Praying man let his daughter die

Daughter died after being prayed for.

Much as I hate religion, and here's a prime example why, I'm uneasy about a parent doing time because of this. Clearly she didn't die because of his actions, she died because of his inaction. Only through medication could she be saved.

Is it any worse that the 100's of hocus pocus medicines and healing systems that are allowed to exist? Homoeopathy, energy healing etc etc. All do no good to the patient past placebo.

There are studies showing people of faith who are told they are being prayed for are statistically less likely to get better. The theory being the burden of thinking you really should be getting better has a negative effect. There are also studies showing people of faith are 'healthier' as they are more relaxed in themselves, so that theory went.

Anyway. He didn't kill her but he probably could have saved her. It's a human tragedy and shows, to me at least, the hopeless futility of those who put their 'faith' in God. Is the punishment correct though?

Isn't this similar to seeing someone get hit by a car and not stopping to help? In that sense, he (and his wife) do deserve to do some time.

Let's pretend for a minute that there really is a god. Then god created that doctor because he create all living things. Maybe, just maybe, he created that human, and gave him the gift of understanding the human body and how to fix it for a reason. Maybe that doctor's sole pupose in life was to save your daughter's life!! So you didn't put the doctor in front of god, you simply disregarded the wishes of your god. Maybe once you've done your time and you go to whatever heaven you believe in, you'll be denied access and spend the rest of whatever eternity you believe in whatever hell you believe in.

<sarcasm>Hmm... perhaps I too can wake up one morning and decide that I'm a health specialist. No need for education, my gods will grant me the knowledge. Or maybe, I can be an astronaut! Yeah. That's what I'll be. Tomorrow morning, I'm calling NASA and telling them that I'm leaving on the next shuttle mission. No need for training, my gods will tell me which buttons to press and when.</sarcasm>

[Mission Control]: hmm... commander Sylvain, you need to press the big red button to release the main tank now, you're almost in orbit.
[Commander Sylvain]: Hush you non-believer!! My gods told me I need to press the green button. You're wrong.
[Mission Control]: Negative Commander Sylvain, that button opens the cargo door. You need to press the red button NOW!!
[Commander Sylvain]: Why would I listen to you? You're a non-believer. I'll just press this... ********BOOOM!!*******

Yes, it's a funny thing. My sister was "born-again" something like 20 years ago and her husband who was reluctant at first but later got swept into it is a surgeon. So while my sister was praying for healing, it's a question where her husband the surgeon fits in. When one of my sisters kids developed pollen allergies, she did initially take him to a doctor but then decided to pray for him instead of seeking treatment. Luckily it wasn't too serious and he grew out of it like many others do, self included but I am sure she figures she cured him with prayers.

I think there are a few more to be sending to jail and yes I do believe they are all guilty of contributing to the death of the little girl and all deserved to be punished.

He just sent her to Jesus faster! Great job dad!

as an 18 year old on my year out in Pakistan, I had the misfortune to meet one of these maniacs. In fact I didn't just meet him, I lived in the flat at the back of his house for 7 months as he was the headmaster of the schoolI was teaching in. He believed in prayer instead of medication and repeatedly confiscated my malaria tablets with the result that I got malaria. Even then he failed to call in the doctors until I was in a very very serious condition and had to be rushed into the ICU at the Khyber Medical Hospital. I have no dout that if i had died he would havebeen at least guilty of my manslaughter.

I do agree, to a point. But why is this at least manslaughter when we allow other totally inefficient forms of 'medication'. Shouldn't we be at a point where were able to say all these quack remedies and 'doctors' are just frauds and prevent them practising?

Playing Devil's Advocate here, but wasn't most/all of "modern" / "Western" medicine considered quackery at one point?

I should state at this point that I'm an atheist and cynic. Oh, a glutton too, so homeopathy strikes me as being poor value as well

I think also that the main issue here is - the father decided what was best for his daughter. She didn't have a choice. Had he decided to "energy heal" or even use homeopathy on her (although I only agree with you up to a point that homeopathy is quackery...I am open to the suggestion that for certain illnesses, like allergies, it may well help; I wouldn't try it for cancer though), I would say he should be up for manslaughter too.

If the actual person who is ill decides to try any form of anything not counted as school medicine, including curing themself by asking their friends to pray for them, that's their own business.

Some people seek the new age stuff for their emotional, psychological problems, so the placebo effect may in fact be of help. Praying and believing may also aid in healing. But these should be all plan B, C, D in your treatment plan. Plan A has to be modern medicine. Even with modern medicine I have serious doubts, so I would consult with more than one doctor and try multiple treatment methods for a serious problem. The doctors make me suspect their decisions more and more every day. If a young surgeon recommends surgery, I'm thinking "alright, he wants to practice", if an old one recommends it, I'm thinking "alright, he wants money". For whatever reason, I always have to pay for the extras out of my own pocket. I guess I'm kinda venting here... I wasn't always like this, they made me! I used to think doctors were ueber-humans.

Anyways, although I'm not religious, I can understand how "belief" helps with healing. It just shouldn't be the only method used in healing.

If "you" decided to pray and continue taking medication, it wouldn't be a problem. But obviously he was after creating trouble for you.

What happens when non-praying parents fail to seek treatment for their very ill child and he/she dies?

well yes I agree with you up to a point but that is an issue of the licensing of medicines, which is currently a major issue here in the EU. At the present time in order to make clinical claims all "alternative" medicines must now undergo clinical trials before they can make the claims. Otherwise, if they make no clinical claims at all they are classified as health foods and can be sold without clinical trials. This is probably the best solution.

surely they would be prosecuted for neglect leading to manslaughter?

So if this person had sought out, say, one of the fraud merchants who practices Reiki and the same happened, would he have been absolved of any blame or would it still have been classed as manslaughter?

what's your take on the Austrian guy who locked his children in the cellar and apparently let one of the new born children die? Was it correct that he was banged up for murder?