Faith Central - Times Online - WBLG

The parents whose faith let their daughter die untreated

The abuses of organized, established churches are often pointed to,  but a terrible story from Wisconsin demonstrates how "religious isolationists" making their own rules can be as disastrous.  Parents  who prayed as their 11-year-old daughter died of untreated diabetes have been charged with second-degree reckless homicide.
     Dale and Leilani Neumann  - she an aspiring preacher - were urged to get help for their daughter, but considered the illness "a test of faith" and thought Madeleine was under a "spiritual attack" . On Easter Sunday, she died after months of symptoms. The Neumanns each face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. They are not educationally subnormal.   Mr Neumann is a former policeman .  But they drew the conclusion - solipsistically - that the poor child's illness was" the devil is trying to stop Leilani from starting her own ministry".   Hard to sympathize. 

To kneel or not to kneel...

A Sunday topic...this blog has been brooding over the grumpy words of the Rt.Reverend Lindsay Unwin, Bishop of Horsham last week when he noted how many parishioners do not kneel down properly to pray "There was a time when 'Let us pray' meant an immediate grabbing for a well used hassock and reassuring shuffle as people settled into a not inappropriate physical discomfort" he says.  CS Lewis would agree - in The Screwtape Letters he says "we are animals, and what our bodies do affects our minds", therefore kneeling is better than sitting or lying down, even though prayer may be silent and inward.   As a Catholic child I always noticed that in Anglican churches the pews were closer together and made it harder to kneel - the Anglican Crouch was the term used. But now it seems people stay sitting down.
    Assistance is offered by a pastor in Garston, Virginia, Ken Collins,
with this useful diagram of all the traditional praying positions. Other sites are equally rich in instruction. And complaint.  Blogger Jimmy Akin says kneeling hurts.  This Catholic site explains why kneeling matters. The other references I can find are nearly all from marathon runners who find it hard to give thanks for their success in a kneeling position...