Faith Healing: How Many More Children Will Die ? :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Faith Healing: How Many More Children Will Die ? June 18, 1997-- â€Å"Only six more days until my birthday! Wow! I can’t believe I’m going to be seventeen finally! Even though I’m excited, I wish I could start feeling better. I’m not really too sick, but I still am a little scared. In my heart, I wish I could go see a doctor, but I know that I could never tell my mom and dad that. Even if they heard me say it, they still wouldn’t listen to me, no matter how sick I was. I know I’m supposed to have faith that God will heal me, but right now I’m so afraid. I can’t die now. There is too much stuff I still want to do; I have so many hopes and dreams for my future...† Shannon Nixon never lived to see her 17th birthday. On June 21, 1997, only three days before her birthday, Shannon went into a diabetic coma and died shortly after. In all her life, she had never been to a hospital, seen the inside of an ambulance or even visited her local doctor’s office. Even at birth, she was delivered without the aid of a doctor or nurse. Shannon’s parents refused to seek medical help for her or any of their other nine children. Her parents are members of the Faith Tabernacle Church, where all the members solely believe in the power of faith healing (Dowell). Faith healing is defined by Webster as a method of treating diseases by prayer and exercise of faith in God. The members of the Faith Tabernacle church, as well as many other groups in the United States including the Christian Scientists and the Followers of Christ, believe that the right and power to heal is solely God’s. â€Å"Like many fellow Pentecostals, the Followers believe the Bible prescribes prayer and the laying on of hands to cure physical ills. Unlike most, however, Followers reportedly refuse medical treatment-- for themselves or for their children† (Biema). The Followers believe that any medicine or doctoral attention is putting faith in people instead of God. Whether it’s something as minor as a mere finger cut, or as dangerously deadly as diabetes or leukemia, the family refuses to seek medical contact or attention. This belief has been around since Biblical times. James 5:14 says, â€Å"Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the c hurch to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord (NIV).