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2nd Child of Pa. Couple Dies After Only Praying (Update: sentenced)

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xenist

Member
Why were they not in jail for the first kid? Probation?

I shit on your religious freedom if it kills people.
 

kswiston

Member
They prefer holistic medicine as taught in the bible as opposed to modern science, so yeah, it is in there. It comes down to how literal you want to take it.



http://www.gotquestions.org/holistic-medicine.html

Note: I'm not an advocate of this, just a curious bystander looking into it.

Those are modern (mis)interpretations of something that wasn't the case when the Bible was written. The Bible is 2000 years old. The treatments it mentions are the best we had at the time. They weren't alternative medicines. Treating both the body and spirit (mind) instead of just symptoms can be good advice, since a positive, happy patient will recover quicker. However, I don't see anything in the Bible saying to forgo actual treatment in favour of praying to Jesus.
 
Mythri Jayaraman said:
Catherine Schaible's attorney, Mythri Jayaraman, cautioned against a rush to judgment, and said the couple are good parents deeply distraught over the loss of another child.

When you let the first child die of a treatable condition because you were two busy doing nothing, you don't get to be called good parents anymore.
 

Dead Man

Member
Again, it's how literal you want to take the scriptures.

No. Nowhere does it say don't use any medicine at all. Nowhere at all. What medicine it says to use may be up for debate.

Holistic medicine itself is not always about avoiding mainstream medicine, just not relying on only mainstream medicine.

It is a definite sin to trust in medical help and pills

There is no justification for that anywhere in the bible, literal reading or otherwise. Holistic medicine will supply pills, they may not be therapeutic drugs, but certainly pills.

I'm not attacking you, sorry if I have been a bit vehement, but there is no justification for this in the bible at all. It is a whacked out interpretation of trusting in God and being passive as a sign of faith.

Bandages, salves, and balms are medicine. If it's good enough for disciples, it's good enough for every other Christian unless they are filled to the brim with hubris about being a better believer of some kind.

It encourages participants to seek the answers to life's difficult questions within their own conscience instead of in the Word of God. It also leaves one open to deception from God's enemy, who searches for victims that he can turn away from God (1 Peter 5:8). For the Christian, meditation should center on the Word of God, His attributes, and the beauty of Jesus Christ, the Great Physician.

That is them cautioning people about meditation.
 

cdyhybrid

Member
Prosecutors on Monday sought to have the couple jailed, but Lerner permitted them to remain free because their seven other children had been placed in foster care.

This part makes me sad. They're better off in those foster homes, at least.

Also, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...
 
Reminds me of the story of the guy lost at sea.

Short paraphrased version:

Guy is lost as sea, a boat comes by but the guy waves it off. God will save me! A helicopter comes by but he again waves it off. Finally a whale approaches but he clings to his life raft.

He drowns and then asks god why he didn't save him. God says "I sent a boat, a plane and a whale"

How was the whale supposed to help?
 
Holistic medicine itself is not always about avoiding mainstream medicine, just not relying on only mainstream medicine.

This always frustrates me. There is no alternative medicine or mainstream medicine. There is medicine and not-medicine. If it works it's medicine.
 

Camp Lo

Banned
No. Nowhere does it say don't use any medicine at all. Nowhere at all. What medicine it says to use may be up for debate.

Holistic medicine itself is not always about avoiding mainstream medicine, just not relying on only mainstream medicine.



There is no justification for that anywhere in the bible, literal reading or otherwise. Holistic medicine will supply pills, they may not be therapeutic drugs, but certainly pills.

I'm not attacking you, sorry if I have been a bit vehement, but there is no justification for this in the bible at all. It is a whacked out interpretation of trusting in God and being passive as a sign of faith.

Bandages, salves, and balms are medicine. If it's good enough for disciples, it's good enough for every other Christian unless they are filled to the brim with hubris about being a better believer of some kind.

James 5:14 - Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

How do I interpret this?

Note: I know you're not attacking and this isn't something I can even hope to stand on the side of BUT I can see how they can look at this book and get messages like Prayer is the cure-all.
 

Dead Man

Member
James 5:14 - Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

How do I interpret this?

As saying that that can be done, there is nothing saying do only that.

This always frustrates me. There is no alternative medicine or mainstream medicine. There is medicine and not-medicine. If it works it's medicine.

Meh, they are useful descriptors that people understand. I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't want to get bogged down in what is medicine when any medical attempt would have been better than the nothing they got.

Edit: There are other verses which tell Christians to use medical treatments, or have disciples using them, given those unless there is a lcear DO NOT USE ANY MEDICINE I cannot see any way to justify it on biblical grounds.


1 Corinthians 6:19–20 - Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Luke 10:34 - He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

Matthew 9:12 - But when Jesus heard [that], he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
 
Reminds me of the story of the guy lost at sea.

Short paraphrased version:

Guy is lost as sea, a boat comes by but the guy waves it off. God will save me! A helicopter comes by but he again waves it off. Finally a whale approaches but he clings to his life raft.

He drowns and then asks god why he didn't save him. God says "I sent a boat, a plane and a whale"

Funny thing...this story was taught to me in church by one of the more aware Sunday school instructors. She likened it to God helping those that help themselves...God presents us with opportunity to help ourselves, and we're responsible for taking it or not.
 
