Children·s Healthcare Is a Legal Duty. Inc. Box 2604 Summer 1986 Sioux City IA 51106 Copyright by Phone 712-948-3295 CHILD, Inc.
Written and produced by Rita and Doug Swan
HOUSE OF JUDAH LEADERS CHARGED WITH commune members pleaded no contest to CONSPIRACY IN CHILD'S DEATH child cruelty charges. But the Allegan County District Court also acquitted Wil The U. S. Department of Justice's case liam Lewis of the cruelty charge and against eight former members of the House dismissed charg~s against his son and of Judah leadership council is scheduled another defendant. for trial August 5 in the U. S. District Court of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The de Is thirteenth amendment for children? fendants are charged with conspiracy to hold children in involuntary servitude and The federal government's case rests on ~he with holding 12-year-old John Yarbough in thirteenth amendment to the Constitution involuntary servitude. The government and Title 18 of the U. S. Code prohibiting charges that the conspiracy resulted in slavery. It is unusual to consider a the boy's death on July 4, 1983. child living with his mother as a slave, and the defense has filed a motion to Torture dismiss on grounds that the thirteenth amendment does not apply to children. The boy had been beaten repeatedly for insubordination, neglecting chores, and The judge has granted the defendants' re soiling his pants. A physician who exam quest for a bench trial, but the govern ined his body said his vomiting, frequent ment is challenging this ruling, arguing falls, and inability to con~rol his bowels that federal law requires the prosecu - i~fticated severe injuries from the beat tion's consent to a bench trial. ings. Cau~of death was given as kidney failure, apparentiy cause~y the collec tion of blood in the kidneys. The Prophet's Claims INSIDE Yarbough lived with his mother at the Parents charged in Ohio faith death ••••• 2 House of Judah's camp in southwest Allegan Indiana Supreme Court upholds conviction County, Michigan. The group were blacks for faith death ••••••••••••••••••••••••• 2 who claimed to be the true Jews. Its Bergmanns put on probation •••••••••••••• 3 flamboyant leader, William "Prophet" Bill shielding churches from civil Lewis, provided the media with many state liability killed •••••••••••••••••••••••• J ments of his contempt for other blacks, California Medical Association files his admiration for the authoritarianism of amicua brief in Christian Science cases.J the Klu Klux Klan and Hitler, and justi Bay area skeptics investigate Popoff •••• 4 fications for beating children. Children Church's use of child labor contested ••• 4 were punished by being placed in stocks Christian Science does mental surgery on . and then beaten with switches and an ax hemorrhoids ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 5 handle. "The Seven-Headed Serpent": Freeman on medical science •.••••••••••••••••••••••• 6 Lewis cited Proverbs 23:13, "If you CHILD's first meeting ••••••••••••••••••• ? chastise him with the rod, he shall not Cult litigation conference •••••••••••••• 7 die," as evidence that the boy had not Seattle child murdered by exorcism •••••• 8 died from the beatings. Rather, the boy's Australians convicted: child starved ...• 8 death indicated that God does not like bad "When faith-healing falters" •.••..••.••. 9 children, Lewis claimed. Houy elected ...... 9 Need for news clipping service ....•...• 10 The boy's mother, Ethel Yarbough, was Treasurer's report •..•...... •.• 10 convicted of manslaughter and two other .. 2 PARENTS CHARGED IN OHIO FAITH DEATH A local CHILD member says the Celina townspeople are outraged by the deaths and On May 5, Steve and Diane Mil ler of often speak of the Faith Assembly members Celina, Ohio , were charged with child as nbrain dead." It seems ironic that endangerment, a fourth degree felony for their leader, who has lost both his the death of their 23-month-old daughter, daughter and granddaughter to his Kimberly. The little girl died April 3 of teachings against medical care , is trained pneumonia and bronchitis after suffering as a veterinarian. But neither he nor his for at least five days with nausea, son show any desire to repent. Either the vomiting, and diarrhea. courts or the legislature will have to find a way to defend t he lives of the The parents' r eligion, Faith Assembly, is children. opposed to medical care. Although saddened by their daughter's death, the Information was taken from James Quinn's Millers claim they do not regret their lengthy background articles in the May 6th actions and will not seek medical care for Akron Beacon Journal. See also the Beacon their two · surviving