“In the Name of God” is a narrative from reporter Cameron Stauth about the practice of faith-healing, a wide spread religious practice with tragic circumstances. It is an interesting account that, unfortunately, sometimes smacks of bias and non-objectivity. One might ask how anyone could believe the death of children due to familial obstruction is anything but bad. My answer would be that, indeed, such actions would be repugnant to me personally, but there are individuals out there who have strong feelings about the role religion plays in making life and death decisions and who would appreciate having a brighter light shone on their beliefs than that wielded by the author.
Stauth subtitles his book “The True Story of the Fight to Save Children from Faith-healing Homicide.” That signals a problem with the book from the start because homicide simply means the killing of a person by another. I don’t believe homicide was ever hinted at in the book. Death because of following faith-healing beliefs doesn’t imply that death has been caused by another. To me it means that death occurred because a person with strong beliefs that God is all-healing allowed a death to occur. The legal system struggles to bring clarity to that distinction
Stauth has written a book about the beliefs held by certain religious groups, primarily the Followers of Christ Church in Oregon City, Oregon, concerning faith-healing and the avoidance of medical treatment. He presents a short history of many such fundamentalist religion groups in the United States that is well-researched and that will open a lot of eyes about the results of such practices. It certainly would seem that such inhumane convictions are outside the norm and should be discontinued. But religious groups, protected by shield laws in most states, continue to allow deaths to occur by refusing to seek medical attention for injuries and illness. Stauth recounts many such incidents in his book, along with many legal efforts to bring to justice to those who shield their actions from being criminal by invoking religious beliefs...
The author gets it right in his accounting and presents the facts in detail. Many interviews, legal and medical records, and investigative reports have been included, along with several trial proceedings. He has been described as a “talented and graceful writer.” I would second that. Unfortunately the tone of his reporting is faintly judgmental and almost snide in some places. Too much emphasis is put on Followers’ practices and too many snarly names are used to describe their world; Clackatraz, Clacklacky, and Clackatucky are few that are too often used. I would also have preferred less gory detail in the descriptions of the conditions of bodies. The tendency to shock rather than inform takes the book out of the reporting category.
The book was riveting even though I suffered through some less than professional writing. I certainly agree with the author that humanity is more important than sanctity and hope for some clearer thinking from faith-healing communities. As Stauth says, change will only come from inside pressure, fear of legal liability, and doubts about the validity of their doctrine.
Schuyler T Wallace
Author of TIN LIZARD TALES
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Top reviews from other countries
Sumiayah
10/10 would recommend!!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 3, 2022
M Ahmad
Engaging, Exciting and exceptionally well written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 4, 2022Anne Jennings Paris
Excellent look at the devastating impact of "faith healing" on women and children.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 21, 2015
