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(MSNBC) Sad Since 1975, 274 children have died in this country because their parents thought prayer, not medicine, would cure them. God bless America   (msnbc.msn.com) divider line 440
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Rapmaster2000 2009-07-02 03:39:09 PM  
Anything religion hits, it destroys. If they die... they die.

 
sharpie_69 2009-07-02 03:39:43 PM  
pwhp_67: See, there's this little thing called "revisionist history" where Christians live in this other reality. In that reality, the Founding Fathers were all devout Christians, probably Catholics, and they created this country for the Pope. That's why they were allowed to own slaves and keep women from voting: It's all in the Bible.

Someday our public school system will be more explicit when teaching history and some of this nonsense will go away...




Thank you. I can't stand the fact people think this nation was founded as a christian nation. Were there christians here, yes, but the founders eyed them with the required amount of distrust and fear.

 
Third_Uncle_Eno 2009-07-02 03:39:55 PM  
Don't forget about those Jehovah Witnesses who refuse [often potentially life-saving] blood transfusions because of the rules of their religion.

/ *weeps for humanity*
// [shakes head at *crazy* religious people]
[i'm sure there's perfectly 'normal' religious people out there...]
/// i'm a agnostic/athiest/non-religious guy

 
dennysgod 2009-07-02 03:39:59 PM  
rcain: And of course the article makes no mention about the MILLIONS of children whose lives are saved by the power of prayer every day.

More like they don't mention MILLIONS of children who died with medical treatment.

 
fritopendejo 2009-07-02 03:40:02 PM  
physt: Logical people need to stand up to the crazies and point out their stupidity.

WHY?

/WCYY sucks, BTW

 
HZS9PK 2009-07-02 03:40:14 PM  
I had to change babysitters once because the dumb biatch asked me to sign an agreement that she would allow her take my kids to an ER 10 miles away instead of 2 blocks away because they administer plasma.

Farking Jehovah's Witnesses....

 
Bermuda59 2009-07-02 03:40:39 PM  
I know that since yesterday at least one child has been killed thanks to the family's pet snake.

 
kungfu jesus with a side of lime 2009-07-02 03:40:44 PM  
kronicfeld: SpeshilEdjukashin: See, there's this little thing called freedom of religion... It's a shame that activist judges don't believe in it anymore, because it is one of the main ideals that our country was founded on, and supposedly one of our "rights."

What if your religion believes that it's okay to f*ck eight year olds?


well you should post a link so most of the farkers could sign up

/pedobear likes how you think

 
vernonFL [TotalFark] 2009-07-02 03:40:56 PM  
They would have died anyway.

 
bersl2 2009-07-02 03:42:01 PM  
I would have thought the number higher than this.

 
serpent_sky [TotalFark] 2009-07-02 03:42:28 PM  
RemyDuron: Heh, I'd guess the same people who would defend the right for parents to deny medical care for children for religious reasons would also be the first to condemn a parent who euthanized a terminally ill child to end their suffering.

That's because our society has an odd thing against euthanasia. I don't understand it -- medically assisted suicide for terminally ill patients who do not wish to suffer any longer makes perfect sense to me.

We have this whole "culture of life" -- at any cost, and once again, people are largely ignoring quality of life, which is important. We treat our cats and dogs better than we do humans who are suffering. When there is nothing that can be done for our pets, the vet will suggest euthanizing the animal because it is the only humane thing to do. Why do we not have the same regard for humans, instead opting to keep them hooked up to machines, on drug cocktails, extending their pain and unhappiness for as long as possible?

My mother passed away in December. It was the most devastating thing I could even fathom happening. I remember feeling horrible when, after the last time I saw her, I thought, "it would only be merciful for her to pass in her sleep, if she is not going to get better." She was telling me over and over, "this is no way to live" and constantly trying to pull out her oxygen and IVs. She wouldn't/couldn't eat. She thought people were poisoning her when we weren't there, and the doctors were terrible people who were hurting her. It was horrible. She passed three days later. And that was horrible, too... but I have often wondered since what the value of her being in a hospital, that upset and miserable, was, and if it would have been better to not even continue care beyond making her comfortable.

