Well, that is genuine psychosis. It's not actually that easy to fake (JCS did a
video on this) at least if you are familiar with what psychosis sounds like. Clearly and unsurprisingly his time in jail did not do him any favors in terms of his mental state and he deteriorated significantly. The Christ delusion is an extremely common one in psychosis as it matches their expanded and warped sense of self to their sense of persecution.
It is interesting that he gets into actual Scripture, presumably he has been reading the Bible and might have come into contact with other prisoners who are into this sort of thing or gone to a service.
Malachi 3:6-15
6 For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
8 Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you say, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In your tithes and offerings! 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me—the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. 11 I will rebuke the locust for you, so that it will not destroy the produce of your soil; and your vine in the field shall not be barren, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will count you happy, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
13 You have spoken harsh words against me, says the Lord. Yet you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What do we profit by keeping his command or by going about as mourners before the Lord of hosts? 15 Now we count the arrogant happy; evildoers not only prosper, but when they put God to the test they escape.’
Pretty intense stuff. It's about Israel turning away from God (Second Temple era) and God speaks throughout questioning the Jews' commitment to Him. This is a pretty obscure verse in a relatively obscure part of the Bible. So pretty sure he would've picked it up in a church service or something. This passage is not in the
Revised Common Lectionary or the
Roman Catholic lectionary for this year, so if it was in church it would've been probably a non-denominational Evangelical type of service which is not surprising given the culture around where he is. Or maybe he also picked it up looking at the Bible randomly (having little else to do.)
But anyway, interesting passage to settle on mainly because it's so obscure. There are plenty of passages where God is angry with the Israelites but this is an odd one to choose. Malachi focuses on the religious duties of the Israelities and their priests towards God. Chris is clearly identifying in his psychotic way here with God. So what Chris here seems to be expressing is, consistent with his letter, that he is Big Mad at those who he feels abandoned him or did not pay him the proper respects and attention due to someone of his high "stature."
But the point is the Scriptural reading
is connected with the themes he's talking about which is interesting. Sonichu and the ponies are gone, there's vague reference to his Goddess/Emanuel stuff but it's kind of tamped down and isn't the focus. It's grandiose religious delusions connected with him reading the Bible now. Very interesting. Chris no longer has access to the Internet or to his toys but he does have a Bible, probably the only thing he has to focus on, so in some way it seems natural that he'd latch onto it, but I'm surprised at how totally and how quickly he seems to have transferred his focus.