THE lunatic Christian parents of Alayna May Wyland are fighting to get custody of their daughter back, even though they face criminal charges for neglecting her medical needs.
According to this report, Timothy and Rebecca Wyland are members of the Followers of Christ Church in Clackamas, Oregon, which believes exclusively in faith healing, and does not use doctors.
Alayna Wyland with her mad mum. DON'T click on this picture to enlarge if you are squeamish.
Over a ten-year period, 25 children of Followers of Christ members have died of preventable or curable illnesses. There may be others which are not documented.
The Wylands daughter, aged seven months, was taken into care by the state in early July and sent for immediate medical treatment. At that time, neither the name of their daughter nor her condition were available.
The photo on the right was taken by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. In it, Rebecca Wyland is pictured holding Alayna, who has a massive growth completely covering her left eye.
The growth, a hemangioma, is a mass of blood vessels. Some infants are born with them, and they are typically corrected while very small. In this case, the Wylands chose not to take their daughter to a doctor. Instead, Rebecca Wyland anointed her daughter with oil and wiped off the discharge from Alayna’s eye each time she changed the child’s diaper.
At this point, the growth has begun to erode Alayna’s eye socket, and may have caused permanent damage to her eye.
Both parents have been charged with first-degree criminal mistreatment, a Class C felony which may earn them each five years in prison.
Meanwhile, the Wylands are trying desperately to regain custody, even offering a plan to ensure the child gets medical care, including such ideas as a live-in supervisor of sorts, or regular visits from state employees to check up on them.
Hat tip: BarrieJohn
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
July 26th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Let’s see how much these lunatics believe in faith-healing when one of them gets hit by a drunk driver or some other massive trauma befalls them. Let them lie in the road and wait for ‘God’ to stop the bleeding and heal the broken bones, etc., etc.. That poor little girl…..if her mother and father regain custody, there truly is no justice.
July 26th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
It seems that this church has about 1,200 members, which puts the 25 preventable deaths into stark perspective.
This coverage of an earlier case shows that religious belief as a defence for killing a child by withholding medical treatment was written into Oregon law after pressure from Christian Scientists. Fortunately it is being rolled back – slightly.
http://www.oregonlive.com/clac.....s_tha.html
July 26th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
This is disgusting. If they want to risk their own lives, that’s fine. Endangering the lives of those who cannot make any decisions themselves is evil.
July 26th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Angela K: Thanks for alerting people to that Dispatches programme (Britain’s Witch Children): something that I meant to do but completely forgot about again! I have just seen it, and am now feeling thoroughly deflated and depressed!!
It will soon be viewable here, but you can leave comments now:
http://www.channel4.com/progra...../episode-1
July 26th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Going a bit off-topic here, we may think that only very extreme, minor cults behave in such unforgiveable ways, but my Open Brethren friends – who are much respected by other Christian denominations, and not considered at all “weird” – not only believed wholeheartedly in the “spare the rod and spoil the child” philosophy, but also used to constantly quote I Sam. 15:23 at their children: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” This was intended to be taken perfectly seriously, I can assure you!
July 27th, 2010 at 2:12 am
I find it amazing how some states have laws preventing voodoo and other sects from using live animal sacrifices. But xtian parents can mistreat their ‘beloved’ kids so horribly. If I saw this I would not hesitate to turn them in for abuse. Nothing would come of it but it would at least inconvenience them.
July 27th, 2010 at 10:06 am
“Over a ten-year period, 25 children of Followers of Christ members have died of preventable or curable illnesses. There may be others which are not documented…”
…otherwise known as “teaching Darwin the hard way.”
July 27th, 2010 at 10:27 am
I’m all for adults refusing medical care on superstituous grounds as it can eliminate them from the gene pool. However, a serious problem arises when they bred which only the law and common sense can provide an answer to.
July 27th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
I was going to say I can’t understand how sane, rational human beings can willingly allow their own children to suffer needlessly. But then they aren’t sane or rational, are they.
July 27th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
And don’t forget that “sincerely held beliefs” mean freedom from culpability as well!
July 27th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Wow, some religious convictions, if you’re willing to have a child, never mind if it’s your own, suffer like that. Do they have any more they can torture in the name of their invisible friend?
July 27th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
“sincerely held beliefs”
‘I don’t need no doctor, I believe in oil and incantations’
‘That’s ridiculous.’
‘But I sincerely believe it.’
‘How sincerely?’
‘Really, really sincerely.’
‘Fair enough. Tough shit, kid. You’re going to die.’
July 27th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
There can be very serious consequences for children who’s parents believe in magic. These morons should stop washing their dishes and stop putting food in the fridge. If God wants the food to stay good enough for them to eat, he wont let bacteria get in there and make them ill. I bet they go to the dentist or take a pill for a headache. They’re hypocritical fucking morons.
July 27th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Terry: So true. Why bother to even get out of bed in the morning, as everything that God wants to happen will happen anyway! But I seriously believe that physical abuse like this pales into insignificance when compared to the mental and emotional abuse that the children of religious extremists are subjected to, and guess what – nothing will EVER be done about that!!
July 27th, 2010 at 10:42 pm
I live in Portland, Oregon, just a short distance from Oregon City. Followers of Christ Church is in Oregon City. Clackamas is a county in Oregon.
Read my article on child sacrifice in Oregon to learn more about these monsters. Nearly 80 children whose parents attend this church are known to have died from preventable causes since the 1950s. Legal exemption for neglect and abuse of children remains in effect as long as a child is sacrificed in the name of an invisible monster that lives in the sky.
July 27th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Where are all the “think of the children” whingers now? If this woman were gay rather than a religious nutter they’d be on this like white on rice. Instead they’re all mysteriously silent.
July 28th, 2010 at 7:14 am
Trevor: It’s only the tip of the iceberg! I know from my experience as an evangelical Christian that a great many of them refuse to have their children immunised, using arguments very similar to those alluded to by Terry (above). I wonder how many thousands of children have died in Europe and America because of these weird beliefs, which are considered quite acceptable just because the holders are “respected members of the community”.
July 28th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
Thanks for the link Trevor. I don’t believe in the concept of sin but if I did, number one on my list would be the abuse of the physical and mental well being of a child. It is difficult to explain how angry I am at these fucking morons.
July 28th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
morons morons morons morons fuck fuck fuck fuck
sorry. no Iam not fucking cunts.