Religious Nuts Kill Own Daughter—Is Their Sentence Appropriate?

I agree with ebrown, the calls for the death penalty are likely ascribable to religious bigotry.

These people are subscribing to dangerous delusions, and it's important to take the intent into context. They just aren't murderers, and calling them such (like on Wilso's other thread about this) and calling for the death penalty is just another form of ignorance about the matter.

Or maybe it's hyperbole that comes from a disgust with religious idiocy. How is it bigoted to be pissed at stupid people who cause death with that stupidity? Maybe your definition of bigotry is different than mine.

Or maybe it's hyperbole that comes from a disgust with religious idiocy. How is it bigoted to be pissed at stupid people who cause death with that stupidity? Maybe your definition of bigotry is different than mine.

So, if you watch your daughter fall in a pool, and drop to your knees to pray that God saves her, instead of jumping in - you didn't kill that girl? It was the pool that killed her?

Do you make a distinction between religious idiocy and non-religious idiocy?

Prosecutors had asked for a three-year suspended prison sentence and 10 years probation. Defense attorneys had sought four years probation.

The judge ordered the couple to serve one month in jail each year for six years so the parents can "think about Kara and what God wants you to learn from this." One parent would serve the term in March and the other in September. Howard stayed the jail sentences while the couple's convictions are appealed.

As part of their probation, the parents must allow a public health nurse to examine their two underage children at least once every three months and must immediately take their children to a doctor for any serious injuries.

Assistant District Attorney LaMont Jacobson said justice was served by the sentences, but he was disappointed the parents never said they were sorry for what happened.

Religious idiocy is the absolute, bar-none worst form of idiocy, because it is impervious to logic or attempts to argue people around. Absolutely impervious to it. It also inspires Zeal to a greater degree than almost any other human idea.

Quote:

Religious idiocy is the absolute, bar-none worst form of idiocy, because it is impervious to logic or attempts to argue people around. Absolutely impervious to it. It also inspires Zeal to a greater degree than almost any other human idea.

So...

You are making an "absolute" broad argument with nothing to back it up. You make it clear that your opinion is impervious to logic and that there is no argument I could make that would change your mind.

This issue obviously inspires a great deal of zeal in you and people who share your viewpoint.

I hope you can see the irony here.

I can't imagine any punishment for a parent could be worse than losing a child. Maybe they should be required to do work in a children's hospital where children are treated by doctors and medical intervention and where a person's spiritual beliefs do not determine the outcome. Jail time doesn't really make much sense. They truly believed they were doing the right thing and were not trying to kill their daughter. This is a case of ignorance and brainwashing (they were probably raised with these beliefs), so I think education and experience would have a better long term effect on their conscience. Maybe they will have an epiphany and be able to council other people who believe as they do that they might want to try something beyond prayer to save a life.

Do you make a distinction between religious idiocy and non-religious idiocy?

It is interesting you use the phrase "disgust with religious idiocy" (which singles out the religious) in the first sentence.

An implication that religious people are stupid would be bigoted-- as is the idea that the crimes of people who are religious should be punished more severely.

Green Witch wrote:

I can't imagine any punishment for a parent could be worse than losing a child. Maybe they should be required to do work in a children's hospital where children are treated by doctors and medical intervention and where a person's spiritual beliefs do not determine the outcome. Jail time doesn't really make much sense. They truly believed they were doing the right thing and were not trying to kill their daughter. This is a case of ignorance and brainwashing (they were probably raised with these beliefs), so I think education and experience would have a better long term effect on their conscience. Maybe they will have an epiphany and be able to council other people who believe as they do that they might want to try something beyond prayer to save a life.

I like green witch's post. But I don't know that they are capable of learning. Some people watch as their loved ones die then wait on the corpse to return to life, believing God will make it happen. This sort of thing goes beyond ignorance straight to utter stupidity. When it is plain that parents will not care for their children, the children should be taken away.

I don't know about reverse religious bigotry Kicky. I think they looked at the people to determine if they were being willfully negligent. You discount the fact that faith can be an amazingly strong factor in some people's lives - even if it is wrong and has devastating effects. Look at Jim Jones and all the people that followed him to their deaths. I believe that is why these parents did not say they were sorry. I am pretty sure that their pastor led them to believe that it was God's will that Kara die, or God would have saved her. They probably think they did all they could.

I am not of that belief. I think these parents had to have a pretty sturdy faith. Because I can tell you, I have my kids at the Dr. at the first sign of anything of a questionable nature going on. And I am a Christian and I do believe in prayer...but I do believe God gave us resources to use...Doctors being one of them.

In fact, I think it's reverse religious bigotry that allows these people to get the ridiculous sentence they got. Do you believe that if they'd been drunks in my scenario they would have gotten a 1-month per year jail sentence?

I condemn for his lethal irresponsibility the man who killed his daughter by leaving her to stand on the seat of his truck while he drove on an interstate highway. I condemn for their irresponsibility the couple who endangerd the health of their children (they may never be "normal" in terms of their development and health) because of their fanatical adherence to "veganism." And i condemn idiots like this, who allow their children to die because of their adherence to an irrational and irresponsible superstition.

Religious idiocy is the absolute, bar-none worst form of idiocy, because it is impervious to logic or attempts to argue people around. Absolutely impervious to it.