News Article-death Of Girl-priesthood Blessing Didn't Work?

[silverfox]

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600119182,00.html

These stories upset me. This is when I revert back into the anger phase.

From the article:

Authorities are investigating whether the recent meningitis death of a 9-year-old Springville girl was due in part to parental mishandling of medical needs related to her illness.

The Utah County Health Department has determined that Rachel Bundy died of streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis, also known as pneumococcal bacteria. A spinal fluid culture tested positive for the bacteria, a finding that was conveyed to Bundy's parents two days following the March 4 death.

Two days after Bundy died, her parents told KSL-TV that the girl had been ill for a time in the month prior to her death. They said her father, Dorian Bundy, gave Rachel a traditional LDS "priesthood blessing" and she recovered. Dorian Bundy told KSL Rachel had been doing well following the blessing.

"And I felt like this time (when Rachel became ill and died), nothing . . . it was her time to go and she was appointed unto death and there was nothing that could have prevented that," Dorian Bundy said.

Unbelievable. Freakin' unbelievable.

[miss taken]

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600119182,00.html

These stories upset me. This is when I revert back into the anger phase.

From the article:

Authorities are investigating whether the recent meningitis death of a 9-year-old Springville girl was due in part to parental mishandling of medical needs related to her illness.

The Utah County Health Department has determined that Rachel Bundy died of streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis, also known as pneumococcal bacteria. A spinal fluid culture tested positive for the bacteria, a finding that was conveyed to Bundy's parents two days following the March 4 death.

Two days after Bundy died, her parents told KSL-TV that the girl had been ill for a time in the month prior to her death. They said her father, Dorian Bundy, gave Rachel a traditional LDS "priesthood blessing" and she recovered. Dorian Bundy told KSL Rachel had been doing well following the blessing.

"And I felt like this time (when Rachel became ill and died), nothing . . . it was her time to go and she was appointed unto death and there was nothing that could have prevented that," Dorian Bundy said.

Unbelievable. Freakin' unbelievable.

One of my friends has just died of cancer, she was told in a PB that she would get better.

Some of my friends in the church were very troubled by this. I know you might think this is a fob, but to me she did get better. Because she is no longer in pain and racked with cancer. Maybe she NEEDED to hear that she would get better, psychologically maybe that was the only way that she could have coped as she was leaving a lot of children.

When my dad was dying of lung cancer, I felt a warmth that everything was as it should be, and when he died, I felt him close that he no longer had his cancer, and I said, dad you don't have your cancer anymore, and he said, Mary there is a bigger picture. There's so much you don't know.

If he had had a pb saying he would get better it would not have helped me with the grieving process and to let go, so I am very glad we didn't go down that route.

Mary

[silverfox]

One of my friends has just died of cancer, she was told in a PB that she would get better.

I know you might think this is a fob, but to me she did get better. Because she is no longer in pain and racked with cancer.

When my dad was dying of lung cancer, I felt a warmth that everything was as it should be, and when he died, I felt him close that he no longer had his cancer, and I said, dad you don't have your cancer anymore, and he said, Mary there is a bigger picture. There's so much you don't know.

If he had had a pb saying he would get better it would not have helped me with the grieving process and to let go, so I am very glad we didn't go down that route.

Mary

I think what is disturbing about this case is that the little girl's parents didn't seek medical attention. She was dependent on her parents to care for her.

She possibly could have been saved. That's the speculation, anyway, and they want to hold the parents responsible for not seeking medical treatment when their daughter's health worsened.

I don't know. We will see what will happen when the investigation is done. It will be interesting to know what is in that 3 ring binder that appears to be some kind of record of the girl's illness.

I am envisioning the parents just watching their little girl worsen and die. I am trying not to develop any set opinions until more info is made available.

It's one thing to be an adult with cancer (you can choose to seek medical attention if you'd like) and another thing to be a child dependent on someone to make that decision for you.

Sad.

[shamdiel]

This is exactly the reason that it is better to have one good doctor than ten faith healers!!! Aggravating as hell! :mad: Beware the passion to believe!

[smallone]

The thing about this case that doens't make me eager to jump on the side of the law, is the fact that meningitis comes on very quickly! Even my neighbor who is a doctor lost his two year old daughter to this terrible disease. She had been suffering from a viral cold for about a week, when she started to do better. She was doing pretty good until almost a week later when her fever came back. He thought that it was an ear infection and started her on an antibiotic, then she got even worse. By the time his wife got to his office and they realized that she needed to go to the ER it was too late. When they got to the ER she was pretty much lost. This all happened in just a matter of about 8 hours. This disease has fooled many of doctors and so for parents it would be even harder. I am not, by any means, trying to defend these parents, but being a parent myself and often trying to decide how ill my children are-is never an easy task. On several occasions I have gone in sure that something was very wrong and have been told that it is just viral, take them home. I just wouldn't want to make the wrong call one time and have the guilt of losing my child on my head along with the law. But that said, I do know that there are a bunch of wackos out there that believe too strongly in religion as being a healing power (my MIL for instance, who won't see a doctor for anything), but if you really want to get mad- turn your anger toward the church for brainwashing these poor individuals. Do you know that JS taught against believing in medical science. "Sunday, Sept. 5, 1841. I preached to a large congregation at the stand on the science and practice of medicine, desiring to persuade the Saints to trust in God when sick, and not in an arm of flesh, and live by faith and not by medicine, or poison; and when they were sick, and had called for the Elders to pray for them, and they were not healed , to use herbs and mild food." f/ The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg.190. Just some food for thought! :(

