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June 11, 2008 | Response to washingtonpost.com column

Prayer, a Dead Child and the Law

© 2008 washingtonpost.com | All Rights Reserved

There is nothing more tragic than the death of a child. There is nothing I can say to “explain away” or, somehow, excuse death. I’ve been a Christian Science practitioner for a long time now, and I’ve never seen death as anything ordained by God. I can't speak for all the different faith traditions out there, but I can tell you that in Christian Science, death is never, ever “God's will.”

I should also tell you that I’ve been working with legislators around the country for over a decade to help ensure that conscientious, caring parents are able to care for their children in the manner they have found to be most effective. You may want to read that sentence again, as it was constructed with care. When I use words like “conscientious” and phrases like “found to be most effective,” I'm not spouting rhetoric. I’m speaking to the spirit in which these laws were adopted — to support responsibility, not neglect, results and not superstitions.

Let there be no mistake about the prime assumption behind these laws — that parents should not be judged by how, but by how well they guard their children's well-being. In other words, results matter. Under the law, all parents, regardless of race, creed, or national origin, are expected to care for their children in such a way that the results meet the standards of contemporary society.

I know a lot of people say that money buys access to lawmakers, and that this is how laws get passed and things get done. But in all these years representing my church, I’ve never had a dime to spend on a Political Action Committee. I've never had “clout” or special “access.” And despite this, legislators around the country have supported laws that ensure no-one of any age will be denied the opportunity to avail themselves of effective, prayer-based care. Why? Perhaps because this is America. In America, we have come to respect, even cherish, a diversity of means and methods, so long as they promote good without causing harm. The greatness of this nation, of this society, lies in a deep-rooted, often-unacknowledged humility — an understanding that even when the great majority insists that there's only one way to do something, there may, in fact, be another way. And that it may even turn out to be a better way.

Phil Davis
Spokesman, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, Massachusetts