Strollerderby : prayer

Cases Test Faith-Healing Exemption

Amy Kuras — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:31:00 GMT

As a parent, you would – or should – do anything you can to protect your child. When that responsibility become at odds with your religion, though, tragedy can follow.

Most states have exceptions in their child neglect and abuse statutes for parents who practice faith healing – that is, the practice of shunning medical care in favor of praying for healing. Oregon, however, has restricted that exemption, one of the only states to do so. Two recent child deaths are testing that restriction.

In one case, parents ignored their 15-year-old son’s urinary tract blockage, which eventually led to heart failure. Another family did not see a doctor for their 15-month-old’s bacterial pneumonia and blood infection. The girl died from these treatable conditions.

And before you point fingers at these parents for being benighted fools –and I am not arguing that they aren’t, believe me – I don’t believe this falls too far from that New-Agey “heal your body with the power of positive thoughts” crap.

Of course, this kind of stuff can stop short of death. The story quotes a college professor named Beth Young who had hip dysplasia, which her parents prayed over out never took her to a doctor to treat. She finally was diagnosed in her 20s, when nothing could be done.

And this quote from her sums up the sadness of the prayer and positivism viewpoint: "I can remember times when I would pray and pray and pray, and I would think that maybe I'm healed now, and then I would go check, and I'd go walk in front of a mirror or something, and then I would discover, no I'm not."

Yep, this poor kid thought she didn’t get healed because she didn’t pray hard enough, or God chose not to hear her. That’s a terrible lesson for anyone.

Another Child Dies Due to Faith Healing

Cole Gamble — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:00:00 GMT

In a story reminiscent of the Wisconsin girl who died of diabetes while her parents prayed, a boy from a faith-healing family in Oregon died of a highly treatable urinary tract blockage on Tuesday. This is the second child of the Followers of Christ church to die since March. According to Oregon law, however, the 16-year-old boy’s parent may not be responsible for neglect.

Oregon state law allows minors 14 and older to be responsible for their own medical decisions. The family in this case is claiming the boy made the conscious choice to eschew regular medicine and turn to prayer. The prayer failed when the blockage caused urea to poison the organs in his system, eventually leading to heart failure.

In March the boy’s niece, a 15-month-old, died at home of bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection. Her parents have pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges.

These are not the first incidents of child deaths within the Followers of Christ church. After earlier deaths involving children of Followers of Christ believers, a 1999 Oregon law struck down religious shields for parents who treat their children solely with prayer.

Update: Praying Parents Charged With Homicide

Cole Gamble — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:00:00 GMT

The Wisconsin couple whose 11-year-old daughter died of treatable diabetes after said parents eschewed medical attention for prayer were charged Monday with second-degree reckless homicide. The father has stated he thought his daughter's illness was a “test of faith”, and I have no doubt he and his wife prayed until they could pray no more, but I wonder that now they have failed this “test” where their faith stands. Well, I guess you could always ask Job. The mother and father both face 25 years years in prison if convicted.

The main question that will come out of this trial, and the one you'll definitely hear from the attorneys for the defenses is this: is trying this couple a form of religious persecution? After all this couple did seek help in the best way they knew how, spiritually. Does it really count as criminal neglect if modern medicine doesn't factor into their belief system?

You can look at my original article for my stance on belief versus reality and where the two can work together.

What do you think: if a parent does what they believe is right, is that grounds for homicide? Extreme faith certainly isn't illegal, and it seems like we are dealing with a similar case of the state's idea of child welfare versus the tenets of faith in the case of the Texas polygamy sect.

Perhaps you think actively choosing ignorance might be a criminal offense. My question is, why do some religious people find common sense so antithetical to faith?