Belief Is Great, Unless It Makes You Stupid
I think that belief and faith in a higher power is a wonderful thing, unless it makes you obnoxious, arrogant, or stupid – and when your 11 year old daughter is laying nearly dead in bed for days on end and all your faith tells you do do is “keep praying” you’ve left the ranks of the faithful and entered the ranks of the completely stupid, if not the criminally insane.
Vergin said an autopsy determined the girl died from diabetic ketoacidosis, an ailment that left her with too little insulin in her body, and she had probably been ill for about 30 days, suffering symptoms like nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, loss of appetite and weakness.
The girl’s parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, attributed the death to “apparently they didn’t have enough faith,” the police chief said.
They believed the key to healing “was it was better to keep praying. Call more people to help pray,” he said.
The mother believes the girl could still be resurrected, the police chief said.
At some point along the way even the most faithful believer watching their child waste away in front of their eyes should have had at least the passing thought ‘hey, maybe {insert name of deity of choice} is tied up with other things and we should give this medicine thing a try and see how it works out‘ instead of hanging their child’s life on what it says in some often mistranslated book.
- and while we’re on the subject of stupidity
The girl has three siblings, ranging in age from 13 to 16, the police chief said.
“They are still in the home,” he said. “There is no reason to remove them. There is no abuse or signs of abuse that we can see.”
(emphasis mine)
No reason? I should think that simple fact that these two have already let one of their children die while they were out rounding up a few more of the faithful to help them pray for her should be reason enough to take the other two and put them in a sane environment and safe from their parents stupidity.
[ratings]
This is the problem I have with the Jehova’s Witness. My cousin almost died because his parents refused to allow a blood transfusion that would keep him alive. Eventually, the courts intervened, he was given the blood and survived. His father ended up getting hit by a car 6 months later. Guess Jehova thought he wasn’t faithful enough or paid him back.
Adults can make their own decisions, and as far as I’m concerned, any one of them that prefers prayer to insulin is free to die on his own terms. His choice, and I won’t waste tears or toldjasos on him.
Children, however, are different. They are completely at the mercy of the parental monsters unless they are rescued. Why didn’t someone get her the hell outa there? Isn’t that what Child Protective Services are for?
The Neumanns now need to have that belief of their reinforced — they are, indeed, responsible for killing their own child. And the rest of their kids ought to be told that, as well. As soon as they’re safely away from there.
You heard this old joke?
A religious man is sitting in his kitchen and he hears a report on the radio that there’s a terrible flood happening in the area. So, he says to himself, “I’m not worried. I am a religious man, and I’ll pray. And the flood will not hurt me.”
Well the flood waters rise and sweep into his home. He’s standing at his second floor bedroom window when he sees a man in a canoe rowing by. The man in the canoe shouts, “hey! You’ve got to get out! The flood’s getting worse! Climb aboard my canoe, I’ll take you to safety!” And the religious man shouts back, “No, thank you! I’m a religious man. I’ll pray, and the flood will not hurt me.”
Well, the flood waters rise higher, and the man retreats to his roof. Another man in a helicopter arrives, drops a rope ladder down and shouts, “hey! You’ve got to get out of there! The flood’s getting worse! Climb aboard and I’ll fly you to safety.” But the religious man shouts, “No! I’m a religious man. I’ll pray, and the flood will not hurt me.”
Well, of course, the flood waters rise higher, and the man drowns. When he goes up to heaven, he meets God and confronts him. “God,” he says. “I am a religious man. I prayed. But you didn’t help me. Why?”
And God says: “What do you mean I didn’t help you? I sent you a radio report, a man in a canoe and a helicopter? So, what the Hell are you doing here?”
James got to the joke before I did.
Yes, sadly some people get real stupid. Even to the point that in my wifes evangelical church, they make a point (because they HAVE to) that praying is good but it doesn’t replace doctors and medicine.
I wonder what these people think will happen? A flash of light? A puff of smoke? Maybe the doctor finding the problem and offering the cure IS the answer….
And people wonder why I’m an atheist.