children, relatives Journal is excellent May 12 editorial, said. "Wlien faith is fatal," which has already been sent to all CHILD members. The On July 15, CHILD learned that the grand Christian Science response appeared July jury will be called again and asked to 15. reindite the parents because of an oversight in the first charge. The INDIANA SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS prosecutor had failed to charge them with CONVICTION FOR FAITH DEATH a "culpable mental state." On May 27, the Indiana Supreme Court Other recent deaths upheld the convictions of Gary and Margaret Hall of rural Columbia City. With about 25 members in Celina, this They let their 26-day-old baby, Joel David Faith Assembly group has now lost three Hall, die of untreated pneumonia on children since 1981 because of their February 16, 1984 because of Faith rejection of medical care. First to die Assembly teachings against medicine. was Christina Miller, the 12-year-old daughter of the group's leader, a former A Whitley County jury found them guilty of veterinarian. The coroner concluded that reckless homicide and child neglect on her health had deteriorated f or years, her August 28 , 1984. The state Supr eme Court body was small and poorly developed, her upheld the reckless homicide conviction, heart was enlarged, and her extremities but overturned the neglect conviction were blue . Exmembers said she often had because of double jeopardy--that is, the t o be carried from the church and her court decided the neglect charge was classmates nicknamed her "Bluelips. 11 She essentially the same offense as r eckless died of heart disease on December 24 , homicide. 1981. Steve Miller was her brother. "You can't kill your child in the name of' The second child was 8-month-old Meredith religion" Hinton, who died of pneumonia July 10, 1984. Thus, the court did not deal with the meaning of the r eligious defense provided Another group member, Shirley Shindel in Indiana's child neglect law. However, decker, killed a schoolbus driver in their ruling upholding the reckless October, 1984, as she attempted to remove homicide conviction stated, "Prayer is not her son Matthew from the bus. She had permitted as a defense when a caretaker lost custody of him partly because of her engages in omissive conduct which results extreme religious opinions and her r efusal in t he child's death. 11 Also, the attorney to seek medical care for him. She was general's office said that the ruling found innocent by reason of insanity . meant that "you can't kill your child in the name of religion." Prosecutor's dilemm.a. The Halls' attorney said he will petition Mercer County Prosecutor Dan Myers did not for a rehearing and if that is rejected, file charges after the first t wo deaths of he will consider appealing to the federal children because Ohio's religious immunity courts. The attorney general ' s office law apparentl~ protects such parent~. pr edicted the case would go to the U. s. Myers testified before the Ohio Supreme Court eventually. legislature, expecting it to change the law to protect the children. But after The Halls were the first Faith Assembly massive letter writing by Christian couple in Indiana to be charged for Scientistsr reform legislation was killed. denying their child lifesaving medical care. This information is taken from the June 4th Fort Wayne News Sentinel. > ) BERGMANNS PUT ON PROBATION On June 2, Noble Superior Court Judge CALIFORNIA .MEDICAL ASSOCIATION Roger Cosbey commuted the prison terms of FILES AMICUS BRIEF IN David and Kathleen Bergmann of South Bend, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CASES Indiana. Because of their membership in Faith Assembly, the Bergmanns had allowed On July 15, the California Medical their 9-month-old daughter Allyson to die Association filed an amicus brief with the of pneumonia and meningitis without state Supreme Court supporting the state's medical attention two years earlier. case against three sets of Christian Scienc~ parents who allowed their children The Bergmanns were the second Faith to die of untreated meningitis in 1984. Assembly family to face criminal charges in Indiana for denying a child lifesaving Main points in their argument are that the medical c~re. On September 11, 1984, they U. S: and C~lifornia.constitutions uphold were convicted of reckless homicide and a child's right to live, that family pri child neglect. ' After they refused to vacy rights do not include the right to promise to get medical care for their deprive a child of l~fesaving medical surviving children, they were sentenced to care, that no court has e~er ruled that ten years in prison each. Christian