[miss taken]

The thing about this case that doens't make me eager to jump on the side of the law, is the fact that meningitis comes on very quickly! Even my neighbor who is a doctor lost his two year old daughter to this terrible disease. She had been suffering from a viral cold for about a week, when she started to do better. She was doing pretty good until almost a week later when her fever came back. He thought that it was an ear infection and started her on an antibiotic, then she got even worse. By the time his wife got to his office and they realized that she needed to go to the ER it was too late. When they got to the ER she was pretty much lost. This all happened in just a matter of about 8 hours. This disease has fooled many of doctors and so for parents it would be even harder. I am not, by any means, trying to defend these parents, but being a parent myself and often trying to decide how ill my children are-is never an easy task. On several occasions I have gone in sure that something was very wrong and have been told that it is just viral, take them home. I just wouldn't want to make the wrong call one time and have the guilt of losing my child on my head along with the law. But that said, I do know that there are a bunch of wackos out there that believe too strongly in religion as being a healing power (my MIL for instance, who won't see a doctor for anything), but if you really want to get mad- turn your anger toward the church for brainwashing these poor individuals. Do you know that JS taught against believing in medical science. "Sunday, Sept. 5, 1841. I preached to a large congregation at the stand on the science and practice of medicine, desiring to persuade the Saints to trust in God when sick, and not in an arm of flesh, and live by faith and not by medicine, or poison; and when they were sick, and had called for the Elders to pray for them, and they were not healed , to use herbs and mild food." f/ The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg.190. Just some food for thought! :(

Me personally, had I had a child in the church and they got sick. Straight down the hospital I can tell you. No questions, no priesthood blessings, and it HAS happened on a couple of occassions with my precious little boy.

My little boy is under hospital care at the moment and probably will be for most of his childhood as he has a unicameral bone tumour (very rare and benign), I CANNOT imagine not using the wealth of knowledge that Drs have gained over the human body.

Maybe when Joseph was talking the medical profession was in its infancy and not established, maybe lots of terrible things went on.

But now, if any one told me this I would tell them to go take a hike.

The hypocratic oath is there to state the intention of the medical profession, and it is one that I whole heartedly embrace and have made use of on one or two occassions.

Joseph may have been talking sense for his time, but it aint sense now.

Mary

[Born Free]

One of my friends has just died of cancer, she was told in a PB that she would get better.

Some of my friends in the church were very troubled by this. I know you might think this is a fob, but to me she did get better. Because she is no longer in pain and racked with cancer. Maybe she NEEDED to hear that she would get better, psychologically maybe that was the only way that she could have coped as she was leaving a lot of children.

When my dad was dying of lung cancer, I felt a warmth that everything was as it should be, and when he died, I felt him close that he no longer had his cancer, and I said, dad you don't have your cancer anymore, and he said, Mary there is a bigger picture. There's so much you don't know.

If he had had a pb saying he would get better it would not have helped me with the grieving process and to let go, so I am very glad we didn't go down that route.

Mary
Mary,

I wonder if a blessing that "God's will be done", and that we can trust in Him/Her/Life/The Universe might do the job a bit better, and atune us/people better with how life really works.

It seems people who believe in a theistic God, who intervenes and performs miracles, get into a double bind when they dish out blessings that people will recover. They diminish faith in their God's modus operandi, AND they fail to move people closer to how The Universe really functions, whether one believes in God or not.

There is another dimension of this that I have never seen discussed.

I wonder if women had the Priesthood, and/or gave Blessings, if they would as willingly bless people to live in the face of powerful information suggesting otehrwise.

My suspicion is that as beings more closely connected with the rhythm of life (birth/menstration, etc), women might possibly be less likely to be convinced they knew the mind of God and give blessings that people will live.

Daryl

[miss taken]

Mary,

I wonder if a blessing that "God's will be done", and that we can trust in Him/Her/Life/The Universe might do the job a bit better, and atune us/people better with how life really works.

It seems people who believe in a theistic God, who intervenes and performs miracles, get into a double bind when they dish out blessings that people will recover. They diminish faith in their God's modus operandi, AND they fail to move people closer to how The Universe really functions, whether one believes in God or not.

There is another dimension of this that I have never seen discussed.

I wonder if women had the Priesthood, and/or gave Blessings, if they would as willingly bless people to live in the face of powerful information suggesting otehrwise.

My suspicion is that as beings more closely connected with the rhythm of life (birth/menstration, etc), women might possibly be less likely to be convinced they knew the mind of God and give blessings that people will live.

Daryl

Hi Daryl, I never thought of it like that!!!! If I had been able to give my father a blessing (ooooh heresy!!!) I would have said just that 'that everything is as it should be' because that was the strong feeling that I got.!!!!

Maybe you are right, pity that it will always be an untestable hypothesis, certainly in the LDS church anyway.

I think women are also sometimes at the mercy of their hormones, I didn't realise how much my hormones effected my functioning and thinking until I was forcibly put in a state of menopause (much to the relief of hubby)!!!! We can get pretty pissed sometimes for no rational reason, wo betide anyone who gets a blessing when we are feeling pissed!!!!! (lol)
Mary