US man 'killed child by praying'

[Babur]

I just saw this article, I think it is pretty silly that a guy would pray for his daughter rather than seek medical attention,especially when the disease is treatable:

Praying man let his daughter die


A US jury has found a man guilty of killing his sick 11-year-old daughter by praying for her recovery rather than seeking medical care.


The man, Dale Neumann, told a court in the state of Wisconsin he believed God could heal his daughter.
She died of a treatable disease - undiagnosed diabetes - at home in rural Wisconsin in March last year, as people surrounded her and prayed.
Neumann's wife, Leilani Neumann, was convicted earlier this year.
The couple, who were both convicted of second-degree reckless homicide, face up to 25 years in prison when they are sentenced in October.
A lawyer representing Dale Neumann said he would appeal.




Dale Neumann faces up to 25 years in prison

'Faith healing'

During the trial, medical experts told the court that Neumann's daughter could have survived if she had received treatment, including insulin and fluids, before she stopped breathing.
On Thursday Neumann, who is 47 and studied in the past to be a Pentecostal minister, said he thought God would heal his daughter.
"If I go to the doctor, I am putting the doctor before God," he said. "I am not believing what he said he would do."
He also said he thought his daughter had had flu or a fever, and that he had not realised how ill she was.
Neumann's lawyer said he had been convinced that his "faith healing" was working, and that he had committed no crime.
The prosecution argued that Neumann had minimised his daughter's illness and that he had allowed her to die as a selfish act of faith.
They said the girl should have been taken to hospital because she was unable to walk, talk, eat or drink.
Instead, an ambulance was only called once the girl had stopped breathing.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8180116.stm

[ShADoW]

This thread looks familiar.

[Babur]

This thread looks familiar.

I am not sure

Good. This is a great precedent in making sure that parents that refuse to acknowledge facets of life in the 21st century are punished when it results in the death of their child.

agreed, since it is very wrong to think that religion should take precedence over seeking medical help.

EDIT: Welcome to TWC too

[Cavendish]

Good. This is a great precedent in making sure that parents that refuse to acknowledge facets of life in the 21st century are punished when it results in the death of their child.

[Legio XII]

Good. This is a great precedent in making sure that parents that refuse to acknowledge facets of life in the 21st century are punished when it results in the death of their child.

Agreed as well. I myself am a Christian, but relying on faith healing? Give me a break! God has provided us the resources to care for ourselves, and we must use them ourselves. Its the well-used analogy of the door being opened, and us having to walk through. God helps those who help themselves, as the old saying goes.

Welcome to TWC, btw.

[ShADoW]

@ Chinggis
Lol there was another thread few days back with a similar story like this, so thats what i was referring to

[DekuTrash]

Idiot

[Babur]

@ Chinggis
Lol there was another thread few days back with a similar story like this, so thats what i was referring to

Well maybe a mod can merge it?

since this is a newer article.

Idiot

yuh pretty much, at least my dad is a doctor

[Wilder]

@ Chinggis
Lol there was another thread few days back with a similar story like this, so thats what i was referring to

There was, but it was actually a different event (mine happened in Oregon, and involved a 2 year old).

Which actually says some fairly disturbing things about the US right now.

Any way the deal in Oregon is here

[Trey]

Just look at him, smiling. He's probably crazy though, not that it changes much.

[Strelok]

Our Atheistic pseudo-Science is useless, eh? You know, improving and saving lives, all redundant stuff...

Prayer to one specific out of thousands of God's is clearly just the best method to cure and treat illnesses, right?

What a truly sad story

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Theseus1234]

The man got what he deserved. This is a clear case of old traditions crashing head-on with new modern age science, only the old traditions are a little handcar and the modern age is a bullet train. "Faith healing" is practically synonymous with murder

[Tankbuster]

If you live in a country where faith is put on a pedestal, is it that surprising that someone starts acting on it?
Hell, this guy simply acted on what everything keeps saying. "Faith is more important than anything!". Sure, but when these people get sick, they're at least smart enough to act hypocritical and go to see a doctor rather than a faith healer. It's not a surprise at all that once in a while, someone is honest in what he believes and does what he's supposed to do. With dramatic results.

I'm surprised that tragedies like this don't happen far more often.

[Lysimachos11]

He "allowed her to die as a selfish act of faith"? That's a pretty dumb way to put it. The guy didn't want his daughter to die and did what he thought was best. If he hadn't been Christian and used prayer but for example homeopathic medicine would he be prosecuted as well? If he really thought the girl had a minor illness there's no reason to put the man in jail for 25 years. He's simply stupid, but that has nothing to do with religion or him wanting his daughter to die.

[Wilder]

If he hadn't been Christian and used prayer but for example homeopathic medicine would he be prosecuted as well?

I hope so.

[Dunecat]

Is it possible a parent in this scenario could not seek treatment because they could not afford treatment? If so who is at fault then?

[Primvs Sextvs Loverlord]

So does that mean Christianity supports killing children?

/troll

If the father was a Muslim, the angry kiddies would be running loose naked in this thread by now.

[Phier]

So does that mean Christianity supports killing children?

/troll

If the father was a Muslim, the angry kiddies would be running loose naked in this thread by now.

No, thats blowing up other peoples children with their children.

Christianity makes some people do stupid things just like Islam, the question is where they direct the hurting and how frequently it happens.

I find this fascinating in that how will we ever know that the child would respond to what the experts claim was treatable? Everything is treatable in medical terms but not everything treatable results in definite cure.

Therefore I do not see how the law can make a value in this case. Put it this way if the court had interevened sooner when the experts deemed her illness curable and the child had still died would the experts and the court be open to a lawsuit as this father is?

We will never know and that is my opinion where the experts come in. Perhaps the parents should have given the doctors their chance whilst still praying because that is what I would do but I have seen the work of prayer where doctors had given up so who is the judge in these matters of life and death. In the latter case it was not the experts.

Horrible horrible argument. Like saying you couldn't know if a doctor could save your child from say a bullet wound therefore not taking your child in for treatment is just as valid as taking them. Please try harder next time.

[Phalanx300]

So does that mean Christianity supports killing children?

/troll

If the father was a Muslim, the angry kiddies would be running loose naked in this thread by now.

All religions are crazy, some just a little bit more then other...

[Dr. Croccer]

Whilst he's a nutcase, I think it's wrong to put him in for 25 years, like lysimachos said.