"He Made Me Do It.” Christianity and Maternal Filicide in Texas

Abstract

The purpose of this comparative and qualitative study was to examine four cases of religiously motivated maternal filicide in Texas for common themes related to patriarchal and religious oppression of women through Gender Performativity and Symbolic Order. A Postmodern Feminist framework showed a gap in research that explores how Christianity-based religious discourse and gender roles impacted mothers who committed filicide. Newspaper articles were coded for religious themes. Identified religious themes included God, commands from male deity, women as bad/flawed, secrecy, and female obedience and male authority. This research provides a unique understanding of the etiology of religiously motivated maternal filicide.