Saturday, August 1, 2009

Wisconsin Man Convicted For Praying

A US jury has found a man guilty of killing his sick 11-year-old daughter by praying for her recovery rather than seeking medical care.
The man, Dale Neumann, told a court in the state of Wisconsin he believed God could heal his daughter.


You can read the rest here.

Some questions:
-Do you think he and his wife were rightly convicted?
-If using modern medicines caused you to violate your conscience (i.e. sin) would you sin to potentially save your child's life?
-If you are a Christian, how do you answer this dilemma to those who are not believers?
-Did he deserve a conviction for this?

1 comment:

B Nettles said...

This guy created a false dichotomy. From the article: "If I go to the doctor, I am putting the doctor before God," he said. "I am not believing what he said he would do."

On what basis does he conclude that God told him He would heal his daughter without other means? I wonder if he wears a coat in the winter when the weatherman says "It's going to be cold today." Why would he ever listen to a weatherman; God will keep him warm.

No, trust God that He can use medical agents to heal.

Next he denies his own premise.
He also said he thought his daughter had had flu or a fever, and that he had not realised how ill she was.

That's why we have trained people in many different professions: to recognize the specifics of situations. "Oh, if I had known it was diabetes, then I would have trusted the doctors." FAIL!

Absolutely, I vote guilty.

His false dichotomy was not a matter of conscience. There is no moral perspective on whether to seek expert advice or not. Based on his ignorance of the true disease, it wasn't a choice of questionable medication. It was pride, seeking to show his "faith" at the expense of his daughter.

Prayer vs medical care - no
Prayer and medical care - yes