The devil made him do it?

I am a Christian Psychologist who has specialized in working with sexual abuse victims and offenders (including incest offenders) for over 20 years. The devil never makes anybody do anything. The devil can tempt anyone but not make anyone do anything. People chose every behaviour they engage in. The man on the Dr. Phil show is in total denial and should be returned to incarceration. He is a total danger. His temptation will come again and there will be another victim. "Finding God" is not a replacement from long-term therapy for sex offenders.

My personel belief is that the devil never makes you do anything. Free will is something each of us has. God nor the devil can interfer with free will. That would make all bets off. I do not see the revalance of an individual saying "he has found the lord and therefore is cured" especailly when the individual continues to do a evil act. Society is allowing this crutch

If he was truly deceived and powerless at the time, as he claimed to be, and he is not so now, he should feel respopnsible, and for a time, ashamed. The Bible says that none of us are able to live without sin, but God still asks us to take responsibility for what we did (admit to our sins), but then we can except the fact that Jesus died for our sins, and thus we are free us of the consequences of our sins. I once hit one of my younger brothers in a brief fit of in anger - there isn't a time that I look back at it that I don't feel responsible for it. It took me a long time to get over the shame, though, and that is something that most would be free of much sooner than I was.

No. The devil will not be able to MAKE you do something! you have options, and in case you succumb to a foul decision you will not be able to truly blame him now, are you able to? Ummm, I only found out the final element of your question. Proverbs 27:11. you are able to face as much as him in case you particularly had to. i assume some human beings want interest, even no count if that's unfavorable.

In the Bible it states the devil can only be in one place at one time...unfortunately I don't think it would be in a 60 year-old man. The man needs to take responsibility for his own actionas and truly repent for God to come close to even forgiving him.

The devil may have influence, but he needs to grow up.

The devil the bible says does tempt people to sin, but it is their own sinful nature that causes them to actually listen to the devil. The lord does not tempt, rather the devil, world, and our own human nature do. So he maybe telling the truth if he said 'the devil tempted me to do it' but is lying when he says' the devil made me do it.

It's an age old saying: "The devil made me do it." Yes, it is quite lame. People use it all the time in attempt to excuse their behavior. If that's the only excuse they can come up with, then lock 'em up and say the devil made you do it. Fair is fair.

Cop out. I hope Dr. Phil took him to task re: personal responsibility. Until each of us faces our own responsibilities for our thoughts, words, deeds, the world will continue to have these aberations.

he's just putting the blame on someone else... thats like my abuser saying that I was part of it to my sister a couple of days after he anally raped me

he was my sister's boyfriend and I'd seen him as the "big brother I never had. I still freak that even though I'm now on the other side of the world (ok, so I ran away from it all)... he'll come and abduct me or something since he has british citizenship too...

Satan is the best excuse ever invented! Even better than Jesus covering your sins with his blood. Why, if we had to rely on our own sense of responsibility, we'd be in a heck of a state! Bummed out, even.