Medicine and religion: can they co-exist?

It is a debate that runs inside and outside the Christian faith. Is prayer enough when it comes to the healing of a sick child?

On Friday, July 24, 2009, after six days of deliberation, a jury acquitted the parents of a deceased 15-month old girl of manslaughter.

Carl and Raylene Worthington of Oregon City, Oregon attend the Followers of Christ Church, whose members do not believe in modern medical treatments for the ill. This church was once a vibrant evangelical church (according to former members).

However, after the death of their pastor in 1969 the church started to take turns that would eventually cause them to become a secretive group that will not give statements to outsiders.

The Worthington’s daughter, Ava, died in March 2008 of a form of pneumonia that could have easily been cured with common antibiotics. However, the Worthington’s chose to approach this illness only with prayer. It was their belief that God would heal their child if that was meant to be.

Carl Worthington has attended the Followers of Christ Church his entire life, as has most of the remaining congregation. Not only is this what they are taught, but this is what they firmly believe due to their upbringing.

Most states, including Oregon, (since the 1990’s) do not allow “religion” as a defense in manslaughter cases. However, in this case the Worthington’s argued that they did not realize how ill their daughter was, since none of them ever see a physician.

Mrs. Worthington stated, “I was extremely upset and in shock…” She had also said that she knew Ava wasn’t feeling well but that she had made some improvements the last time they had laid hands on her in prayer.

Most Christian Churches do not discourage their members from seeking medical help and this story begs many questions.

First, should the government have the right to intervene in cases involving religious beliefs? Many would argue that when the life of a child is hanging in the balance, anything that can be done should be done to save the life of the child. Where does the Constitutional Amendment begin and end when it states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof?”

Second, who should be held responsible in cases where a child dies due to lack of medical treatment? In the case of Ava, there were many parties involved in making the decision for faith healing and against modern medical treatment : Mr. & Mrs. Worthington, the church, the pastor and elders of the church. Should any or all of these people carry some amount of blame in Ava’s death?

Finally, is there a right and a wrong? Can our life experiences so alter our perspective that our version of black is someone else’s version of white? Where does truth come from?