James,

That is a great post. We are having issues on faith based denial of medical treatment here too. We will be having another trial, one was for a baby girl who died of a respiratory infection that could have been easily treated and the other is for a 17 year old boy who died of a urinary tract infection totally treatable. In both cases they were restricted from medical treatment due to parents faith.

I think that parents shouldn't be allowed to prevent medical treatment of serious medical conditions of minors, but everything is degrees. How much intervention for what situations. It is such a slippery slope, and there are too many people to police for beliefs, unless we enact my Belief as the one that all must follow. I will even make you head of security...

The other issue is that religion does provide a lot of quality of life for many. I am too poor to afford the medical treatment my family needs, so I am going to start drinking or kill myself, or take out my frustration on them. I am to poor, but that is God's will. I think that religion makes living through situation, which people may have little control of, easier. How do we know when their beliefs have gone to far? Usually only after it has gone too far.

I haven't come up with a great reason or understanding. I do believe in God, but not as one that is all powerful, or at least one that isn't all enacting. I don't believe in God's will because it is too damaging for my interaction with life, but I can't force that on others.

It isn't all good. It is a lot of crap, but we have to make our own best choices and keep on living. How we interact with others is our choice, but forcing issues never leads to a positive outcome.

I am glad you are living through this. It is a situation that makes us more aware of the real world, and tends to make one less careless in you live your own life.

Well so much for team Chaos...