Religious Nuts Kill Own Daughter—Is Their Sentence Appropriate?

It certainly is a tragedy. It's the kind of thing that has made me question the value of freedom of religion in the past.

One thing I'd like to see in America is to stop giving religions tax-free status. If they perform charitable duties like feeding the poor that should require the same non-profit requirements that any other secular charity would but they should not get the easy ride they now get.

Leilani Neumann's Press Release
5/23/09

Many people were looking for a reaction from me. My emotion runs too deep to be seen externally. My faith in God does not waver in the midst of this storm. We have peace in God, regardless of the decision made yesterday. Our emotions do not hinge on how, or if, the rest of the world approves of our actions. We live for God’s approval alone, standing with the apostles and many others willing to be thrown into the fiery furnace if need be, but we WILL NOT worship or bow down to any other God.

Our child, Madeline Kara Neumann, did not show any sign of pain or agony when she was ill during this short time frame before she stopped breathing. Our children have never been afraid to speak their mind to us about their needs. They are very highly intelligent children, who formulate their own ideas and belief system. They can freely tell you why they believe in God and why they also trusted God to heal their sister. Madeline Kara was a very mature Christian of deep faith in God’s Word; she did her own study on doctors and medicine exactly one week prior to her death. I did not ask her to do this study; she did it without my knowledge and told me about it the next day. She did it out of concern for a dear friend of ours who had a rare type of cancer. Kara found out through her study of God’s Word that the Bible did not advocate doctors or medicine but, rather, that modern-day medicine is a counterfeit to God’s healing power. On the Monday morning prior to her death, I was passing by her bedroom when she stopped me and shared with me the various scriptures she had found that led to her conclusions, and then proceeded to give me a piece of paper where she had this scripture on it (Jeremiah 46:11). She told me this paper was to be given to this dear friend of ours. The police have a copy of this paper and her brothers and sister can verify this account.



Do people have the time to change their belief system in a moment of crisis? NO. Should they give up on faith when it’s being tested? No, otherwise they don’t really have faith. The Bible is very relevant in my life and in the lives of my family. If we had any doubts in any part of the Bible, then we would have to say it’s all a lie, but NO, we believe the whole Word of God is applicable to us for this modern day, and in preparing us for the years ahead. The medical sciences cannot heal all diseases. Doctors and nurses make mistakes that can sometimes be irreversible and fatal. A mistake made in the hospital is respected and hushed, but they will not be investigated because this fits the mentality of most of the people in power; therefore, everything else done to care for a sick child outside of these parameters becomes criminal. Yet, with all the many deaths occurring within the sanctuary of revered hospitals, how anyone can sit in the seat of judgment concerning our daughter’s death is completely irrational.



Dale and I thought we were within our rights to pray for our daughter’s recovery. The last thing on our mind was to harm our daughter in any way. I think the law should be more clearly written before any charges can be made against parents who pray. Where is the law that we broke? Make sure everyone knows that this is no more the America we thought it was. And please don’t try to hide it behind “Reckless Homicide" charges or "Neglect” because the real issue is our government is anti-God.



The hypocrisy has been atrocious. How can the Assistant District Attorney say he believes in prayer, ask others to pray for his family members, and then go and prosecute someone for praying for their own family member? How can these people walk into a church when they would not allow us to open a Bible during that trial?



Though our family has felt extreme pain in our daughter Kara’s passing, the additional grief in facing these charges has created compassion in my heart for all those who have been betrayed by their own government. It is not time to be scared and back in a corner; it is time to wake up and do something about this. How many more citizens’ rights will be violated if we do not have a government who fears God more than man? I am strong, simply because I fear God alone.

worst sort of ignorance

No, not denying...I guess it is hard for me to believe that in this case they were actually trying to kill their child, apparently they were feeding clothing, loving that child within their own belief of caring. Apparently, they had a false belief that prayer would heal the child. Yes, this is a form of negligence. But it is not because they were trying to kill the child.

Their belief in prayer alone to heal her from the disease led them to believe they were doing what is best for the child. This is ignorance. It can be corrected. It is a horrible reality that this child was killed in this manner. But it was not because the parents were not feeding her, or caring for her needs in the best way they knew how. At least that is what I gleaned from my reading. I would like to believe the best in people though.

Still in all, there are consequences to every action and they deserve to bear the burden of those consequences which are the death of a child and whatever sentence the court deems appropriate. I have to say I lean toward taking the other children away until they know for sure that the ignorance has been corrected. But that gets into a web of confused and blurred lines I am not willing to trod through.

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 have the same vitriol for parents who don't make their kids wear seat belts, or parents who don't lock their gun cabinet?

I think I'll donate to the atheist bus ads campaign.

Robert Gentel wrote:

I think I'll donate to the atheist bus ads campaign.

Looks like they don't accept donations directly (directing to the British Humanist Organization).

Anyone know of an American equivalent? I'm feeling like putting out an ad in their home town but would rather donate than put in the time myself.

First of all, I never said that they were trying to kill the child or anything similar. I said that the child was dying in stages right under their noses and they had many chances to get help. They must have known that the child was dreadfully seriously sick and getting sicker. Secondly, when you say "until they know for sure that the ignorance is corrected," such a determination should probably take into account that all through the trial and even after sentencing they have been maintaining that they were right.

OCCOM BILL wrote:

I see very little between these idiots and the monsters that drown their children in the tub.

There is a huge difference between intent to kill and ignorance that leads to death.

ehBeth wrote:

It could well be that I'm not using the correct language for an American case.

It's just as incorrect in Canada. In common law (which includes Canada) murder requires the intent to kill.

And incidentally, they've learned absolutely nothing from their daughter's death:

During the sentencing hearing, Leilani Neumann, 41, told the judge her family is loving and forgiving and has wrongly been portrayed as religious zealots. "I do not regret trusting truly in the Lord for my daughter's health," she said....

"We live by faith," he said after the sentencing. "We are completely content with what the Lord has allowed to come down, but he is not done yet."

That's a tough one for me. Taking the children from them is going to cause them deep suffering. But leaving the children with them may be dangerous. On this matter the answers are never going to be easy.