February 3, 2010
Ore. faith healers found guilty
A jury ruled in favor of convicting criminally negligent homicide charge against Jeffrey and Marci Beagley over the death of their teen son for whom the choose prayer over medical treatment for his life-threatening disease. The parents were members of Followers of Christ Church in Oregon City which has made headlines before for the death of their children members due the same circumstances. This is the first homicide conviction. Prosecutors asked for the couple to be taken into custody immediately, but the judge ruled against it. Video below.
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February 3, 2010
One can’t help but feel for the family. Where does the line get drawn between freedom to practice one’s faith and the community’s responsibility to protect the welfare of its citizens? Tough call.
February 4, 2010
Doesn’t seem like that tough of an ethical question. Similar to the story of the good Samaritan. Do you walk on past the suffering person, maybe offering up a prayer for him as you amble by, or do you actually get involved and try to keep him alive? I’d say that if all you do is pray for him you are not offering the kind of love Jesus was talking about in the story. I can’t speak for the Lord but I wouldn’t be too surprised if He is disgusted by people who won’t do the simple, practical things necessary to care for those around them. In this case, when religious people can’t seem to muster the basic responsibilities, it’s good that secular laws are there to hold them accountable.
This is tough to reason through. I’m glad I was not on the jury panel.