It's a tough decision when you make it that personal. I had a hard time writing it. But I'm sure, if she'd been asked, she'd have said to stop, just from conversations she and I used to have about keeping people alive. We were both profoundly affected by my grandmother's struggles with chemotherapy, and cut from much of the same cloth. I hated seeing her suffering, even though I miss her every single day of my life.

I wouldn't judge anyone who chose to euthanize someone who was not going to get better and was simply suffering until the inevitable happened. I would really just feel sympathy for them, for having to make such a difficult decision, and for putting the person's suffering before their own.

 
The Bruce Dickinson 2009-07-02 03:42:31 PM  
"Most U.S. states have child abuse laws allowing some religious exemptions"

What is wrong with this picture?

 
Great Metal Jesus [TotalFark] 2009-07-02 03:42:39 PM  
EsteeFlwrPot: Is this the thread where people shiat on religion because some people don't fully understand the concept of faith so that must mean all religious people are insane backwards cavemen that believe in fairy tales and religion should be outlawed?

Nope, this is the thread where normally sane and rational religious people defend crazy religious people who let their kids die for no good reason because they're both groups of religious people.

There's nothing wrong with being religious. There's something wrong with letting your kids die. Can't we all just put aside our religious beliefs and disbeliefs and lump these people in with the vaccines = autism crowd?

 
netweavr [TotalFark] 2009-07-02 03:43:34 PM  
Bullshiat (new window)

274 is way too low.

 
Il Douchey [TotalFark] 2009-07-02 03:43:59 PM  
walnuts55:I wish more would die , Save the plant and school taxes.

This.
Gotta save the plant. Definitely.

 
brukmann 2009-07-02 03:44:08 PM  
Since 1975, 274 million courses of antibiotics have been given to children have died in this country because their hysterical parents, M.D., thought antibiotics prayer, not the advice of their GP to STFU and GBTW medicine, would cure them. God bless America

/FT
//more important; endangering us all

 
JohnBigBootay 2009-07-02 03:44:32 PM  
SpeshilEdjukashin: See, there's this little thing called freedom of religion... It's a shame that activist judges don't believe in it anymore, because it is one of the main ideals that our country was founded on, and supposedly one of our "rights."

And what about the child's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that was robbed from them by their brain dead parents?

 
IXI Jim IXI [TotalFark] 2009-07-02 03:44:43 PM  
Quick Fixer: I'd rather give up the freedom to drive to stem the bloodletting on America's roads.

We'll come after you by driving on the sidewalks.

 
Cambo_ 2009-07-02 03:45:37 PM  
Heamer: Good.

The stupid little f*cks would've just been brainwashed into promoting the same ignorant, backwards thinking that their parents adhered to, thereby polluting humanity with another mouth-breathing, resource-consuming idiot. Let the child die, and let the parents deal with the remorse (assuming they even feel any).

I have no sympathy for these people whatsoever.


Wow. I really hope that you're being sarcastic or trolling really really hard or something. You do realize that children don't get to choose which religion they're born into, right?

 
physt 2009-07-02 03:45:51 PM  
EsteeFlwrPot: Is this the thread where people shiat on religion because some people don't fully understand the concept of faith so that must mean all religious people are insane backwards cavemen that believe in fairy tales and religion should be outlawed?

Oh we fully understand the concept of faith. We're just calling bull shiat on it. No easter bunny, no santa, no baby jebus...

 
the third guy from the right 2009-07-02 03:45:59 PM  
pwhp_67: See, there's this little thing called "revisionist history" where Christians live in this other reality. In that reality, the Founding Fathers were all devout Christians, probably Catholics, and they created this country for the Pope. That's why they were allowed to own slaves and keep women from voting: It's all in the Bible.

Someday our public school system will be more explicit when teaching history and some of this nonsense will go away...


