Thread: Boy Dies After Choosing Prayer Over Medicine

those parents should be in jail for the rest of their lives. Since when a belief on a god has value for a dead person? The person still looses. In this particular case, his education was wrong wrong and wrong. Up to some point it's understandable why he refused medicine, but in the end, even at age of 16, even if it made no sense, you should know to respect a life above a belief in another entity.

I must always remind myself how fundamentally primitive a species we are.

We are far from ready to become anything better. Our technology advances at a faster rate than our minds. This will prove to be a problem..

...It already is.

I've have a urinary infection and it's no fun. At first I was thinking my response to this post would be like "who are you guys to wag your fingers at what other people choose?" but this sounds pretty fucked up. I simply cannot see somebody thinking "god's gonna save me any minute" while dealing with a urinary tract condition. Fuck that, you have to pee so bad all the fucking time and it never stops. Fuck that. Fuck that. Fuck that. You will jam that catheater in my penis and I don't care if I have to sacrifice a virgin to get it.

Originally Posted by Carôusoul

I must always remind myself how fundamentally primitive a species we are.

We are far from ready to become anything better. Our technology advances at a faster rate than our minds. This will prove to be a problem..

...It already is.

The existence of mindless zealotry does not mean that technological advancement isn't in sync with our development as a species, it simply means there are pockets of cultures and people who insist on being extremely conservative. Not much can be done about this.

To what extent can you really say it was the boy's decision? He was hopelessly indoctrinated, and so were the parents, though they should have known better, especially after the niece died recently from similar problems. Freedom of religion is one thing, but when children start dying needlessly the cult leaders should be held accountable.

Originally Posted by Marvo

The existence of mindless zealotry does not mean that technological advancement isn't in sync with our development as a species, it simply means there are pockets of cultures and people who insist on being extremely conservative. Not much can be done about this.

The majority of people. The percent of the human population who are progressively thinking and secular is tiny.

Originally Posted by Darkmatters

To what extent can you really say it was the boy's decision? He was hopelessly indoctrinated, and so were the parents, though they should have known better, especially after the niece died recently from similar problems. Freedom of religion is one thing, but when children start dying needlessly the cult leaders should be held accountable.

It's unfortunate because you can't exactly pass a law protecting people from indoctrination and you can't stop indoctrinated individuals from making their own choices. Furthermore it seems only appropriate that someone would be granted the right to choose their own medical treatment by the age of 14, even if they're just respecting their parent's wishes.

But it's fucking nauseating to think about that poor kid up all night for a week straight with urinary pains until finally dropping dead. I'm sure if his parents were in that position they would have said fuck it and got help. But they didn't know his pain and he didn't know of any other way. It's absolutely disgusting but legally nothing could be done to prevent such a thing.

Originally Posted by Marvo

The existence of mindless zealotry does not mean that technological advancement isn't in sync with our development as a species, it simply means there are pockets of cultures and people who insist on being extremely conservative. Not much can be done about this.

It's not just religious/conservative nuts. It's almost everybody. Because only an incredibly small amount of people actually stop and think about what our technology is going to be, and how it will change us and the rest of the world.

Originally Posted by tommo

It's not just religious/conservative nuts. It's almost everybody. Because only an incredibly small amount of people actually stop and think about what our technology is going to be, and how it will change us and the rest of the world.

You greatly underestimate other people's thinking process.

No, I really don't.

Originally Posted by tommo

No, I really don't.

The parents in relation to that article should have been charged and convicted of manslaughter. I'm a Christian and there is absolutely no way in hell I'll refuse any kind of medical treatment for my daughters if needed. This is a form of child abuse in my eyes, because for starters, the average 16 year old doesn't have the slightest clue about anything and these parents failed their child because of their stupidity.

Why aren't you happy? God gave a urinary tract condition to a boy whose parents he knew were heavily indoctrinated, and the boy is now dead. God must be feeling pretty chuffed right now about his plans working out.

Even Steve Jobs fell for this kind of thinking. He believed a bunch of hippies about vegan diets curing cancer rather than medicine. That's why he's dead now.

Regardless of whether any legal action can be taken against them, those parents failed their child in a fundamental way.

A tragic example of the kinds of moronic thinking that religion can inspire.


Edit: Apparently Oregon law allows those over the age of 14 to make choices over their own treatment, an unbelievably low age...

It's at times like this that I'm reminded of why I think so lowly of the human race as a whole.

Originally Posted by Xei

Even Steve Jobs fell for this kind of thinking. He believed a bunch of hippies about vegan diets curing cancer rather than medicine. That's why he's dead now.

He did resort to conventional medicine eventually, which is more than can be said for some. Still amazing that someone of Jobs' intellect would fall for such nonsense though...

This kind of religious indoctrination is no different from the way a dictator holds power over his populace, by controlling what people are allowed to think and know - keeping them ignorant and dependent. How far would religious freedom extend if someone's religion tells them to murder infidels? Does it need to become Jonestown before people take notice?

Originally Posted by Xei

Why aren't you happy? God gave a urinary tract condition to a boy whose parents he knew were heavily indoctrinated, and the boy is now dead. God must be feeling pretty chuffed right now about his plans working out.

All I hear from you Xei is, "God gave this, God gave that" For someone who doesn't believe in God you sure do invest a tremendous amount of time in thinking about Him every single day all day.

Thinking about religion in a religious thread about religion. Whatever next.

Yup where you spend a tremendous amount of your time.

Originally Posted by Solarflare

Boy Dies After Choosing Prayer Over Medicine

Do I show any sympathies for the 16 year old...

no.

I do. He died because he was lied to for his entire life. Sad.

I wonder if the parents think it was a test of their faith and that they passed because they never gave in?

That's a pretty detrimental attitude. If we adopted the belief that we pass God's tests even when the result is absolutely horrendous the religion doesn't even keep intact a basic reward/punishment structure. The purpose of these dogmatically run religions is so people that need it can live by a moral compass. Even Job got all his stuff back at the end.

Originally Posted by Photolysis

He did resort to conventional medicine eventually, which is more than can be said for some. Still amazing that someone of Jobs' intellect would fall for such nonsense though...

He wasn't a scientist. Just because he was intelligent, doesn't mean he understood the science behind eating vegan and conventional medicine.

You don't need to be a scientist to understand concepts like science, rationality and scepticism. You don't even need to be smart.

Originally Posted by Ne-yo

Yup where you spend a tremendous amount of your time.

I spend hardly any of my time here. I make a random foray about as often as I post in Inner Sanctum, which again is very rarely.

I gotta agree with Ne-yo on this one. I'm a christian, and I would never shrug off something potentially life threatening because I'm praying on it. If I were that age, my parents would have taken me straight to the hospital. There's nothing in the Bible that says anything against going to the hospital, and most of that faith healing stuff is just garbage. Once again, more publicity that's out there to make all religions look bad. Great job media.