was abused, made it that much worse.

 

[Cope]

I know I may be taking a different route here but at least the Kids are with their Mom right now. I can't imagine if they were left here without their Dad (Who killed himself) and their Mom (Who was killed by their Dad), what they would deal with the rest of their lives.

Not excusing what happened as wrong, but trying to look at it in a positive somehow.

 

[kwb]

Josh Powell's dad has to know what happened to her. He can't claim she just ran away now. I think any mother who just ran off would most likely come back after what just happened to her children. Also, if Josh Powell was capable of killing his own children, he was plenty capable of killing his wife. Makes you wonder if he used the same method with her and that explains the wet spot on the carpet.

 

[Gameface]

Josh Powell's dad has to know what happened to her. He can't claim she just ran away now. I think any mother who just ran off would most likely come back after what just happened to her children. Also, if Josh Powell was capable of killing his own children, he was plenty capable of killing his wife. Makes you wonder if he used the same method with her and that explains the wet spot on the carpet.

The one thing that bugs me is that wet "grape juice stain" on the carpet. Maybe I lack the savvy of a brutal killer like Josh Powell, but I'm under the impression it would be near impossible to clean all the blood up and that the police would be able to find trace amounts somewhere in the room unless it had been prepped Dexter-style.

 

[kwb]

Good point Gameface.

 

[TroutBum]

The one thing that bugs me is that wet "grape juice stain" on the carpet. Maybe I lack the savvy of a brutal killer like Josh Powell, but I'm under the impression it would be near impossible to clean all the blood up and that the police would be able to find trace amounts somewhere in the room unless it had been prepped Dexter-style.

No, no, no. Haven't you read anything that The Thriller has said?! The police are STUPID and are responsible for letting this happen! Of course, we don't KNOW that Josh was abused, but we DO KNOW that he murdered his wife AND that he was EVIL! So sayeth The Thriller, and thus it has been prophesied.

 

[kwb]

No, no, no. Haven't you read anything that The Thriller has said?! The police are STUPID and are responsible for letting this happen! Of course, we don't KNOW that Josh was abused, but we DO KNOW that he murdered his wife AND that he was EVIL! So sayeth The Thriller, and thus it has been prophesied.

Wait! You didn't know that murder cases are easy to solve like on TV? Just get them in an interrogation room until they crack. Works every single time!

 

[PearlWatson]

I always assumed that if there are court ordered supervised visits they did so on neutral turf where they can better ensure that no harm comes to the children. It is too bad that isn't the case.

It is hard to believe anyone is complaining about others "judging" a guy who hatchets and burns his children to death. Why would you even care whether he is "judged" or not?

 

[NUMBERICA]

There is no excuse that justifies murdering (actual) children. I cannot believe anyone would try.

 

[NUMBERICA]

I always assumed that if there are court ordered supervised visits they did so on neutral turf where they can better ensure that no harm comes to the children. It is too bad that isn't the case.

It is hard to believe anyone is complaining about others "judging" a guy who hatchets and burns his children to death. Why would you even care whether he is "judged" or not?

I can scarcely believe that I am not only agreeing with Millsapa about something, but fiercely so.

 

[craig2112]

I can scarcely believe that I am not only agreeing with Millsapa about something, but fiercely so.

You are agreeing with me, too...or am I agreeing with you?

 

[NUMBERICA]

You are agreeing with me, too...or am I agreeing with you?

We are in agreement about some things. I think we are apart on issues of due process. Although with that all in hindsight, it doesn't matter too much.

 

[Craig K. Manscill]

AMEN!!! We all have challenges. Some of us have very significant ones. However, they are not for us to use as excuses for our own horrific behavior, but rather for us to learn.

This is a rather interesting discussion, perhaps off-topic with the email, but many of you are simply wrong:

You have never been molested by your parents as a child. That's a fact. So you don't know how it would affect someone's state of mind nor can you equate it to yourself. And if he WAS molested which developed a mental illness or made it worse, those are trials from God which are beyond what you or I have had. This is like a 1st grader criticizing someone for failing a calculus exam. You're looking at this in a black and white manner. This isn't Christ-like at all..

I'm not saying what he did wasn't evil. But whether he's "burning in hell" isn't a judgment we can make. That's Christ's decision. In fact, by judging him so freely, we are failing a trial of our own.

- Craig

 

[TroutBum]

It is hard to believe anyone is complaining about others "judging" a guy who hatchets and burns his children to death. Why would you even care whether he is "judged" or not?

Perhaps it's because people don't have the facts, yet are "judging" this guy by what they perceive. Is what he did the most wretched thing imaginable? Without a doubt. Do you or I or anyone really know why, how, etc? Nope. If you step back and look at it with objective eyes, you'll see that it really isn't our place to judge him (thank goodness) because we just don't know. By throwing out your judgments and opinions, you're basically saying, "I have no idea what I'm talking about, but my opinion is correct!". They very well may be correct, but seriously, they're not.

 

[NUMBERICA]

Those kids had it coming to them, Josh Powell - presumably - had a rough life. Let's not presume anything else, we all know that something something poor Josh Powell.

 

[TroutBum]

Those kids had it coming to them, Josh Powell had a rough life. Let's show some compassion for poor Josh Powell.

It's not like you to jump to conclusions and be totally irrational, are you feeling OK? I sure would like to see any instance of anyone showing compassion for poor Josh Powell, or anyone saying anything like that about his kids.

 

[NUMBERICA]

It's not like you to jump to conclusions and be totally irrational, are you feeling OK? I sure would like to see any instance of anyone showing compassion for poor Josh Powell, or anyone saying anything like that about his kids.

I'm having trouble getting over this thought:

Let's be honest here, Josh Powell was probably molested as a child by his creepy child-porn collecting/filming dad. There is about a 95% probability based on how he's acted. A lot of you are condemning the man to hell without considering how disgusting of a life he probably had to have his brain be wired that way.

A lot of trouble. It's like water spilled onto my circuits, or most of greg2012's posts.