What Takes Precedence - Religion or Law?

The story is one of those tragic ones that come to the public awareness from time to time. The beginning of the last act of this particular drama took place in a courtroom in Oregon last Monday. On that day, Carl and Raylene Worthington walked into court and declared that they were not guilty of manslaughter and criminal mistreatemnt in the death of their 15 month old daughter.

This story, as with most, had its beginnings long ago. In the early part of the 20th century, a new church group was founded in Chanute, Kansas. This group, the Followers of Christ Church, emerged out of the Pentecostal movement and believes only in divine healing. That means, when sickness comes to one of their members, they believe in the scriptural admonition to anoint the person with oil and to pray for them, without seeking medical care from a doctor. Over the course of time, the church moved west, and many settled in Oregon. Since the 1950's, it is alleged that many children of church members have died of treatable conditions. In 1999, Oregon became one of the few states to enact legislation that would hold a parent accountable in the death of a child who might have been saved with medical treatment.

That brings the Worthingtons into the narrative. Their daughter died at home on March 2 from bacterial bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection. The young girl also had a benign cyst on her neck that further compromised her breathing. According to the Deputy Medical Examiner, the medical conditions could have been treated. So, under the 1999 Oregon law, they were charged.

This case raises a host of issues - both legal and theological.

Theologically, how do you evaluate a church that believes so strongly in the power of God to heal and interprets scripture so literally that they view utilizing medical professionals as a sin worthy of excommunication? Do they have the right to their spiritual convictions even when those principles affect minor children?

Legally, should parents be exempt from any criminal prosecution when they refuse competent medical treatment for their children due to religious convictions? Should a state or national government stop such behavior, by any and every means available to it?

This church, of course, is not the only one to take such a stand. This is merely the latest incident in a long line of such situations.

It is easy for me to condemn the parents of this girl. I know what I went through every time my sons were ill, and what I was willing to do to bring them back to health. I have to believe that the Worthingtons honestly and fervently did what they thought was the right thing to do and desperately hoped that God would heal their daughter. I cannot imagine what they experienced when their daughter took her last breath.

That raises the question. Should the law take precedence over someone's religious beliefs in every case or any case at all? Should one's religious convictions trump any law, even if it means putting a child in danger? Do we want to live in a world where religious principles can contribute or cause the death of a child or anyone else? Do we want to live in country where the government can, by fiat, invalidate religious beliefs?