Religion
Related: About this forum"The parents told deputies they locked the child in the room because he was possessed by demons."
Neighbor George Heupel drives past the quiet, country home. He says he was clueless. I wouldnt even treat my animals that way, said Heupel.
Investigators say the parents kept the six-year-old in a room with a small mat to sit on and a bucket to use the bathroom. Investigators also say the parents only came in to feed him once a day and to shock him with a cattle prod.
The parents told deputies they locked the child in the room because he was possessed by demons. They claimed he heard voices and hurt himself.
Its really an outrageous case of child neglect, said Undersheriff Chris West.
Three younger children were in the home too. Lawmen rescued them all.
http://kfor.com/2014/05/16/deputies-oklahoma-child-abused-locked-up-like-wild-animal/
And religion played NO PART in this whatsoever, right?
Shrike47
(6,913 posts)He's evil, in their eyes. They use the vocabulary they have available to explain why they did those things to their child.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)Or am I missing something here?
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)religion whatsoever, they would have found a way toward a similar outcome. It is mental defect of the parents that led to their abuse of their son.
I don't necessarily agree, but I can see it as a possibility.
skepticscott
(13,029 posts)of atheist parents abusing their children and attributing it to some manifestation of their atheism. Because there have been plenty of examples of religious parents doing things like this, just on this board, and recently. If this has nothing to do with religion, it should be happening among all parents equally, right?
Enlighten us.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)The point being, demonic possession is a religious construct.
struggle4progress
(118,282 posts)who called the police on them, the religious beliefs of the police who arrested them, the religious beliefs of the state personnel who removed the other children from the home, or the religious beliefs of the Oklahomans who established the laws allowing these interventions by government employees?
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)that would be a foundational[\b] part.
2pooped2pop
(5,420 posts)after being in solitary confinement and such terrible living conditions.
Cleita
(75,480 posts)should have over parenting. I'm mostly of the opinion that moms and dads know what's best for their children and will provide them with all the love and support they are capable of.
But...then situations like this arise and it makes me wonder just how much of a nanny state we need here when dealing with our most vulnerable and helpless, our children. When I lived in South America, extended families and close ties with nosy neighbors usually nipped any emerging abuses in the bud providing there weren't any external interferences like gangs or militias upending communities.
However, we live in single family islands with relatives not close by and often neighbors unknown so this kind of thing can happen unnoticed.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)Perhaps that's a place to start?
Cleita
(75,480 posts)Some families were more devotedly religious than others but I never knew of any one of those kids being abused or accused of being possessed by the devil. This seems to be more cultish behavior. Maybe that's a place to start, investigating cults, especially those that are secretive and shut out all outsiders.
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)My definition is likely broader than yours and would include people that would insist that THEY are not in a cult.
rug
(82,333 posts)Cleita
(75,480 posts)people who would engage in extreme punishments and practices. There needs to be oversight here by the state or even the by the MS church synods. I just don't know how it could be done.
rug
(82,333 posts)Cleita
(75,480 posts)But why don't you explain to me what you think the differences are or aren't so I know where you are coming from and I can explain to you what I think the differences. Suffice it to say many cults aren't about spiritual beliefs at all but follow the same model of fanaticism. So that's a hint of what I think is the difference.
rug
(82,333 posts)He starts these flamewars but rarely answers the questions.
smartphone
(87 posts)In a concluding chapter, Heimlich raises questions about childrens rights and proposes changes in societal attitudes and improved legislation to protect children from harm.
While fully acknowledging that religion can be a source of great comfort, strength, and inspiration to many young people, Heimlich makes a compelling case that, regardless of ones religious or secular orientation, maltreatment of children under the cloak of religion can never be justified and should not be tolerated.
I see you're a thoughtful person, and want some change to this horrible status-quo that lets religious people escape prosecution for their rationalizations for barbaric action under the guise of religion.
Just a suggestion for further reading. Some people have been studying this issue for years, and this author has produced an excellent book on this topic.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/161614405X/ref%3Das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwfriendlyat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=161614405X
Cleita
(75,480 posts)Years ago I read a book about an ex-Moonie. His family actually had to break him out bring him back from the brainwashing. He details the abuse he and others were subjected to yet they mentally couldn't break away. The Unification Church is a huge organization but doesn't deserve the designation of a religion because it's nothing more than a money making operation to keep the few in charge in luxury. These are the organizations that should be investigated and monitored for abuses especially to children.
struggle4progress
(118,282 posts)Posted: 6:00 a.m. Saturday, May 17, 2014
By Michael Purdy
temporary311
(955 posts)And looks like he was removed from their custody before it could ever come to that.