Science treatment was legal health care for a child in need of medical However, the Bergmanns recently told the care, and that the religious exemption in court that they have left Faith Assembly. section 270 of the Penal Code must not be They said they have sought medical care interpreted so as to compromise a child's for their children and were ostracized by right to medical care. The Medical Asso former church friends for doing so. They ciation argues that the Supreme Court said the death of Faith Assembly leader should uphold its ruling in People v. Ar Hobert Freeman in December, 1984, ncounsel Taken from the June 3, 1984, Fort Wayne The Christian Science church has recently News Sentinel. retained Warren Christopher's law firm in Los Angeles to represent it. Christopher was Deputy Secretary of State in the Car ter administration. BILL SHIELDING CHURCHES FROM CIVIL Two years ago the church told its members LIABILITY KILLED that it would not pay the attorneys' fees for the Christian Science parents who have The California legislature has killed a been charged with murder, manslaughter, bill that would have exempted "bona fide" and child endangerment after following religious organizations, as well as their church teachings against medical care. officers, employees, and. agents, from Even though the church paid for Dorothy civil liability "for any act or omission Sheridan's legal defense in 1967, it performed within the course and scope of declined to pay for the defenses of the their religion" unless they violate cri California Christian Science parents in minal law. 1984, saying: "in addition to the Church itself not being on trial, any direct par Senator Diane Watson, a Democrat from Los ticipation by the Church would be seen to Angeles, said she thought black people indicate that the Church is controlling deserved all the protection they could get the defendants and the lawyers in from Jim Jones types. Other legislators volved •••. " (July 1984 newsletter, C. S. were troubled by how the state would Committee on Publication for Southern define a bona fide religious organization. California) A source has told CHILD that the sponsors Yet now the church has retained its own of the bill, both in the House and Senate, law firm, filed an amicus brief, and were- Mormons and points out that all petitioned to participate in oral argu Mormon males are considered priests, and ments before the California Supreme Court. thus church officers. • 4
BAY AREA SKEPTICS INVESTIGATE POPOFF I was fascinated with Pofoff's treatment c· one sk~pt~c.who ~ote, " My doctor] says I The May 1986 issue of the Bay Area Skeptics have d1abitis (sic). I'm afraid of neadles Information Sheet (BASIS) reports on the (sic) and may have to have lots of shots. skeptics' investigation of the ·television What should I do?" Popoff never answered faith healer, Peter Popoff. Directed by the h~s question nor did he claim to heal his famous magician, James Randi, this investi diabetes. Perhaps Popoff is aware that gation involved flying around the country to another evangelist told parents he had attend Popoff's crusades, concealing elec healed their son of diabetes the parents tronic equipment, pretending to get cured of withheld insulin as a test of' faith and the various diseases, and sitting through hours boy died in a coma. (See We Let Ou~ Son Die upon hours of sermons. by Larry Parker, Harvest House Publishers 1980.) , Like many other .faith healers, Popoff suggests his access to God by calling out names~ addresses, and other information While Popoff gave out the other information about members of the audience. A certified the skeptic had written on a prayer card, security consultant set up a computerized Popoff did not even say the word "diabetes." scanning system in a stairwell of his audi Instead, he told the skeptic that the devil torium and picked up a female voice telling had tried to torment him with fear and God "Petey" she loved him and reading him would roll the fear away. Then Popoff told information about people in the audience him he had ''been having a hard time even from cards distributed earlier. Popoff d<;>i1:1g [his] daily chores," promised him could be receiving these messages on an divine energy, and ordered him to run across earphone without wires. th~ front of the hall. Perhaps even the faith healers are afraid to heal diabetes At one point she said that Reeford, one of t~ough so1!1e of their associates apparently their assistants, had "a hot one" and then find healing breast cancer quite amusing. laughed. "Reeford's so excited he came running back here and scared us half to On April 22, 1986, James Randi showed tapes death. Ready for a hot one?