I started writing this yesterday, then BestFriendMommy came over with some Yeungling and well, you know....But now seeing that it is Sunday, it is an even better day to publish this post than yesterday.
Let's make something clear. I respect every person's right to practice or not practice their religion no matter who they worship, be it the God of Abraham, Mother Earth, the Great Spaghetti Monster or the Almighty Dollar.
What I do not respect and I will never respect, is the concept of faith healing. You're a smart bunch, I don't need to tell you what that is....but I'll tell you what it isn't: effective.
By all accounts, Madeline Neumann was a happy and bright 11-year old girl. Unfortunately for her, she had the misfortune to be born to parents without a modicum of sense, as they watched her get sicker and sicker over 2 weeks and refused to take her to a doctor or hospital even after she fell in to a coma. As they watched her die, the only medicine that they offered this poor girl was their prayers.
And now she is dead from a very treatable form of diabetes.
As I have said - I do believe in prayer. I do it quite often. But I also believe in the lesson taught by this story:
There was once a man who lived on a flood plain. He ignored the warnings about the possible flooding and stayed in his home. Not only did the flood waters rise above the 2 foot dike he had constructed out of sandbags, but they rose to the eaves of his home. As he sat on his roof shivering in the rain, he prayed, “God please help me. Please rescue me.”
The very next instant he heard a man shouting. The man was a police officer and he was rowing a boat and offered to take him to higher ground. The stranded man refused and the policeman shook his head and rowed away. Again the man on the roof prayed! Just then a helicopter came along and a soldier was let down on a rope. He offered to strap the man into a harness and hoist him into the helicopter. Again the man refused and the helicopter flew away. Again the man prayed for God to make the flood go away. Just then a power boat came along and the person piloting the boat said, “You look like you need help. The waters are rising fast and the dam is about to break.” Again the man refused help.
A few minutes later, the dam broke and the man and most of his house were carried away by the raging torrent. Of course, the man was drowned. When he arrived in heaven he demanded an audience with God. When he talked to God face to face, he was very angry and said, “see here God, I was always taught that you answer prayer and I prayed and you did not answer me.”
God replied, “What are you talking about. You prayed and I sent two boats and a helicopter. What more did you want?”
The Neumanns were praying for a cure. That cure had been provided to them in the form of doctors with the knowledge to diagnose and treat their daughter, the medicines that could have easily saved her life and the family members who tried desperately to talk some sense in to the idiot parents. The parents had a right to make that decision for themselves but not for their 11-year old daughter.
Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. While I tend to not be a big fan of Chaplets, I will say one and ask that God have mercy on the Neumann family (and especially on their 3 remaining children...that they will continue to be removed from the home).
As for the state of Wisconsin? I hope that they show Dale and Leilani Neumann absolutely NO mercy. Believing in Jesus and prayer should never be able to be used as a get-out-of-jail-free card when it comes to willful neglect resulting in the death of a child.
No clue what I am talking about?
Click here and here. See the batshit crazy response from their church here
Jerseygirl89
Religious crazies make me shudder. And every time someone tells me about how Islam is such an "evil" religion, I always ask, "Have you seem what some people do in the name of Christianity?"
Excuse me, I have to go throw up now.
daisybug
I want to tell you something. Dh doesn't get fired up about much. He isnt easily baited by the media and rarely voices any opinion on current events. But THIS - this story has him so fired up, I seriously had to use the words "Calm down" while speaking to him.
This is just horrifying. I don't know how to draw the line - when the state gets to over-ride a parent's choice in how to handle their own children - I get the whole concept of a slippery slope and this is definitely not a black and white issue. But this poor poor child - with so much hope and promise... it is just so DAMN sad.
I don't know the answer - how to properly address this without stepping on people's rights... I am sure that there are people out there who would love to take my son from me since he is not baptized and we do not practice any kind of religion whatsoever. I am sure they believe him to be in mortal danger and we are horrible parents. I would disagree.
How can we tell parents what to do with their own child? Shit - I sure WANT to - it sure seems to make sense that we apply our hard-won knowledge in medicine to treat something so basic as diabetes... I think the problem is - who decides and how??
Do I agree with you? Absolutely! I think it is horrible what happened here. Do I know what to do about it? I absolutely have no idea.
Darla
As much as I believe in prayer, I also believe that God uses ALL FORMS of different ways to heal - yes that even meds drugs and operations. *gasp*
Darla
meds=means (maybe I should take a med to help me type? LOL)
lisamm
Idiots.
Say What?
Every time I hear another story like this I get a little bit sicker.
Religious zealots make me nuts and for this to happen to a child makes me want to hurt someone.
Ashley Ladd
I believe that God gave us doctors and medicine to help us, not to be ignored. He sends angels in the form of other people.
I found you through the Weekend Blog Hoppers' which I just joined.
Kelly
I think there is a God and he is just as pissed off as you and I over people like this. Great Post!
Tara R.
I have used your flood analogy many times. Modern science is a miracle and we should avail ourselves of it when necessary.