Pretty interesting trolling there. For you to actually believe that "Christians" believe what you mention, then you'd be the example of an educational product, making your own point about education. Nice and circular. Now get back under your bridge.

 
The Bruce Dickinson 2009-07-02 03:46:09 PM  
Great Metal Jesus: rational religious people

Religion is IRRATIONAL by definition.

Faith is nothing more than the lack of reason.

Allowing your child to die because you lack reason is criminal!

 
JohnBigBootay 2009-07-02 03:46:17 PM  
dennysgod: More like they don't mention MILLIONS of children who died with medical treatment.

Also, they neglect to mention all the lives saved BECAUSE of prayer. Oh, wait - that'd be a big fat zero wouldn't it?

 
barefoot in the head [TotalFark] 2009-07-02 03:47:17 PM  
Prayer Does Not Request


that is all.

 
skinny-lil-b 2009-07-02 03:47:33 PM  
manimal2878: It's a shame if you belive in superstitious nonsense that you can get away with child abuse and neglect depending on what nonsense you believe in still.

but if that same church marries you to your same-sex partner, it's not recognized?

WTF? I guess killing is OK and loving is not OK in our "christian" nation.

 
DIGITALgimpus 2009-07-02 03:47:41 PM  
But my religion permits stoning certain sinners... like homosexuals and atheists.

Why is that illegal, but denying medical treatment for a minor ok? Shouldn't both be protected as an expression of religion?

 
zarberg 2009-07-02 03:48:41 PM  
serpent_sky: That's because our society has an odd thing against euthanasia. I don't understand it -- medically assisted suicide for terminally ill patients who do not wish to suffer any longer makes perfect sense to me.

We have this whole "culture of life" -- at any cost, and once again, people are largely ignoring quality of life, which is important. We treat our cats and dogs better than we do humans who are suffering. When there is nothing that can be done for our pets, the vet will suggest euthanizing the animal because it is the only humane thing to do. Why do we not have the same regard for humans, instead opting to keep them hooked up to machines, on drug cocktails, extending their pain and unhappiness for as long as possible?


Culture of life at any cost, except for that guy on death row who may not be guilty because the cops really needed to pin the murder on someone and he's black.

Also, we love life so much that we spent billions developing and selling viagra and cialis so we could fark more and make more life, ignoring those people with mental health illnesses that rotting away and a little preventative care would have made them great members of society.

 
Mr Rusty Shackleford [recently expired TotalFark] 2009-07-02 03:48:44 PM  
netweavr: Bullshiat (new window)

274 is way too low.


Interesting link. Summary: When you take medical advice from a big tits TV blonde, don't be too surprised when you die.

 
mike.thesauce 2009-07-02 03:48:46 PM  
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." Galileo Galilei

 
Can'tLetYouDoThatStarFox 2009-07-02 03:49:34 PM  
Those foolish fundies, clinging to their Bibles, Torahs, and Korans.

Only we realize that it is the almighty Government that will protect and cure us.

I pledge allegiance, to the flag...

 
zarberg 2009-07-02 03:49:38 PM  
mike.thesauce: "I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." Galileo Galilei

You've been playing Civ IV recently too, huh?

 
EsteeFlwrPot 2009-07-02 03:50:36 PM  
Great Metal Jesus: Nope, this is the thread where normally sane and rational religious people defend crazy religious people who let their kids die for no good reason because they're both groups of religious people.

I don't think anyone is defending them but it's important to keep in mind that you can't blame religion. People are just dumb.

Great Metal Jesus: Can't we all just put aside our religious beliefs and disbeliefs and lump these people in with the vaccines = autism crowd?

Yes. I used to put a good amount of blame on Jenny McCarthy for that but now I just blame stupid people again. Jenny McCarthy would have shut up a long time ago if impressionable parents that would rather listen to a celebrity than their own doctors didn't pay to read her books about the subject, watch her talk about it on tv and kept vaccinating their kids. She's getting a ton of money for making kids sick and taking advantage of American stupidity.

 
there their theyre 2009-07-02 03:52:56 PM  
serpent_sky: RemyDuron: Heh, I'd guess the same people who would defend the right for parents to deny medical care for children for religious reasons would also be the first to condemn a parent who euthanized a terminally ill child to end their suffering.