·" Then a pause. on the Johnny Carson Show demonstrating how "Hot off the press! Sandra Ann Jones (not Popoff gets his information about audience the name given) .... She's standing in the members. The May issue of BASIS may be back where there's no chairs.... She's ordered for $1.00 from Bay Area Skeptics against the back wall. She's got lumps in P. 0. Box 60, Concord CA 94522. ' her breast. You might want to whisper it. Have her walk down. Have her run up there. CHURCH DISPUTE OVER CHILD LABOR Run! Oh, look at her run!" More laughter. HEADS FOR COURTS "She's got knots in her breast." Laughter, giggles. "A home run! A home run!" The U. S. Department of Labor is seeking an injunction against a church-owned - Choosing who should be healed masonry company for allowing children to drive forklifts and work long hours at Popoff's selection of people to be healed below minimum wage. fits patterns used by other prominent faith healers. They frequently call people for The Shiloh True Light Church of Christ ward who c~n put on a display of temporary, outside Charlotte, North Carolina, owns but dramatic energy. They ·rent wheelchairs McGee Brothers, one of the largest masonry for people who are not completely dependent firms in the Southeast. According to the on them and position them prominently. Labor Department, it has hired 33 Their thunderous rhetoric coerces some to children, some as young as eight years agree to an improvement regardless of their old, to perform hazardous jobs. symptoms. A Bay Area skeptic saw one woman walk toward Popoff unaided. Popoff had her Calling labor a Christian virtue, the walk back to get the cane she had forgotten church takes pride in its on-the-job so he then could heal her, break her cane, training program, which is an extension of and announce that now she could walk without its home schooling. The children work a cane. These faith healers usually avoid after school and on Saturdays; 84 children calling people with handicaps and disfig share a trust account of more than urements that will remain visibly unhealed $400,000. for their labor. after being "slain in the Spirit." Taken from the July 14th Newsweek .
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CHRISTIAN SCIENCE DOES MENTAL SURGERY ON HEMORRHOIDS The June, 1986, issue of The Christian national child protection conference that Science Journal has an art~i-c_l_e---on---•-•R-o_w_ aspirin poisoning was the leading cause of obedience brings healing," which rivals death among certain groups of children. As Peter Popoff and other television faith for "theories," well, Christian Science healers in crass exploitation and holds that medical science is nothing -but dishonesty. theories. ''Is materia medica a science or a bundle of speculative human theories?~" asks The author credits her healing to her Eddy (Science and Health, p. 149J An obedience to Mrs. Eddy's Manual of the objective reader would find the Monitor's Mother Church. She and her husband had coverage of medical events far below average always had a joint subscription to the and strongly slanted toward medicine's church periodicals, but Eddy's manual orders unsolved problems rather than its victories. "every member" to subscribe. In the past, she had thought she could not afford two Hearing about Barney Clarke will not give subscriptions, but now she was so determined Christian Scientists any useful information to obey Eddy that she ordered another set of for coping with their children's illnesses. periodicals. The church advises its members to avoid studying about disease and lobbies for laws Then she became convinced that the "mental exempting schoolchildren from such study. surgery" Eddy promises could happen to her. "A patient thoroughly booked in medical When her first child was born, a medical theories is more difficult to heal through nurse told her she had "a bad case of Mind than one who is not," warns Eddy in hemorrhoids." But "within seconds of Science and Health (p. 382). pondering this truth" (about mental surgery), she had "an instantaneous healing" Misuse of diagnoses of hemorrhoids. The churc~ says that about 30% of the What church members know about disease healings reported in their periodicals have been medically diagnosed. Eddy argf.tes Several things about this article irritate against getting a medical diagnosis me, besides its pitch for money. On many voluntarily, claiming that it "induces" talk shows I have spoken of our and other disease by polluting your thinking. (See Christian Scientists' ignorance of disease. Science and Health, p. 370.) But a med~cal Despite our Ph.D.'s in mathematics and diagnosis acquired innocently, as in a literature, we didn't even