Crazy Uber Christians: “We tried to fight the devil but in the end the devil won”

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Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the secular water, there is more news of nuttiness in the world of the Crazy Christians, the extreme kind, not your normal “run of the mill go to church on Sunday” kind.  The fact is there are all sorts of wackos out there and lots and lots of them belong to churches with weird names like “The Slice of the Loaf of Bread from which Jesus Ate,” and “Pray Me across the River United,” just to name a few.  The First Century Gospel Church of Pennsylvania is no exception to the Rule of Wackonosity.  Read this disturbing story from Good:

Herbert and Catherine Schaible of Pennsylvania’s First Century Gospel Church were given 10 years of probation yesterday for praying for their two-year-old son’s health instead of taking him to a doctor. The child, Kent, who was sick for two weeks prior to dying in 2009, ended up passing of pneumonia. “We tried to fight the devil,” the couple told their arresting officers, “but in the end the devil won.”

The Schaibles are now free to go home to their seven remaining children, with the one caveat that they regularly take the kids to the doctor for checkups.

Last year, Jeff and Marci Beagley were convicted of criminally negligent homicide for not seeking out medical attention for their teenage son, Neil, who died from a congenital urinary tract blockage. And in 2008, the Beagleys’ granddaughter, Ava, also died when her parents anointed her with oils to cure her pneumonia rather than taking her to a hospital. Ava’s parents, however, were acquitted of manslaughter.

In 1991, nobody from First Century Gospel Church was prosecuted for failing to give measles vaccinations to the congregation’s children, a decision that resulted in eight of the kids dying from an outbreak of the illness.

Every year, about 12 children die in America after not receiving proper medical care due to their family’s religious beliefs, and not all of their parents are charged with crimes. As it stands, the United States has yet to adopt a blanket policy about deaths related to faith healing, while which faith-healing families states prosecute seems to be based on whimsy more than anything else. Clearly one of the main hurdles impeding judicial uniformity is our nation’s commitment to freedom of religion. But how far can personal liberties extend before they become dangerous and foolish?

So what do you think gentle reader?  Should people be allowed to “pray themselves healthy” without suffering the consequences if Jesus happened to be playing golf that day and someone died?  Let me know.

photo (cc) via Flickr user sociotard

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Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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Jess
13 years ago

Stories like this truly make me weep. Different reasons than just the normal whackadoodles not using science for medical help. The internets are full of my story, women that can’t have kids and want them in a bad way right. I have had every SINGLE area of my life investigated, for foster and adoption agencies, and there are people like this, no license required to be parents. Pisses me off when I hear about these morons.

Michael John Scott
13 years ago

The problem is they are idiots. At least in a passing sense. No one in their right mind could do things like this.

Reply to  Michael John Scott
13 years ago

With mind screwed believers it’s always about the unborn this and that but when out of the womb well tough shit then you’re on your own.

In this case because the non existent cloud being is involved they look the other way. They and all the others who have done the same should be behind bars for years for the obvious crime of murder. It’s not hard to understand.

13 years ago

Of course they shouldn’t be allowed to do this. An idiot can understand this is a crime-a very bad one.

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