That's because our society has an odd thing against euthanasia. I don't understand it -- medically assisted suicide for terminally ill patients who do not wish to suffer any longer makes perfect sense to me.

We have this whole "culture of life" -- at any cost, and once again, people are largely ignoring quality of life, which is important. We treat our cats and dogs better than we do humans who are suffering. When there is nothing that can be done for our pets, the vet will suggest euthanizing the animal because it is the only humane thing to do. Why do we not have the same regard for humans, instead opting to keep them hooked up to machines, on drug cocktails, extending their pain and unhappiness for as long as possible?

My mother passed away in December. It was the most devastating thing I could even fathom happening. I remember feeling horrible when, after the last time I saw her, I thought, "it would only be merciful for her to pass in her sleep, if she is not going to get better." She was telling me over and over, "this is no way to live" and constantly trying to pull out her oxygen and IVs. She wouldn't/couldn't eat. She thought people were poisoning her when we weren't there, and the doctors were terrible people who were hurting her. It was horrible. She passed three days later. And that was horrible, too... but I have often wondered since what the value of her being in a hospital, that upset and miserable, was, and if it would have been better to not even continue care beyond making her comfortable.

It's a tough decision when you make it that personal. I had a hard time writing it. But I'm sure, if she'd been asked, she'd have said to stop, just from conversations she and I used to have about keeping people alive. We were both profoundly affected by my grandmother's struggles with chemotherapy, and cut from much of the same cloth. I hated seeing her suffering, even though I miss her every single day of my life.

I wouldn't judge anyone who chose to euthanize someone who was not going to get better and was simply suffering until the inevitable happened. I would really just feel sympathy for them, for having to make such a difficult decision, and for putting the person's suffering before their own.


So sorry about your mother, that truly is saddening.
My mom has actually told me that if she ever ends up like that to turn the ventilator off or OD her on morphine because she would rather be dead than unable to live. I can only hope that I'll never be in that situation, but it is something we have talked about.

 
Alien Robot 2009-07-02 03:53:54 PM  
Since 1975, about 35 years, ONLY 274 children have died because of this.

EACH year, about 195,000 people die because of preventable doctor errors in hospitals.

Seems like you are better off going with the prayer therapy and avoiding the hospitals[1]. You could make a case that the odds are better with prayer[2].

/[1]lies, damned lies, and statistics
//[2]you'd be wrong

 
srhp29 2009-07-02 03:54:14 PM  
Is that a lot? In case you hadn't noticed, we are getting a bit overcrowded down on this rock.

I think Freedom of religion is fine...it is too bad children don't get that right.

 
rickytickytappy 2009-07-02 03:54:25 PM  
How many died because of abortion last year?

Oh, nevermind, you all believe euthanasia is ok because it's "part of a woman" until born right? All men that believe in abortion, I hope you impregnate a woman and she aborts the baby against your will.


/not really, but it happened to me

 
Shani [TotalFark] 2009-07-02 03:54:49 PM  
Just got here. Has anyone posted this depressing site yet? There are other causes listed but it seems most are deaths and harm caused by religious parents. (pops)

 
turtleking 2009-07-02 03:55:03 PM  
all Religions are frauds.


You can have all the religious freedom you want as a consenting adult.

You should not have the rights to kill your children in the "belief"
that an imaginary figure is going to fix your child.


Your imaginary God might be busy strangling a 2 yr old in Florida and not see your childs cancerous growth.

 
Quick Fixer 2009-07-02 03:56:26 PM  
IXI Jim IXI: Quick Fixer: I'd rather give up the freedom to drive to stem the bloodletting on America's roads.

We'll come after you by driving on the sidewalks.


www.smh.com.au

OH GOD NOOOOOO!