know that a fever childbirth case, greatly enhances the credi was a sign of an infection, when we were in bility of the church's healings, even among the church. its own membership. Its story about doing mental surgery on hemorrhoids shows how In countering my statements, the church has specious a testimony of healing can be, even told the press that Christian Scientists are when there has been a medical diagnosis. "not some cloistered sect. They watch TV, they read magazines, they talk with friends. • There is much to be said for the old adage They are just as likely as anyone to be 1 that you can't have your cake and eat it aware of ••• new theories on treatments for too. The church distributes statements that kidney and heart ailments, new reservations doctors "are flooding the world with about children's aspirin, Barney Clarke, diseases, because they are ignorant that the etc. And medical developments are covered human mind and body are myths." (Science and by The Christian Science Monitor." Health, p. 150) It teaches that all ("Assertions/Facts" by Christian Science "knowledge gained from material sense" is Committee on Publication, 1983) "untrue and dangerous." (Science and Health, p. 299) It teaches that ignorance of Medicine's unsolved probleas disease is a spiritual advB!lt~ge in healing it. Simultaneously, the church snatches Yes, they would have heard a household word bits of medical information to bolster its like Barney Clarke. And yes, they enjoy prestige and expects its healings to be hearing that children's aspirin may be taken seriously by the public at large. dangerous. Indeed, a church lobbyist told a Should the church be allowed to have it both ways?
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THE SEVEN-HEADED SERPENT: CLOSING A doctor has called hospitals "temples of OPENED DOORS TO MEDICAL SCIENCE doom" where "ritual mutilations" of unnecessary surgery are performed by the Volumes have been written about the late "high· priesthood" over two million times a Reverend Hobart Freeman, who has led some year. The doctor writes that "the church 97 people to preventable deaths, but of modern medicine is one of the most little has been quoted of his actual dangerous places to enter." sermons. Recently, I bought several of his tapes and would like to excerpt from one called The Seven-Headed Serpent: The doctors who write these books don't Closin 0 ened Doors to Medical Science to know why so many die in hospitals, but 1s teac ings on me icine. charismatic Christians know it's because of evil spirits. Hospital corridors are A charismatic Christian is supposed to black with evil spirits. believe in divine healing and not trust medical science and that sort of thing. Freeman gives a list of doors which open But just the contact with the medical to demonic oppression: science cult can open the door to evil spirits. 1. In surgery, demons enter through the incision. Doctors use sorcery and paganism 2. During anesthesia, which ":'i<;>lates your Medical science originated in paganism. God-given right to rebuke spirits;. drugs Its symbol is the serpent. Shamans, witch come out of witchcraft and put you into an doctors, and magicians, using drugs, artificial deep sleep. Hospitals are occult rituals, and hypnosis, provided infested with evil spirits that have to medical care in ancient times. A medical leave a dead body and inhabit a living doctor has recently written a book stating one. They are swarming through those that "medical science is a religion" and temples, and when you're drugged, you have that the initials MD stand for "medical no safeguard against evil spirits. deity." His temple is the hospital, and surgery, which will mutilate or kill you, 3. From blood transfusions, which cause is his sacrificial ritual. [The book is personality changes as well as demonic Confessions of a Medical Heretic by Robert oppression. The occult, voodoo, and Mendelssohn, M.D.] satanism misuse the divine power of blood for evil purposes. Blood banks should _be The Greek word "pharmakeia" means drugs, especially avoided because demons will poison, sorcery, or the magical arts, all claim trespass rights and go right in with one and the same thing. Your druggist is the blood. a sorcerer. 