Deadly Blessings: Faith Healing on Trial [Hardcover]

Richard J. Brenneman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1990

A young couple watched their infant son die of meningitis even as their Christian Science "practitioner" promised that prayer was all the child needed. The parents were prosecuted, leading to a six-year legal battle. A West Coast psychotherapist's practice involved a bewildering array of drugs, New Age metaphysics, and mind control. One of her patients died after a bizarre "hot tub" treatment. The psychotherapist was taken to court. A Filipino "psychic surgeon" claimed that he could remove tumours without breaking the skin. The husband of one patient complained to his local prosecutor. "Brother Joe" was put on trial.This is a penetrating examination of three controversial court cases. With exceptional insight, Richard J Brenneman delves into the minds of those who believe that faith or magic alone can cure physical and emotional ills. The book is a combination courtroom thriller, human drama, and first-rate piece of investigative reporting. Brenneman adds a unique, compassionate perspective because he's been there. He is a former Christian Scientist, he lived in a commune, and (at one time) he believed in psychic surgery.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Three California court cases, all involving what Brenneman ( Fuller's Earth ) calls "alternative healing," are the focus of this probe. The author, a Sacramento-based reporter and former Christian Scientist, first considers a Christian Science couple whose 17-month-old son died of bacterial meningitis when they put faith in God and refused medical care. They were cleared of involuntary manslaughter charges. The second case involves Jose Burgarin, "Brother Joe," a Filipino psychic surgeon in Sacramento who went to jail after a sting operation exposed quackery. Lastly, Brenneman delves into the strange saga of Betty Eisner, a psychologist whose practice combined the use of LSD, communal acting-out of hostility and, according to former members of her therapeutic community, group sex. Her license was revoked after a patient died during a hot mineral bath session. Even though Brenneman's cases seem well-chosen examples of irresponsibiity, the material does not support his blanket condemnation of nonconventional healing.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Brenneman, a former Christian Scientist and a veteran journalist, makes good use of both experiences in this investigative report of three cases of faith healing: a trial of a Christian Science couple whose son died of meningitis despite prayer; a psychotherapist's experience with group therapy and the use of a hot tub, which also ended in death; and an account of the Philippine version of "psychic surgery." Specialists will find this book's detailed notes useful, and general readers interested in religious subjects might request it. To his credit, Brenneman does not take advantage of the obvious sensational appeal of these cases, although the book is intriguing. If it is well publicized, libraries may have patron demand from the casual reader.
- John Broderick, Stonehill Coll., North Easton, Mass.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 390 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (July 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879755806
• ISBN-13: 978-0879755805
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,082,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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