Meh, they are useful descriptors that people understand. I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't want to get bogged down in what is medicine when any medical attempt would have been better than the nothing they got.
They are bullshit, harmful, misleading terms for ill informed people.
 

Nocebo

Member
I don't understand why the parents are grieving. Unless it's a front? Shouldn't they be happy their kid is with Jesus now?
 

Makonero

Member
A man on a sinking ship gets on his knees and prays for rescue.

As the ship goes down, a rescue ship appears on the horizon. As it nears, the man can hear someone shouting for him to climb aboard.

"Nope," says the man, "I'm waiting for God to save me."

"Moron!" says the voice, and the rescue ship fades away.

The ship sinks, and the man gets to the pearly gates and demands to know why God didn't save him.

"Moron!" God says.
 

Downhome

Member
As a Christian myself, these people are idiots and should be sent directly to jail. I have no clue why there are moron Christians out there who believe like this. I've never met one myself, and I have met some wacko Christians over the years. I don't even see how you can take it from the Bible unless you are a legit moron, seriously. It even teaches that you need "works" along with "faith", not just faith alone. That alone should show them that you can't just pray for things to get better without actually putting forth effort.

Blah, this really pisses me off. Just lock up these two and be done with it.

I really hate when people see things like this and then applies it to all Christians. We are NOT all like this. Really, I promise.
 

Demon Ice

Banned
Funny thing...this story was taught to me in church by one of the more aware Sunday school instructors. She likened it to God helping those that help themselves...God presents us with opportunity to help ourselves, and we're responsible for taking it or not.

Lol...this is my favorite excuse religious people come up with to answer why the world does not behave in a way that even remotely suggests the existence of a god.

Let's be real. Most religious people do not realistically expect god to ever make an appearance in any portion of their life. They've been trained to TALK about how there is a magical awesome god, but they usually never ACT like it. You go to church, sing about god for a few hours, and then you walk home, look both ways before you cross the street, and wash your hands before you eat.

When I ask why nobody has seen a miracle in over 2000 years or why god doesn't just appear and cure cancer, they look at me like I'm being silly. "Well of course he wouldn't just do that, that'd be ridiculous! Now excuse me while I go pray for my grandfather with Alzheimer's, God is good!"

What a crock of shit. The story in the OP is an example of what happens when people actually believe that a god will ever intervene in their lives.
 

Camp Lo

Banned
Here's the sermon from the church that this couple attends:

Healing - from God or medicine?

I don't think I've seen such an appalling application of the Bible in my life. I'm struggling to find a verse in this sermon that isn't out of context.

from their church's site said:
There is no Bible command to take medicine, but many verses warn against trusting in doctors or drugs. 2 Chronicles 16:12 “In the thirty‑ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians.” The king died two years later with no mention of repenting.

The Bible's a fucking contradicting joke.

I really hate when people see things like this and then applies it to all Christians. We are NOT all like this. Really, I promise.

You all follow the same book though.
 

paparazzo

Member
I'm a Christian and these idiots deserve jail time. No sane person believes in faith healing as primary treatment. These nutjobs deserve what's coming to them.
 
And yet I still hear people say 'Religion does not negatively alter our actions/point of view.'
Lock these people up. They should be never again be responsible for someone elses life.
 

Goro Majima

Kitty Genovese Member
The Bible's a fucking contradicting joke.



You all follow the same book though.

I'll address this point but no more because if I really wanted to get involved I'd go dive head first into the religion threads.

Asa turned his back on God and wanted nothing to do with Him after Hanani the seer came and rebuked Asa for not trusting in God.

He didn't seek help from the Lord for his disease because he was too prideful.
 
Lol...this is my favorite excuse religious people come up with to answer why the world does not behave in a way that even remotely suggests the existence of a god.

Let's be real. Most religious people do not realistically expect god to ever make an appearance in any portion of their life. They've been trained to TALK about how there is a magical awesome god, but they usually never ACT like it. You go to church, sing about god for a few hours, and then you walk home, look both ways before you cross the street, and wash your hands before you eat.

When I ask why nobody has seen a miracle in over 2000 years or why god doesn't just appear and cure cancer, they look at me like I'm being silly. "Well of course he wouldn't just do that, that'd be ridiculous! Now excuse me while I go pray for my grandfather with Alzheimer's, God is good!"

What a crock of shit. The story in the OP is an example of what happens when people actually believe that a god will ever intervene in their lives.

Frankly I agree. In lots of cases, people just pray for something good to happen and then go out and do something about it. Kind of how an AA member keeps asking for strength from God to get through another day. They say that they give control to God, yet they themselves are the ones that make the choice to choose God over alcohol.

It's not God making the choice, it's them. They're actually taking control of their life and doing something. Just sitting around and praying while denying opportunity is flat out stupid.
 

Polari

Member
Some family friends (I use the term loosely) took the same approach when their daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (which years later I was also diagnosed with, funnily enough). Anyway, take a wild guess as to how that one ended. Yeah.
 

Demon Ice

Banned
I really hate when people see things like this and then applies it to all Christians. We are NOT all like this. Really, I promise.

I'm a Christian and these idiots deserve jail time. No sane person believes in faith healing as primary treatment.

Right, exactly. Most Christians are at least smart enough to know that you're not supposed to actually live your life like your faith is true and your god exists.
 
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