A recent BBC news report:

A US couple who prayed rather than seeking medical attention for their dying daughter have been sentenced to six months in jail.[i]

The couple is accused of recklessly killing the youngest of their four children by ignoring clear symptoms of severe illness as she became too weak to speak, eat, drink or walk. The couple had a legal duty to take their daughter to a doctor but had instead relied totally on prayer for healing.

Eleven-year-old Madeline Neumann, also known as Kara, died in the family’s rural home as people surrounded her and prayed. Emergency services were called after she stopped breathing. Kara died of an undiagnosed but treatable form of diabetes.

The parents said they believed healing came from God, and they had not expected their daughter to die as they prayed for her. Dale and Leilani Neumann could have received up to 25 years in prison over the 2008 death of their daughter. However, Judge Vincent Howard ordered the couple to serve one month in jail each year for the next six years. He said, “God probably works through other people, some of them doctors.” The judge told the Neumanns this would give them time to “think about Kara and what God wants you to learn from this.” He added that they were “very good people, raising their family, who made a bad decision, a reckless decision.”

In addition to the custodial sentence, the Neumanns were also put on 10 years’ probation, as part of which they must allow a nurse to examine their two youngest surviving children at least once every three months, and must immediately take their children to a doctor in case of any serious injuries.

The couple is appealing against their convictions.

This is neither the first case of its kind, nor the last. People do lots of things in the name of God. And you’re not supposed to question it, because religious sentiments are involved. There is a thinly veiled threat of violence. A play on people’s superstitious fear of the unknown. An unexpressed fear that any questioning might expose the wolf in sheep’s clothing. The blind leading the blind. And so, God’s name has been used to justify the worst, most bestial acts in history.

Were the Neumanns imitating Christ in what they did to their daughter? Was God honored in their actions? Was His will done? Is this incident an example of the coming of God’s kingdom?

If the Neumanns are right in their actions, we need to imitate them, even when our loved ones die, as they surely will if denied treatment. If the Neumanns are wrong, then it is a warning for us of the tragic and dire consequences of our actions, for which we will be held accountable, not just in human courts, but eventually and surely, before the Judge of all the earth.

Our actions are driven by our beliefs, and have consequences not just for us, but for others, especially those dependent on us. These beliefs need to be examined to see if they are in alignment with the teachings of Christ. And since our actions affect others, we are accountable to them. We are our brothers’ keepers, even if we deny it.

James says that if anyone is sick, let him call the elders. He did not say do not take treatment; that is what we assume. Nowhere in the Bible are we told, directly or indirectly, to refuse treatment for sicknesses. Nor does Scripture teach that such a refusal is a sign of faith or spirituality. On the contrary, we are called to be sensible, not fanatics on the extreme fringes of rationality.

Modern and ancient systems of medicine certainly have shortcomings, just as all human knowledge and skills have their limitations. But it does not mean they are not valid, or is in some mysterious way against the will of God.

It would be interesting to trace the medical history of the Neumanns. Did Mrs Neumann bear her children without any medical assistance, including pain alleviating drugs?

Is this an incident of child abuse, in the garb of spirituality? Recent news has shown us how capable adults are of mistreating children.

Were the Neumanns testing God? Satan told Christ to jump from the temple height, and expect God to send angels to catch his fall. A bait that Christ refused. Many of us merrily jump, and then blame God for supposedly not doing His part.

Most of the recorded healings of Jesus are about conditions that were untreatable or uncurable at the time. Diabetes is treatable today.

The Neumanns’ action may also be an outcome of an either or thinking, as well as a failure to see things from a creation point of view. God created all things, including medicinal plants, gave man the ability to understand, to study, to invent, to develop his skills, all for the glory of God and the blessing of others.

It is also a red flag indicating the presence of dangerous teaching, and lack of biblical practice. Every church and every Christian should pray for healing. We should not allow it to be confined to a lunatic fringe. Healing is to be a mainstream Christian activity. But it does not preclude medical treatment or taking care of our health.

Our bodies are the temple of God. If we destroy our own bodies or that of others, by acts of omission or commission, beware the judgment of the One who said, “Thou shalt not kill.”