Family Guy Discusses ‘Faith Healing’

There are some states in the US where it is perfectly legal for parents to refuse medical care for their children on religious grounds. In the past 25 years more than 300 children have died as a direct result of their parent’s religious beliefs.

 The good news is that this is changing. IIRC Washington State finally flipped the metaphorical table when one church lost several children in a short timeframe and banned religious withholding of life-saving medical care from minors.

Thought the episode was weak, especially the end.  

As if it was that easy to rationalize with the religious, and of course they’d give up their beliefs that easily.  

beginning at 18:40

Lois: Ben, Hope, I know you don’t believe in modern medicine.  But you do believe in the power of prayer.  

Hope: That’s right

Lois: And through the years, when there was disease or infection, people of good faith would pray to God for a cure.

Ben: Yes, that’s what we do.

Lois: Well, then isn’t it possible that penicillan, vaccines, and antibiotics are all actually answered prayers?  And isn’t it possible the amazing men and women of medicine who brought about these miracles could be the instruments of God’s answer to our prayers?
…
Lois: Look, I believe life is sacred, and I know you want Scotty to live a full life.  And if that’s true, then I think it’s wrong for you to ignore what very well could be the Lord’s will.  I mean, what’s the point in praying to God if you’re just going to wipe your butt with his answers.  Hope, Ben, please let God answer your prayers.  Please let your son get help.

How about linking to sites that the rest of the world can see?

OK–I’m weighing in as an ex-Christian Scientist (3rd generation) who lost the use of my left knee as a child due to the laws permitting faith-based medical neglect in Massachusetts in the 1970’s. Yes–38 states STILL have exemptions permitting parents to legally choose prayer over medical treatment for children, largely because of lobbying by the Christian Science church.

I contracted a bone disease called osteomyelitis in my left knee at thirteen–though it wasn’t diagnosed for 20 years. My parents were devout Christian Scientists surrounded by our CS family and “practitioners” paid to pray who did just that. I literally had no medical treatment: no doctor, no aspirin, no hospital visit–I lay in bed for most of a year with an infected leg. Over the course of two years my knee fused in a bent position. When I was able to walk on it (scarred to the bone with a limp that could stop traffic) my practitioner said I was “healed.” (He is still teaching practitioners to this day.)

At the time (1976 near Boston) schools shied away from interfering with Christian Science treatment.  

The law read: A child shall
not be deemed to be neglected or lack proper physical care for the sole reason
that he is being provided remedial treatment by spiritual means alone in
accordance with the tenets and practices of a recognized church or religious
denomination by a duly-accredited practitioner thereof. 

My best friend’s parents tried to have me removed from my home but their lawyer told them there weren’t enough grounds. I lived through hell. Besides the physical condition, it left me with severe post-traumatic stress disorder that affects me to this day. I was in therapy for 15 years & still take meds.

I wasn’t even able to leave Christian Science until my early 30’s, I was so indoctrinated. I was sure it was my own fault I wasn’t perfectly healed. After the birth of my first daughter I left–amid flashbacks and breakdowns. It’s rough finding out you have no concept of reality. My leg was surgerically uncorrectable. When it gate out in 2007 I had it amputated above the knee. I’m currently writing about my life & looking for a literary agent for my memoir.

I’ve only found my voice in the last few years, but damn! it feels good. I wrote a statement for the Secular Coalition’s White House meeting with Obama aides in 2010  as their poster-child for religion-based medical neglect.   http://secular.org/heywoodtestimony    I also did an interview  with Sean Faircloth of the Richard Dawkins Foundation a couple months ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOY1ME19dLk

The Christian Science church claims they never urge their members to withhold medical care from children. This wasn’t true when I was a kid. If my writing makes the church defensive enough to allow CS parents to take their kids to doctors, I’m glad.  For more information on religious-based medical neglect of children, check out Children’s Healthcare Is A Legal Duty, Inc. (CHILD): http://childrenshealthcare.org/

Personally, I got a kick out of this show thinking how it puts one more little knot in the church’s tail. We’ve got to stop this cult from telling children their pain isn’t real. That’s the mindf**k. I lived it.

From the perspective of the child, the outcome of the parent who only prays an the parent who treats the kid with medicine and credits God, the results are pretty different. So no, it doesn’t defeat the purpose of the episode. If people are assigning credit in an inaccurate way that isn’t killing their children, let them do so.  

Thank you for sharing your story. *big hugs*

Just for da record, I was over the hospital – briefly.

 It’s not available on other sites; should he link to nothing at all, just to be fair?

Glad you are out now. And the power you hold now as a survivor is amazing. Good for you!

The end of this episode was very similar to a conversation I had when I was younger with someone at a Christian Science summer camp, with regards to ‘ Couldn’t God work miracles through people such as doctors?’ To which, the person responded: “don’t be silly.”

That’s religious thinking for you.

Coolwhhhip!

Had an aunt with a number of medical problems – all manageable with care and attention, but she refused to follow doctors’ instructions. Thus she was in and out of hospitals every few months. She got tired of this since docs couldn’t just “fix” her once and for all.

Then some preacher (backwoods Baptist) told her that Jay-zus would heal her if she just prayed hard enough. She announced that she was through with doctors, and that God would make her an example of the power of faith. I told my parents at the time that I was sure that was true, though not in the way she expected.

This lasted for a couple of months, while Jehovah failed to keep her hydrated, control her blood sugar or recharge her kidneys, no matter how much she praised him. Finally she agreed to go to the hospital, where godless medicine got her into good enough shape to go back to church.

She did die after a couple more years of ups-and-downs, doctors each time salvaging what they could from prayer’s failure; but that kind of seesawing wears a body out. At her funeral, of course, there was a preacher (not the original charlatan) who barely knew her name but was sure she had gained “eternal life.”

I often wonder what doctors and nurses must be thinking when the results of their dedication and skill are attributed to divine intervention. Just about every big recovery is quickly dubbed a “miracle,” and Jesus is praised for it. I wonder: do these people fail to thank the medical professionals who really did it?

The same applies to plane-crash survivors and similar cases. When’s the last time someone praised structural engineers and safety inspectors?

YES!! The defining quality and lifeblood of religion is FEAR. In 30-odd years of religion I never felt as unfraid as I do since I ditched belief. Born-aain atheist & so relieved.

I can’t speak for everyone (or even for myself), but my Sister-in-law (surgeon in a local hospital) is so deeply annoyed by this, she’s started saying loudly saying “You’re welcome” when people start with “Thank god my relative made it through the surgery well”.

And she’s received several unofficial complaints against this…