4. From birth control, which is unscriptura1. You open yourself to demons These medical deities demand your total by disobeying God's law against birth submission before they will treat you. control, but it's double jeopardy when They play God by giving and taking away your disobedience is also related to the life. There isn't a doctor probably who medical science cult. Even though you're · hasn't taken a life, committed murder by no longer using birth control, you are performing abortions. still under demonic control until you repent and get deliverance. Bible opposes medicine 5. Even after a woman has conceived and The Scripture has a negative view of delivered a baby in this church, her medical science throughout. In 2nd Chron reproductive organs are still under icles Asa dies because he trusts in phy Satan's control because of her past sicians rather than God. In Exodus, God contacts with medical science and birth told the Israelites, "I am your control. This could be the cause for some Physician." The book of James says to of the deaths of our babies. Satan was call in church elders, not doctors, for given the right to take the life of the the sick. In Mark, a woman had spent all baby through past sins. Some of the her money on physicians and only got deaths of our babies have been worse. People spend thousands of dollars inexplicable. on doctors and don't get help. God rebukes His people who trust in the arm of 6. Also a deeper deliverance is required the flesh. He set healing in the church from spirits of medical practice in regard because it's in the cross, it's in the to female reproductive organs. All atonement. probings and testings done on a woman medically were openings for. Satan into the r epr oductive ~r ga n~ , anu ~ota l deliverance i s r equired. An example would be a doctor JEWISH FEDERATION SPONSORS who was involved wit h abortions and then CONFERENCE ON CULT LITIGATION doing medical exams on a sister in the past. And this opened the door for birth On May 8 and 9 a conference entitled "Cult control spirits and spirits of abortion to Litigation: Use or Abuse of the Courts?" invade her organs. So you can very easily was held in Los Angeles. It was the see h~w we can lose babies . second national legal seminar sponsored by the Task Force on Cults and Missionary ******* Efforts of the Community Relations Com mittee of the Jewish Federation Council of Hobart Freeman delivered hundreds of Greater Los Angeles. sermons like that. But when his followers died, he said under oath that he had never Peter Georgiades spoke on "The Role of the discouraged members from going to doctors. Legal Activist with Respect to the Cult "Each member decides for medical care or Phenomenon." He defined a legal activist not by his or her own freedom of choice," as an attorney who r epresents a social he said. interest or cause and achieves social change without working through the poli • tical process or public education. While CHILD'S FIRST MEETING legislation and public education may be too costly, the legal activist can work CHILD, Inc. held its first general through government agencies. S/he can membership meeting at the home of Phyllis petition the Federal Trade Commission to and Ford Cauffiel in Toledo, Ohio, on July challenge the business practices of cults, 19. Twenty-five people ·from seven states can petition the Secretary of State to and Canada attended. close down businesses that use child labor, and can file a writ of mandamus to It was a very meaningful sharing by people compel the Secretary of State to enforce who care deeply about the welfare of chil existing laws. dren and have done much for our morale with their support. Oregon attorney Gary McMurry protested that he had 11 beleaguered 11 the agencies who Ellen Rapkin, a social worker, spoke on were supposed to protect children about building support f or legislative change . the Rajneesh case, and the agencies did Naomi Twining synopsized her efforts to nothing until the very last days of the get repeal of Ohio 's religious immunity commune's existence. laws last year. C. J. Saalman spoke about the impact of Faith Assembly upon him and There was considerable discussion of his family . His two daughters are still appropriate uses of child labor and mini in the Faith Assembly satellite in Celina, mum wage laws. One attorney suggested Ohio . sueing Sears and Roebuck, for example, for allowing violations of child labor laws if Braun Hamstead, former prosecutor of Jef cults sell their products at a booth in ferson County, West Virginia , spoke about Sears. Another attorney thought consumer his successf ul prosecutions in the death complaints would be adequate to force a of 23-month- old Joey Green. The convic change in the retailer's policy. tion of commune leader Dorothy McClellan, which he won in 1984, is the first convic Melody Gaidrich spoke about her work in tion of a religious group leader who was prosecuting parents and the leader of the not present during the fatal beating of a Stonegate Christian Commune for the beat child. The West Virginia Supreme Court ing death of toddler Joey Green. has declined to r eview