Autistic boy dies at prayer service
--Associated Press
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
An autistic 8 year-old boy died while being restrained during a church prayer service held
in an attempt to cure him, and one man connected with the small storefront church was
arrested, police and a church official said Sunday. The boy's mother took him
to the Faith Temple Church of the Apostolic Faith for the prayer service Friday
night. Several church members prayed over him for more than an
hour until someone noticed he wasn't moving and called 911, said Bishop David
Hemphill Sr. Hemphill said the boy and his mother had been going to the prayer
services for the past three weeks. Members of the church, made up of just six
families, prayed for God to release the evil spirits that cause the boy's illness, he said.

My Commentary
What has this sick world come to that people actually can still believe in this day and age that a mental illness, every bit as much a disorder or disease as any other variety of ailments with the exception that this one affects the brain, could be mistaken for evil spirits. I won't even get started on a six-family strip-mall church, because I just don't know how that would have worked without the Reformation. But my point is that this child was ill, not possessed. He needed love and understanding, he needed care and attention. He did not need to be held down until dead in an effort to get the evil spirits out of him. It disgustes me on many levels that this can happen, but it also amazes me the amount of ignorance that passes for "faith" these days. Allow me to share for a moment, if you will, how I think it is supposed to work. God helps (s)he who helps (her)himself. This means that faith in God to heal all wounds is not a mandate nor a very smart resolution. God acts through people, doctors, pyschologists, psychiatrists, teachers, just about anyone who can be of service. The point is, no one was ever healed miraculously in church, at least not in the last 2000 years. Go to the doctor, folks, his skill and knowledge is a miracle of God every bit as much as the thong bikini.

--DJannello (to comment email me.)