[Ed.]Police kill man who was trying to "Exorcise" his granddaughter

[DRBUZZ0]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/29/exorcism.death.ap/index.html

Incase you have not heard (and this is a couple weeks old). Police had to tazer a man while he was choking his granddaughter and she was screaming, in some sort of exorcism ritual.

His 19 year old daughter, the mother of the child, was naked and had blood or something on her, in the same room. She was chanting something apparently taking part in the ritual.... (That's kinda hot... if not for the context)

But in all seriousness: Police had to use a stun gun/tazer on the guy to get him to let go of the screaming, choking three year old girl. He panicked and fought back when they tried to cuff him, but then stopped breathing. Attempts to revive him failed.

Apparently the man had a heart condition, and being zapped and then taken down and cuffed by police. Well... you can kinda see how that might not go so well...

When someone asks me why skeptism matters and why one should take on irrational beliefs rather than just leave 'em be, this is one of the examples of why. Superstition and lack of understanding of the world, combined with sometimes fanatical attachment to debunked customs or religious rituals can be dangerous. This is what these beliefs can lead to.

[Miss Whiplash]

Mondo article (http://www.mondoskepto.com/node/163):D

[JoeTheJuggler]

Police kill man while trying to "Exorcise" his granddaughter

Oh--the title made me think this was a different story. (I was wondering why police were doing an exorcism.)

[DRBUZZ0]

Oh--the title made me think this was a different story. (I was wondering why police were doing an exorcism.)

OOps... I think I just hit the first thing the firefox spellcheck told me I should.

Mods/Admin: Feel free to change the title and make me look like less of a fool

[firecoins]

The police were using a psychic to solve a murder. :)

[Katana]

OOps... I think I just hit the first thing the firefox spellcheck told me I should.

Mods/Admin: Feel free to change the title and make me look like less of a fool


:D

How's that?

[JoeTheJuggler]

:D

How's that?

But now my comment looks foolish! Oh well. . .I'm pretty used to that.

Back to the story, I sure hope the woman is prosecuted and isn't allowed to raise the child.

Obviously the child is too young to have a long term memory of the event, but he will probably learn of it at some point. Can you imagine having that kind of baggage to deal with?

And I thought there was craziness in my family!

[DRBUZZ0]

But now my comment looks foolish! Oh well. . .I'm pretty used to that.

Back to the story, I sure hope the woman is prosecuted and isn't allowed to raise the child.

Obviously the child is too young to have a long term memory of the event, but he will probably learn of it at some point. Can you imagine having that kind of baggage to deal with?

And I thought there was craziness in my family!

Well it's really sad for the child on many levels. I'd probably guess that most of what was going on was on an honest belief that they were somehow helping or it was necessary... as wacked out as that may be.

The mother, being 19, is probably single... that's a big assumption and it may not be true, but based on her age and such it's not that unlikely that she's not that well established.

But in any case, my grandfather is now passed, but I have memories of him, when I was a little kid, taking me to the park and buying me an icecream bar on the way home or taking me to the petting zoo or how he came to my high school graduation or how he dressed as santa when I was a little kid.

This kids family life was, quite likely, less than optimal to begin with. But now, his (or her? Wasn't it a girl.. i'll have to reread) only knowledge of the grandfather is that he was killed while trying to strangle the life out of the kid.

And rather than living with family members or being supported by a combination of grandparents and the mother, the kid now is going to end up bouncing around foster care or being in court fights or (hopefully) with a caring aunt and uncle or something.

But that's still a tough life arrangement. "My grandpa took me to the fair the other day. Does your grandpa ever do that, Billy?" "No, my grandfather died" "Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Did you remember him or did he die before your time." "Well, actually, it's quite a story, come to think of it...."