An Oregon couple recently let their kid die, and are now asking for the charges to be dropped, saying it was their religious right to do so.

My first question is: Why does this church of theirs, which believes in faith-based healing, still have followers after something like this happens?

Second: What are religious rights, again?

There seems to be an idea, or maybe a vague notion, floating around that religion supersedes law. In twisted religious logic, this makes sense: The law of god takes precedence over the law of man. Of course, normally it’s not a problem. Religions usually have rules that are beneficial to both the individuals and the society, which is one of the reasons people follow religions, and also one of the reasons everyone else looks at them and says, “Okay, believe what you want. You’re not hurting anyone.”

Religious rights, as these negligent parents ask for them, do not exist in the United States of America. Americans have the right to religion, which covers a whole lot of things, but not the right to pick and choose which laws to break.

Carl and Raylene Worthington, here’s my advice: Do what all the other nuts do, and plead insanity. While you’re at it, renounce the beliefs that got your daughter killed.