her conviction for involuntary mans laughter and conspiracy t o Other speaker s were Garry McMurry, Laur commit unlaw£ul wounding. ence Levy, Paul Morantz, and Herbert Rosedale . The Jewish Federation Council Marcia Rudin spoke on cults and the encourages attorneys to contact it for in countercult movement . Rudin t estified at formation on cult litigation. Hamstead's grand jury hearings. Both audio and video cassettes of the Though the weather was t orrid, our confer ence may be purchased from Rachel discussions lasted all day. Some of us Andres , Director of the Task Force on were still there at midnight. Speaking Cults , Jewish Federation Council, 6505 for the Swans, we loved i t . Wha t a j oy to Wilshire Boul evard, Los Angeles CA 90048, be with all of you ! ph . .~· · 1 3-~t::,? -1 234 . CHILD MURDERED IN EXORCISM RITUAL Exmembers tell of screaming and crying for hours when their husbands formed connec On March 20, Janet Cole drowned her tions with other women. But when they 5-year-old daughter Brittany in a motel lost control of their emotions, church bathtub, apparently because she believed leaders accused them of being demon the girl was possessed by demons. pos ses s ed. For 18 years Cole belonged to the Com Church member Kelly Scott committed munity Chapel and Bible Training Center, suicide in December after her husband's in the South End of Seattle. The pastor, connection moved in to nurse him back to Donald Barnett, a former Boeing Co. health. Members reportedly told her that engineer, founded the church in 1967. It her jealousy was demonically inspired. now has 3,500 members at its $9 million Two prayed with her all day to exorcise complex and has formed branches in Wash the demons, but the next week she gave up ington, the Philippines, Sweden, Switzer and shot herself. land, and Greece. Problems in adjusting to the practice of Demonology spiritual connections also figured heavily in the March 10th suicide of member Scott Barnett reportedly uses demons to explain Linderson. everything negative. If the demons don't leave, it is because the afflicted person This information is· taken from the Seattle is unwilling or sinful. Last fall Janet Post Intelli~encer and Seattle Times for Cole was temporarily placed in a home for April 10 an 11. See also · "Isolated, disturbed church women, and at least two Strongly Led Sects Growing in U.S., 11 in elders suggested she get psychiatric help. The New York Times, June 22, 1986. But her husband and others insisted her problems were purely demonic. An exmember said Cole became convinced she could not fight off the demons possessing her and AUSTRALIANS CONVICTED IN STARVATION her daughter. Because of church teaching DEATH that a child who dies before reaching the • age of reason will automatically go to On March 25, a Malvern, Australia couple, heaven, Cole felt that killing her child ·Joanne Eaton and Marcus Barnes, were was the only way to save her from eternal convicted of manslaughter for the death of damnation, the exmember said. their daughter, Rebecca. The coroner found that the 3 and 1/2 year old girl had On April 17, Multnomah County Circuit died of malnutrition complicated by Judge William Riggs found Janet Cole pneumonia. She had been placed on a 3-day guilty of murder except for insanity and fast in April, broken by one day when she ordered her transferred to a mental was given fruit and carob. Then she had hospital in Maryland. been placed on a 27-day fast and given only distilled water. "Spiritual connections" Her younger brother Christopher also was Barnett's most controversial teaching suffering from malnutrition, wasting of involved forming "spiritual connections" the muscles, and moderate to severe with people other than spouses. Calling dehydration. it divine revelation, he advised members to express fervent love for another The coroner said Barnes and Eaton were soulmate by dancing, hugging, and kissing, devotees of a strict dietary regime and though he also condemned adultery. that Barnes was a. student of a retired Observers report seeing thousands of naturopath, Kenneth Jaffrey. This people dancing ecstatically, staring in information is taken from the May/June tently into each other's eyes, and issue of the National Council Against exchanging sweet phrases. Health Fraud newsletter.
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NOTE: The Post's comment that the \Vhen faith heating falters r eligious exemption applies "as long as the child is not in imminent danger of dy .. The thorny issue of faith misguide · NONPROFIT · POSTAGE PAID CHILD, Inc. Permit No. 244 Box 2604 Sioux City, IA Sioux City, IA 51106 51101 Forwarding and address correction requested