a waste of breath

if you’ve known me long enough then you’ve probably got some idea of my cynicism towards organized religion, especially instances that, to me, prove the inherent dangers of living your life by the rule of stories that have been changed dozens of times in the past to suit the needs of people in power or stealing centuries long pagan traditions and claiming them as your own.

and then we come to shit like this:

The mother of an 11-year-old central Wisconsin girl who died of undiagnosed diabetes as the family prayed for her to get better testified Tuesday that she believes sickness is caused by sin and can be cured by God…  The mother said that she and her husband believed their daughter’s deteriorating condition may have been the result of a falling out with another couple, and called them once the girl was unconscious and persuaded them to come pray for the girl… A pediatric expert on diabetes told the jury Monday that even right before her death, doctors might have been able to save the girl’s life had she been brought to a hospital.

what a fucking waste of life because of some stupid, reckless thought that some invisible man with a beard was making your daughter sick because you had an argument with another couple. this makes me sick. they’ve stolen a lifetime of experiences from their daughter because they were too blind to realize that maybe they should accept the reality that when your kid is lying on a mattress in the middle of the floor and passing out, you should probably forget about fucking praying and get a fucking doctor.

personally, i think a second-degree homicide charge is letting them off easy. in my opinion both parents should be charged with first-degree murder, and everyone else in the room should get second-degree. and then i hope they spend the rest of their lives behind bars and that every single day a guard comes up to their cell with a picture of their daughter, holds it up and says “you killed her.” i really hope that happens, and if it does I’m glad Wisconsin doesn’t have the death penalty because that would be letting them off easy. i dont even think that a daily reminder for the rest of their lives in prison about what they did is severe enough a punishment but i would applaud anyone who did that.

i have no problem with people having faith or choosing to believe in some higher power. my problem is with how too many people who do exercise it in monumentally idiotic ways. and i do believe I have just provided you with an excellent argument for this. care to challenge that point?