Day 2 Testimony in the Dale Neumann Trial

Yesterday's testimony by Leilani Neumann just leaves one dumbstruck in just how faith can so morally rob a person of their common sense. While Kara Neumann inched precipitously toward death with noticeable signs of a severe illness, Leilani Neumann went on with that's night 's bible study instead.

9:45 a.m. Leilani’s answers to Jacobson’s questions are often long and she has a story for every answer when Jacobson was aiming for a short response.

9:57 a.m. Jacobson was becoming frustrated when Leilani would not answer his question if she believed sickness is caused by sin with a yes or no answer.

Leilani tried to explain that God doesn’t want people to harbor disobedience and unforgiveness inside themselves and that there is a spiritual root cause to sickness.

None of that makes any sense to rational person of course. Although the Neumann's believe that sickness has a "spiritual root cause," the Neumann's beliefs are actually far graver than that.

1:55 p.m. Leilani made more comments about her religious beliefs, the role of healing and doctors. “We are not against the people (doctors). The practice we consider not biblical,” Neumann said.

Leilani said there are two types of medicine in the Bible, spiritual and natural.

The live blog does not indicate what Leilani Neumann means by "natural" healing in the bible, but it seems pretty clear that the Neumann's do not consider medical science acceptable. They seem to believe that medical science is not sanctioned by the Bible, that it is even disobedient in god's eyes.

"It would have shown complete disobedience to what we believe in," Leilani Neumann said.

While they may have believed that Kara's illness and death may not have been caused by her sin (she was a child after all), it seems that the Neumman's may have attributed Kara's death to their disobedience to god. After all, the bible does state that the Lord visits " the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." (Exodus 34:7)

If this is the case, then what kind of monster do these "full-gospel Christians" worship? Dale Neumman stated to a bible study partner that he felt his daughters sickness was a "test of faith."

So I have to wonder, was the entirety of Kara's life -- her avoidable death -- just to teach Dale and Leilani Neumann a lesson? To test them? A way for god to show them the price of their disobedience?

Anyway you slice it, the death of Kara Neumann is a terrible, but avoidable tragedy. The parents' religious extremism has not only destroyed the life of their daughter, but their family as well -- almost guaranteeing that Dale Neumann will spend a hefty amount of time in prison at the conclusion of this trial.

(Source)

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If you want to end this type of religiously motivated-abuse and restore the right to access medical health care for these children whose parents are unfortunately sincere in their beliefs, please contact your state legislator and ask them to support LRB-2190.