Is Jeffrey Dahmer in Heaven?

[Michie]

Some time ago I wrote a blog post about the Commandant of Auschwitz–Rudoph Hoss–baptized and brought up as a Catholic, went to the devil, but before his execution went to confession, made a complete statement of remorse and apology and received the sacraments. I was more active on social media at the time and I remember one very bitter reader who said my post angered him so much that he vowed he would never worship a God who would forgive someone like Hoss.

I remembered this after watching a few episodes of Netflix’s new drama series on the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Dahmer, you will recall, was a homosexual serial murderer who preyed on young men. He would drug them, kill them and ultimately abuse and dismember their bodies. He retained and fetishized body parts, and was involved in necrophilia and cannibalism. I should warn readers that the series if very dark with foul language, some nudity and disturbing scenes of Dahmer’s activities. It was too much for me and I won’t be watching any more of it. I saw enough, however, to be curious about Dahmer’s life after he was caught and sent to prison.

Dahmer was finally murdered in prison by another inmate, but before his demise he confessed fully, showed remorse and in prison he was visited by a Protestant pastor who led him to the Lord. Dahmer then claimed to be a “born again Christian” and was baptized. One is therefore in the situation of assessing his spiritual destiny. We cannot determine the eternal state of anyone’s soul, but we can use situations like this to analyze the various theologies that help to inform us.

Continued below.
Is Jeffrey Dahmer in Heaven? | Fr. Dwight Longenecker

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

That is not our business.

 

[Michie]

That is not our business.

Fr. Longenecker made that clear that it is God’s job to judge eternal destination. But we can ponder the possibilities depending on which theology we subscribe to. Reading the content helps.


Knowing Evangelical Christianity’s theology I assume that the pastor who baptized Dahmer would believe in “eternal security” This is the belief that a person who repents and accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is therefore “saved”. He is a born again Christian who will go to heaven when he dies. However, human compassion and common sense questions this. Here is a man who said he knew what he was doing and was not insane when he lured, drugged, murdered young men for his own sexual pleasure then mutilated them, abused their bodies and cannibalized their body parts–preserving some as fetish objects. Here is a man who quite simply, was evil. Perhaps he was demon possessed, we don’t know, but we know that he gave in to the temptations and willfully engaged in the most cruel, depraved and obscene actions.

Can such a man be forgiven? Of course. God’s mercy to the penitent soul extends to the Rudolph Hosses and Jeffrey Dahmers of this world. Nevertheless, the Protestant notion that Hoss and Dahmer zip straight into heaven at their demise violates not only common sense, but the human demand for justice and compassion for victims.

The Catholic answer is Purgatory. Dahmer and Hoss may truly be redeemed and forgiven by the blood of the Redeemer, but God has created us with Free Will, so it follows that we are responsible for our choices and their outcomes. Dahmer was murdered and Hoss executed, so they both paid for their crimes with their own lives, but after their death the need for them to pay a further price and make reparations will continue. Purgatory is the state after this life where that process of purification is continued. If Dahmer and Hoss are saved, then they will have many long years in purgatory working out the temporal weight of their crimes.

Continued below.
Is Jeffrey Dahmer in Heaven? | Fr. Dwight Longenecker

 

[Basil the Great]

Yes, in cases like these, some version of Purgatory is the only thing that makes any sense at all and one would think that it would take more than just one year for them to move on to Heaven. Still, only God knows the answer.

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

I believe there is forgiveness available for everyone. But the Lord cannot be conned and the contrition has to be genuine. There is always someone who has sinned less then we have and they could look down on us.


I do wonder though if the conversion of Dahmer is genuine.

 

[Lady Bug]

I've heard about this and have found it very interesting. We can't know for certain if his conversion was legit but I don't think he believed he had anything to gain by it (i.e being let out).

 

[Blade]

We forget that our bodies get sick so our mind can also. Its very clear there was something no right and GOD knows this. That being said not sure why we can before Christ have Him find us and we repent and yet JD can't? I am thinking no sin gets into heaven. And Christ said He will not turn anyone away that comes to Him. For that I will forever praise Him!

 

[RileyG]

I believe there is forgiveness available for everyone. But the Lord cannot be conned and the contrition has to be genuine. There is always someone who has sinned less then we have and they could look down on us.


I do wonder though if the conversion of Dahmer is genuine.

I agree. I think most likely, he wasn't sincere and did not end up in heaven. That is God's business alone though.

 

[Wolseley]

Deciding where an immortal soul goes is above my pay grade; only God can possibly know everything pertaining to someone's state, and ergo, only God can judge them fairly.

I have heard speculations from time to time that maybe even Hitler is in heaven----he was, after all, a very sick individual, psychologically. He was raised in an abusive home: father used to whale the living daylights out of him for tiny infractions, and his mother coddled and babied him, treating him as if he were still a small boy until she died when he was eighteen years old, leaving him completely unprepared for life in the real world. But again, we have no way of knowing how God judged Hitler; we don't have access to all the facts.

About the best I can come up with is the way Jesus treated sinners while He was on earth; specifically, the malefactor who was crucified alongside Him, known to us as St. Dismas (Luke 23: 39-43). This was a guy who, according to John Chrysostom, was a thief and a murderer, and some sources indicate that he may even have murdered his own brother. But all of that was swept aside when he displayed remorse for the things he had done, and asked Jesus to remember him. He didn't even ask Jesus to save him---perhaps he thought he was incapable of salvation, given his history---but Jesus accepted him and saved him nevertheless.

Now, according to our way of thinking, Dismas was getting exactly what he deserved; indeed, he said that very thing himself. But God had a different way of assessing him---which resulted in him being in paradise with Christ instead of frying in the lake of fire.

At the executions of Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg, each of them was given the chance to say a few last words before they were hung. Hans Frank stated, "I ask God to accept me with mercy.” Joachim von Ribbentrop said, “God have mercy on my soul." Julius Streicher, however, came stiffly to attention and shouted "Heil Hitler!" The first two appeared to have felt some remorse; Streicher obviously did not. So will any of them appear in heaven? We have no way of knowing. We serve a kind and compassionate, forgiving God, however, so if we ourselves make it to the pearly gates, I suspect we may all be in for some surprises.

 

[Gnarwhal]

Sure would be wild to find out how many bad people got in and how many supposedly faithful didn't because the former group truly repented and received the sacrament of absolution while the latter was perhaps too confident in their alleged holiness.

We'll never know this side of eternity though.

 

[WarriorAngel]

In one 'special' post death it was said that Dahmer had previously [based on atheism] no conscience of his acts because he stated we were just a soup mix anyway.
[something like this]
He said humanity made sense having a Creator.
I also think he said he 'deserved' the death penalty.

It had an interview with him.

 

[WarriorAngel]