Another child dies by faith healing — trial begins

May 10, 2012 | Filed under: Faith Healing,News | Posted by: Mike Daniels

Once again, the power of prayer is evident in the death of Zachery Swezey, 17, of a burst appendix. His negligent parents, Greg and JaLea Swezey, are going on trial for second-degree murder.

Opening arguments began Wednesday in Okanogan, Washington in the murder trial of a faith healing couple whose teenage son died of a burst appendix.

Greg and JaLea Swezey — members of the Church of the First Born — are charged with second-degree murder by “criminal mistreatment” in the death of their 17-year-old son, Zachery, in 2009. He died of a burst appendix while his parents and other church members prayed for his recovery, and failed to call a doctor or ambulance.

Two weeks ago a county judge ruled a Washington state law that allows faith healing for Christian Scientists but not other religions is not arbitrary,clearing the way for the start of the trial.

Interestingly, the defense attorney intends to call two young members of the Swezey family, who will testify that they have indeed had medical treatment. Apparently, the defense will suggest that the Swezeys did not refuse medical treatment for their son, but thought what they were doing for him was adequate.

Possibly, the attorney will suggest that the Swezeys thought he had the stomach flu. WebMD lists thirteen conditions with symptoms similar to appendicitis, lead of which is acute gastroenteritis.

When will we see the overturning of all laws protecting parents who abuse their children in the name of their “faith”? Children are unwilling, or at least incompletely informed, participants in these vain exercises of their deluded parents–parents more intent on pleasing their chosen all-powerful deity–who refuses to help–and please their fellow church members with their “faith” than risking being seen as weak in faith by seeking medical treatment.

One Response to Another child dies by faith healing — trial begins

Perry Bulwer May 11, 2012 - 10:08 am

For four years I archived over 3000 news articles related to religion and child abuse. One of those articles is about Zachery’s death. At the top of that article in my archive I added a personal note about how I nearly died from a burst appendix because of religious indoctrination. Here is that note and a link to that article. ********** Keeping this archive updated can be down right depressing at times. There is no end to the cruel abuses perpetrated on children by religious believers. Only a small percentage of that abuse ever makes it into a news or magazine article, however, and this blog only archives some of those articles. Nevertheless, in less than a year and a half, I have already accumulated over 1300 articles. Some of them hit closer to home for me than others, such as the article below, which triggered some traumatic memories for me. You see, I was 17 years old, the same age as the teen in this article, when I came down with appendicitis. Just over a year earlier, in 1972, I had joined the Children of God cult, now known as The Family International. After several intense months of indoctrination, I was sent to the ‘mission field’ of Japan. The cult was just getting rooted there, with only a few scattered communes, so new-comers like me were immediately sent on the road, two by two, to sell literature. While staying in a youth hostel, I began to get severe abdominal pains during the night. As morning dawned I was in obvious agony, so my partner informed the hostel manager who immediately suggested I go the hospital, which was right across the street. I refused to go, however, because I had effectively been indoctrinated by the cult to believe that any sickness or medical problem was a sign of disobedience to God. I was also taught that going to doctors showed a lack of faith — if I was sick it was a test of my faith in God — and that sickness was often a sign of yielding to the devil. I had also seen others in the cult punished, reprimanded or criticized for being sick. In short, the cult believed, and still does, that physical ailments have spiritual origins—either God is testing you or the devil is attacking you. Doubled over in agony, barely able to walk, I continued to resist going to the hospital for several hours out of fear of displeasing God and my cult leaders. The pain became so unbearable, however, that I eventually gave in and went to the emergency ward. It took a few hours for the test results, during which time I thought I might die, the pain was so bad. Finally, the doctor told me I either had a severe infection or appendicitis and gave me the option of two courses of action. By that time, I was almost delireous with pain, I could hardly think straight, so I told him I just wanted the pain to stop and he should decide for me. He decided to open me up, and after the emergency surgery he told me I had had acute appendicitis and that my appendix could have burst at any time. I spent several days recuperating, during which time my partner contacted the cult leaders hundreds of miles away in Tokyo. After I was released, I went to the nearest cult commune to recuperate, and the cult leaders came down to speak to me, or I should say, to punish me. That’s exactly what they did. They told me that I had endangered the work of God in Japan, and as punishment I would be sent back to America. To cult members, that was like a death sentence, since this apocalyptic cult believe the deranged teachings of David Berg, who claimed America would soon be destroyed by God for their wickedness. I nearly suffered the same fate as the teen in the article below, because of religious indoctrination. When I refused medical care, I was not doing so from an informed, rational, uncoerced position, but out of fear instilled in me through indoctrination into Christian fundamentalism. So keep that in mind as you ponder whether the teen in this article was freely exercising his religious rights, or was under undue influence and pressure not to seek medical treatment. http://religiouschildabuse.blogspot.ca/2010/11/teen-died-agonizing-death-from-ruptured.html

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Another child dies by faith healing — trial begins

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