# Mother beats 4 year old to death **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics and Social Issues\ **Created:** [April 20, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mother-beats-4-year-old-to-death/3529 "2014-04-20T02:50:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dpkeele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@dpkeele](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/dpkeele)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mother-beats-4-year-old-to-death/3529/1 "2014-04-20T02:50:02Z")
The news story is in the advocate today about how a woman and her boyfriend beat her child to death because they suspected he was gay. > **[Woman, Boyfriend Sentenced For Beating Suspected Gay Son To Death](https://www.advocate.com/crime/2014/04/19/woman-boyfriend-sentenced-beating-suspected-gay-son-death)** > > An Oregon woman and her boyfriend were sentenced to prison for fatally beating her 4-year-old son because they suspected the boy might be gay. How do biblical literalists judge her “biblical” actions? Would they convict her if the child were proven to be gay? My big question here is, how is this different from a mother that drowns her children to save them from the devil? Both are about the individual’s application of religious dogma, but I predict no one in the press will delve into that. Even when religious dogma is stated as the reason, how do you say this person’s illogical belief is mental illness but someone else’s is just their sacred faith, until they harm a child because of it. This is one of my favorite topics. Where do you draw the line between crazy and simply devout religious belief? Is there a line that is or can be crossed? Analyzing religious thought is such a major tabu, but I refuse to “respect” something that does so much harm. ---
**Author:** ![hazelnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bbce88/32.png) [@hazelnut](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/hazelnut)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mother-beats-4-year-old-to-death/3529/2 "2014-04-25T02:52:47Z")
Can it be proven that’s what actually happened? The “Advocate” is a biased source, it must be said. ---
**Author:** ![hazelnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bbce88/32.png) [@hazelnut](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/hazelnut)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 3:01am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mother-beats-4-year-old-to-death/3529/3 "2014-04-25T03:01:51Z")
> This is one of my favorite topics. Where do you draw the line between crazy and simply devout religious belief? Is there a line that is or can be crossed? Analyzing religious thought is such a major tabu, but I refuse to "respect" something that does so much harm. There is no line that can be drawn. To a nonbeliever, religious belief seems at the least, a little bit crazy. This can be said of many things people get passionate about, though......love, art, work, etc. I'd say you don't have to respect their beliefs, but you have to let them have their fantasy. Unless you want to be beaten or killed or imprisoned. ---
**Author:** ![dpkeele](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@dpkeele](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/dpkeele)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mother-beats-4-year-old-to-death/3529/4 "2014-04-25T04:20:07Z")
> Can it be proven that's what actually happened? The "Advocate" is a biased source, it must be said. I checked the other coverage of the trial and found that the motive for the beatings asserted by the prosecutor was that she punished the child because she thought he was going to be gay according to her comments on Facebook to that effect. Actual proof is not available because she denied committing the abuse at all. The woman has a history of child abuse and there were 3 other children involved but the evidence is that this boy got the brunt of her violent tendencies. From what I read, it was only a matter of time before she killed a kid. The only evidence for her motive was the Facebook comments which went viral and that is what got the public's attention as well as the Advocate. Her reason, if she needed one, may have been anti gay but there is no way to know for sure. So, all my ranting about the ramifications of her alleged motive for the abuse was an over-reaction. It just reminded me of how gay kids were treated where I grew up and pushed all my buttons. I knew kids who got the "Mathew Shepherd" treatment, and while they didn't die, they were punished further by their families, were ostracized by everyone, and were never allowed to press charges by their parents. ---
**Author:** ![occam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@occam](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/occam)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/mother-beats-4-year-old-to-death/3529/5 "2014-04-25T05:23:59Z")
It is accurate since it was reported in the local news and occurred only a few miles from Los Angeles down town. There’s no way anyone can identify a four year old’s sexuality. This is a case of a psychotic woman and her equally mentally ill boyfriend. I know it’s not the way we do things, but I feel to avoid any possible repeat of this, both should be prevented from ever procreating again by surgical removal of both their internal and external genetalia. **Then** they can be tried for the child’s murder. Occam