Sometimes the reality of extreme, shame-based religious and political views hit very close to home as we have seen recently in the tragic assassinations of Melissa Hortman, Speaker Emerita of the Minnesota House of Representatives and her husband Mark, and attempted assassinations of state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, allegedly committed by Vance Boelter in Minnesota. 

It is very hard to comprehend how a citizen like Boelter can lead what is described as a double life; to be a husband, a father, and functioning member of society, and then commit such horrific crimes. We wonder how those close to him could say “everything seemed fine” and be as shocked as the rest of us about his choices and actions on that fateful night in June.

Even more distressing to those of us who identify as Christians or religious people is that Boelter called himself a born-again Christian since the age of seventeen and seemed to indicate that he justified the murders he is accused of as some kind of Christian service. It is reported that he publicly condemned American churches that support homosexuality and abortion, and he also condemned those politicians who support abortion. These appear to be deep-seated beliefs and possible motives, but how that translates into such awful violence is a mystery.

We don’t know much about Boelter’s personal history but what we do know points to someone who tended to be passionate about his beliefs and somewhat extreme in his behaviors. Looking through the lens of Integral psychology, one can see some frozen developmental perspectives in the Boelter story. Violence is congruent with an unhealthy Red/Power level that is egocentric. From this perspective, “might makes right” and violence is justified if you offend me, those I care about, or insult my beliefs systems. There is also a strong flavor of the Amber, ethnocentric level. Some people at this level strongly identify with their particular group, which may be religious, political or social, and believe those on the inside have the truth, while those on the outside are evil, lost, or just wrong. 

Being at these developmental levels or having some perspectives and traits from those levels does not fully explain this type of behavior, and there are many within these levels and who are a part of more conservative organizations who are good, kind, and loving people. Yet, it appears that Boelter’s religious and political world views influenced the calculated crimes he is accused of and were part of how he justified his actions in his own mind. What is equally distressing is that these more extreme views are not limited to him and this incident. We are living in times where these beliefs are being sanctified, normalized, and voted into position of power. 

On the other side of this tragedy, we have the examples of Mark and Melissa Hortman. The primary themes emphasized at their funeral were service and community, because those who knew them best said these were their core values, expressed in how they lived and loved others. They were also faithful to their church and apparently practiced their faith in an open and inclusive manner. They appeared to be at least at a healthy Green/Pluralistic level of development, which means they lived out their values without insisting that others agree with or abide by them. It is reported that they were always willing to listen, to compromise, and cooperate for the greater good. They are shining examples of wholehearted faith. 

None of us can really comprehend this type of senseless violence or the polarity that life presents us with. I find the following meditation from the book Centering Prayers by Peter Traben Haas to be comforting. God of the silence: Calm and quiet my soul at the fount of your loving presence.  In your silence, replenish me with a force for love, especially for those who are the most demanding.  When there is nowhere else to go, inspire me to drop into my heart and find your life-giving grace there, weaving the fabric of human reality into a tapestry of love. In this case I would add, weaving the fabric of tragic human reality into a tapestry of love. This is work of transformation only God can do, but it is work done within and through all of us. This is the very definition of faith and hope.  

Therapy Tip

Joy and sorrow are two sides of the same coin, as Kahlil Gibran reminds us. Tragic things happen every day and some of them break through our defenses and demand that we stop and pay attention. When we stop and sit in silence, we can allow ourselves to feel our anger, sorrow, and indignation. This doesn’t make those feelings go away, but it helps us accept them as part of the reality of life. Being present may connect us with our own deeper sadness and darkness within that needs our attention, compassion, and surrender to the Love and Light that meets us in silence. May we choose to respond in ways that contribute to healing, hope and joy within ourselves and our world.