// link is hot
//// like the sun on that guy's back

 
Lifeless 2009-07-02 03:57:26 PM  

 
Ziploc'd Oreos 2009-07-02 03:57:46 PM  
Karen Avery

Age: 7
Kirtland, Ohio


Murdered
April 17, 1989
The Avery family joined a Mormon splinter group led by a self-declared prophet when they moved to Kirtland in 1987. They were brutally murdered by the leader of this cult


Religion!

/Now I'm sad
//Glad Unitarians aren't this insane

 
onebadgungan 2009-07-02 03:58:16 PM  
It's raining so hard this little town floods. A devout Christian woman is looking out of her 2nd floor window when a boat comes by. "Get in the boat, we'll take you to safety!" Yells the captain. "No, thanks. God will save me." says the woman, and the boat roars away.

The flood continues, and gets so high the woman has to sit on her roof. A small row boat comes around the corner. "Hey, come on. I'll help you to safety." "No, thanks, God will save me." says the woman and the guy rows the boat away.

Finally, the water is so high she is perched on her chimney. A helicopter flies overhead. The co-pilot yells down "Hey. lady! Grab the ladder, we'll pull you up!" "No, thanks. God will save me." They fly away.

She drowns.

At the gates of Heaven, the woman is very upset, and requests to see God right away. "I waited for you and you never saved me. I want to know why!"

"Lady," He says, "I sent you two boats and a helicopter!"

 
AndreMA 2009-07-02 03:58:18 PM  
Each day that goes by, I become less and less accommodating of superstitious morons. If you believe in some Daddy in the Sky or other such bullshiat, you're in with the Easter-Bunny and Tooth-Fairy believers as far as I'm concerned.

No, I will not "respect" your stupidity. You believe in an afterlife? Great... I'd be more than happy to help you get there if you'd just shut.the.fark.up. I won't even make you pay for the bullet.

 
dognose4 2009-07-02 03:58:42 PM  
How many has God healed in that time period?

 
IonBeam2 2009-07-02 04:00:12 PM  
Agent Nick Fury: How many have died from doctor errors?
Or wrong medication?
Or getting hit by lightning?


I'm sorry, but we're sensationalizing here. You can take your logic and rational thought and piss off.

 
Mr Rusty Shackleford [recently expired TotalFark] 2009-07-02 04:00:18 PM  
turtleking: You should not have the rights to kill your children in the "belief"
that an imaginary figure is going to fix your child.


I'm sure many of them are aware that there is no fix. There is a distinct and significant difference between believing god will fix your kid vs. your religion disallowing medical intervention of certain types.

We'd all be better off if we let nature take its course more often.

 
Quick Fixer 2009-07-02 04:00:22 PM  
Ziploc'd Oreos: Karen Avery

Age: 7
Kirtland, Ohio


Murdered
April 17, 1989
The Avery family joined a Mormon splinter group led by a self-declared prophet when they moved to Kirtland in 1987. They were brutally murdered by the leader of this cult


That one was surprising to me. Death due to religious belief doesn't tend to be that direct.

// The Lord works in mysterious ways

 
Great Metal Jesus [TotalFark] 2009-07-02 04:00:23 PM  
EsteeFlwrPot

Why can't it be both? If the religious sect specifically says that you should do X, where X is praying for your child instead of getting medical help or refusing life-saving blood transfusions, why isn't that specific religious sect also at fault?

You can't overlook the power of the cultural framework one is brought up in. If your entire social network is saying "pray the disease away" aren't they at fault as well? Blaming stupid people and only stupid people seems to me to be the easy way out. You can't replace a few parts in a wholly broken system and have any expectation of solving the problem.

 
zarberg 2009-07-02 04:00:47 PM  
dognose4: How many has God healed in that time period?

You can go ask him yourself if you want.

 
CapitolG 2009-07-02 04:00:52 PM  
Shani: Just got here. Has anyone posted this depressing site yet? There are other causes listed but it seems most are deaths and harm caused by religious parents. (pops)

Wow and Wow.....

Saddly I did snicker at the snake handeling family, clearly they were sinners!

 
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