In February 2011, Herbert and Catherine Schaible were convicted of manslaughter in the death of their 2-year-old son, Kent. They are currently on probation. Now another of their children, this time 8-month-old Brandon, has died. A cause of death is pending an autopsy but the parents say that he was suffering from diarrhea and breathing problems for at least a week. In most cases this would be seen as a terrible stroke of bad luck. But in this case, it is being looked on with suspicion due to the couple’s religious beliefs.

Those of you who know me, know that I am very tolerant of all positive religions. I will defend a Christian who I feel is being mistreated as quickly as I will a fellow Pagan. But in this case, I simply cannot do so. The Schaibles are fundamentalist Christians who believe that prayer – and only prayer – is the accepted valid medical treatment for any illness or affliction. Though we do not know for certain if their baby could have been treated, indications are that he could have.





The Schaibles belong to a sect that selectively interprets Biblical verses to fortify their belief that Christians are forbidden from visiting doctors or taking medicine. The website of the First Century Gospel Church has a “message” entitled, “Healing – From God Or Medicine?” which includes the following:

“Sickness is from the devil, but we can be healed by faith in the Blood of Jesus. John 14:13 ‘Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.’ Trusting on medicine brings no glory to God, but results in huge profits for the drug company.”

I guess they choose to disregard Ezekiel 47:12 and Jeremiah 8:22 and Revelation 22:2 and Isaiah 1:6 and… well, you get the idea. For every verse one can find denying the use of medicine, one can find one supporting it. Also, Jesus never said to abjure doctors or medicine. Yes, He could heal but who is to say that His current method of doing so isn’t found in modern medicine? Mysterious ways and all that.

The Schaibles have been taking their other children for check-ups as required by their probation and Brandon was seen when he was 10 days old. But there are no records of any other visits. The couple’s seven other children have been placed in foster care but the pair remain free even though they violated the terms of their probation by not seeking medical care for the infant. They even told investigators that they had prayed for his healing. Fat lot of good that did.

Prosecutors say that a decision on charges will await the results of the autopsy. Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Benjamin Lerner told the couple at a hearing on Monday:

“You did that (prayer) once, and the consequences were tragic.”

Personally, I feel that if you choose to forgo the marvels of modern medicine (that, arguably, God hath wrought) for yourself, then go for it. But when you endanger the lives of children, I have a big problem. Children, particularly infants and toddlers, have no way of knowing that they are being denied something that could save their lives. They have no concept of their own mortality. They trust Mommy and Daddy implicitly to care for them in every way. To destroy that trust in order to fulfill your egotistical beliefs that God either has the time or inclination to be your cosmic bellhop – or, in this case, doctor – is reprehensible. I do know that energy concentrated on the goal of healing, such as prayer or spells or meditation, can help aid healing – I have seen it several times. But it is not a substitute for medicine. To presume that they know God wants their children to die in order to adhere to some twisted interpretation of their book is arrogant in the extreme. These two should have all of their children taken away. They are a danger to them. I don’t think that this is what Jesus meant when He said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me.”

T. Steelman is a life-long Liberal. She has been writing online about politics since 2007. She lives in Western Washington with her husband, daughter, 2 cats and a small herd of alpacas. How can anybody be enlightened? Truth is, after all, so poorly lit…