Is faith healing child abuse?

Question

If a parent believes in faith healing and not in modern medicine and chooses prayer as his method of treatment for his children, does that make him abusive? If he feels that he has experienced faith healing and he feels that it has been proven in his past, would it be considered abuse?

Okay, lets ask this then. The general consensus seems to be that if the condition worsens then it is abuse, or at the very least neglect. What if the condition worsens with medical help? If faith healing was the first choice but medicine was used to satisfy the laws of the land, is that not abuse or neglect?

Answer 1

The answer to this question actually varies by state. Some states consider refusal of medical attention as neglect or abuse, while others make allowances for religious beliefs.

A friend of mine in high school had never had any shots. He almost died of the mumps at 16. His parents believed that God would heal him, and my friend did recover.

This is such an emotional subject. I also have friends who had faith that God would heal their son of brain cancer, but He didn't.

It is my personal conviction that God enabled mankind to develop medications and we should be thankful that we have access to such intervention. That may not be your stance, or someone else's you may be referring to, but that is my two cents.

Answer 2

Faith healing has not proven to be a solid base for medical treatment. Neither has some of the treatments that one recieves in a hospital.
But, when treating a child who cannot make their own decisions concerning matters a person MUST use COMMON SENSE.
IF you honestly feel that faith healing will do the job and you withold medical attention for a child, be prepared to be held liable for child abuse when that faith healing does not work. Be reasonable, even if you have a dozen faith healers, snake charmers, priests and shamaan (S?) come and they have no effect on the child's illness or symptoms.... Use your brains. Take them to a hospital.
If at first one does not succeed, that does not mean that you are forbidden to try another tactic.

Be reasonable. If the problem a child is facing is serious enough that you would even consider a faith healer, then it is serious enough to see a liscenced, Trained MEDICAL professional.

Sorry, I've faced a lot of health problems in my life and never once when on the floor in a store or a restaurant with a migraine so bad that I wish'd I could melt into the carpet and disappear, did someone who 'laid hands on me' ( without asking permission, mind you) EVER help me. But my Doctor has.

Answer 3

If the lack of medical care results in a dramatic decline of life functioning or a life threatening situation that could have been prevented, then yes I believe that is abuse. There are so many diseases that once took life that now have simple medical solutions. I know that faith can be a powerful thing in a person's life, but love for a child is a life-altering emotion. Why would you risk the health of your children to prove your faith? Modern medicine is there to help people, not diminish their faith. Yes, most illnesses will be naturally fought off by the body. Sometimes intervention is necessary. Like meningitis. It kills. A spinal tap to find the cause and some appropriate medicine all is better. A few painful experiences and maybe a few nights in the hospital. But isn't that wroth still having your child? Just my two cents.

Answer 4

No. And there is a very good reason for this. If you actually look at faith healers and what they do, they actively screen out anyone who would be harmed psychologically or physically by their methods. For example; they have screeners that will remove anyone with severe mental retardation who just wants to be normal, or someone missing a limb who wants to grow one back. Faith healers do not deal with real medical problems. They do all they can to avoid looking fake and one sure way to prove they are fake is to have them try and cure someone with a real problem. To justify a claim of child abuse, you will have to prove that children are being deprived of their basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing. That their educational needs are not being met. That they are being physically or mentally damaged in some way. This is extremely difficult to prove for if it could be proved, faith healing would be illegal. There is an excellent presentation on YouTube by Richard Carrier that makes the assertion; Religious people are delusional. Using elements from his presentation, you might be able to make the argument that raising a child religiously is the same as training them to be psychologically disturbed. Then from this, make the assertion that the psychological disturbance is abusive. Good Luck. The Carrier video is well worth the watch.

Answer 5

Its actually against the law in many states to refuse medical treatment for a child (medical neglect). There have been many cases in recent history where parents wanted to "faith heal" or use alternative medicine and the children have been removed from the homes. I dont think its ABUSE because abuse if intentionally harming a person. I think its more neglect because neglect is giving insufficient attention to something that needs attention

Answer 6

If after 3 days the child is not any better and the person still didn't seek a Dr. help than yes I would say it's child abuse. Why make the poor sick child suffer because the parent believes in something that at that point obviously isn't working? God gives Dr.s the wisdom to help people.

Answer 7

I think that you should pray to God and let God lead you in the right direction. God has lead many Doctors to heal people. If you feel that the doctor is not in the best interest of the situation there are many life style places which can use natural remedies to help heal people. I personally know of a man who was told by doctors that he could loose his eye and possible die. He trusted in God and went to a life style place. They not only healed him but also saved his life. But there have also been lots of cases where God used the physicians to heal the person. Pray that God will lead you to the right physician or the right life style center to heal in your sistuation.

Answer 8

yes. i don't care if your kid has a cold or cancer, if you are forcing your child to live with sickeness and the discomfort that it involves because you happen to have irrational beliefs, then you are being abusive. just because you believe something does not mean your children should be denied any and all medical attention. it is incredibly selfish to push your belief system on your children, especially in such an important situatin as this.

Answer 9

If it's obvious the child's severely sick with an unknown illness the child should still be checked by a Doctor. God gives the wisdom and knowledge to doctors too.

Answer 10

I think you have decide what matters more to you. Your beliefs or the welfare of your child? If your child isn't getting better then it would be wrong not to do whatever you can. Use all of your options because life without your child isn't worth the risk.