Category Archives: Superstition

In the Name of God: A Profile of Religion-Related Child Abuse

A  research report funded by the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (Department of Health and Human Services)

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Abstract

childabuseReligious beliefs can foster, encourage, and justify child abuse, yet religious motivations for child abuse and neglect have been virtually ignored in social science research. In this article, we examine cases of religion-related child abuse reported to mental health professionals nationwide. In particular, we describe in statistical detail cases involving the withholding of medical care for religious reasons, abuse related to attempts to rid a child of evil, and abuse perpetrated by persons with religious authority such as ministers and priests. We argue that society should protect children’s rights and welfare whenever these are threatened by religious beliefs and practices.

child_abuse_2aCoilDivider2aIn the Name of God:  A Profile of Religion-Related Child Abuse

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Baby dies from “faith healing” failure

A Pennsylvania couple who believes in “faith healing,” or the belief of healing sickness through spiritual means, was sentenced to three and a half to seven years in prison Wednesday, after a second child of theirs died from treatable pneumonia. Herbert and Catherine Schaible never took their 8-month-old baby to a doctor, despite his illness, because they don’t believe in medicine. “My religious beliefs are that you should pray, and not have to use medicine,” Catherine Schaible said to the judge. She now says her beliefs on the issue have since changed.

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This is the second time the Schaibles’ medical neglect has led to death. Their 2-year-old son, Kent, died in 2009 after not getting the medical attention he needed.

What do you think about these “prayer deaths”? Do you think that sickness can be healed through faith? Should the Schaibles be sent to prison for this medical neglect? Read replies and post your own comment on SodaHead.

Read More: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/pa-couple-face-…

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Satan made him do it.

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Catholic priest suggests that Satan drove accused killer James Holmes to open fire at a Dark Knight Rises screening in Aurora, Colorado.

This article originally appeared on RNS / by David Gibson.

(RNS) A Catholic priest has suggested that Satan may have driven accused killer James Holmes to open fire at a Colorado cinema, continuing the religious debate over a shooting that claimed 12 lives and wounded 58 more.

“Was he demon possessed? Maybe. It happens,” the Rev. Dwight Longenecker wrote at the Patheos website, where the Catholic priest from Greenville, S.C., is a columnist.

Religious leaders and public figures have sparked some of the most heated discussions in the wake of the tragedy as they have offered various explanations for the violent outburst and spiritual guidance for dealing with it.

Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, a onetime Baptist minister, blamed the nation’s “sin problem” for the crime. He echoed the views of Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, that the shooting happened because public prayer is not allowed at public schools and so Americans have lost the “protective hand” of God.

Longenecker dismissed the range of explanations for what might have motivated Holmes – a bad childhood, mental illness, social awkwardness, extreme political or religious views, or exposure to violent video games or to the Batman movie that was showing when he allegedly opened fire. The real culprit, he says, was spiritual, and malign.

“Demonic infestation is a rare, strange and terrible psycho-spiritual affliction,” Longenecker said. “In simple terms, a malevolent, separate intelligence infests the mind and spirit of a person.”

The priest conceded that “trying to diagnose the possibility of demonic influence is extremely difficult.” An exorcist, he says, “often feels like he is walking blindfolded through a minefield set in quicksand. He is wrestling with a pool of oily octopuses.”

Longenecker suggests that in the end, it is best to say that Holmes was “taken over by Evil.”

“Something happened to the mild mannered science geek. He turned into a monster. Something twisted in his mind and heart, and Evil made an entry. Evil infested his life. It took him over.”

David Gibson is an award-winning religion journalist, author and filmmaker. He writes for RNS and until recently covered the religion beat for AOL’s Politics Daily. He blogs at Commonweal magazine, and has written two books on Catholic topics, the latest a biography of Pope Benedict XVI.