UPDATED::Caldwell couple arrested in child abuse case part of faith-healing church | Complete news coverage | idahopress.com

 UPDATE::  Father in Kester sex abuse case sentenced to up to life in prison

Lester Kester Jr., a Caldwell father convicted of sexually abusing his daughters and another female relative, will be in prison at least until he’s 80 years old.

Kester, two weeks shy of turning 49, was sentenced to up to life in prison Wednesday on five lewd conduct charges. Thirty-one of those years will be served before he’s eligible for parole.

“I think that reflects the sentence you’ve imposed on your own children,” said 3rd District Court Judge Bradly Ford during the sentencing.

UPDATE::  Kester mother sentenced for failing to report husband's sexual abuse of daughters 

The mother accused of failing to report her husband's sexual abuse of their children was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, but will first serve a rider program.

Sarah Kester, 51, hung her head as 3rd District Court Judge Christopher Nye ordered her to first serve a rider program. She could serve a decade in prison, with four of those years fixed if she fails the rider program, he said.
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The daughters are now in their teens and 20s, and one talked about being a mother, herself.

“I'm being the mother she could never be, and we don’t need her in our life anymore,” one daughter said.

The youngest victim said Sarah Kester did everything a mom was supposed to do “except protect your daughters.”

UPDATE::  Idaho faith healer accused of molesting 5 children pleads guilty, faces prison

A 48-year-old Canyon County man accused of molesting five children over two decades has reached a plea deal with prosecutors.

Lester Kester pleaded guilty to five counts of lewd conduct with a child younger than age 16 in court on Wednesday.

Kester was charged in July with four felony counts of lewd conduct with a child younger than 16. In October, he was charged with a fifth count of lewd conduct with a child younger than 16 for abuse of another child that came forward. He faced up to life in prison on each count, if convicted.

Third Judicial District Judge Bradly Ford accepted Kester’s guilty plea after explaining that Kester was waiving some rights. Ford asked Kester directly if he did, in fact, commit these crimes. 

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Kester’s wife, Sarah, 50, was accused of knowing about the alleged abuse and not reporting it. She was charged with felony injury to a child. Sarah Kester pleaded guilty though an Alford plea last month. In an Alford plea, she does not admit guilt, but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a jury to convict her.

A Caldwell mother arrested last week told deputies her religious beliefs prompted her to pray for her husband rather than tell police about his alleged sexual abuse of their daughters.

Sarah Kester and her husband, Lester Kester Jr., are affiliated with the Followers of Christ Church. The church, which has a prominent following in Canyon County and in Oregon, faces criticism for refusing medical care for children and adults in favor of faith healing.

After her July 11 arrest, Sarah Kester told deputies from the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office that she didn’t tell police about her husband’s alleged abuse because it was against her belief system to involve agencies such as law enforcement, child protection services, or counseling services into personal or family matters, according to a sheriff’s office press release.
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Instead of contacting law enforcement, Sarah Kester told deputies she tried to protect her children by praying for “the demon” to leave Lester and keeping her husband busy with other tasks, according to a press release from the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the release, Lester Kester Jr. told detectives on July 11 that he had been consumed by a “bad guy” or a “demon” and admitted to various forms of sexual contact with all four of his daughters until they were approximately 10 to 12 years old.

Caldwell couple arrested in child abuse case part of faith-healing church | Complete news coverage | idahopress.com

Faith-healing couple plead guilty in infant's death - KOIN

In a move aimed at striking at the heart of an Oregon City faith healing church, prosecutors got what they hope is a major victory Monday.

In an unprecedented court hearing, the parents of a newborn baby who died not only pleaded guilty to the infant's death but also had to write a letter to other members of the Followers of Christ Church, instructing them that they should have sought medical care for their daughter, Ginnifer in March of 2017.
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Under the plea bargain, the letter by Sarah and Travis Mitchell must be posted in the church. In addition, Sarah's father -- Walter White -- also had to write a similar letter denouncing faith healing, which will also be posted in the church in Oregon City.

The Clackamas County District Attorney hopes the letters will carry significant weight because White is the patriarch of the church. His father, also named Walter White, was the original church minister who brought the sect to Oregon City, after breaking off from other faith healing congregations in Idaho. Church insiders told KOIN 6 that when the elder White died in 1969, he was the last minister of the congregation of about 2,000 members. For the last 48 years, the church has operated without a preacher, instead relying on a core group of elders for leadership. 

Faith-healing couple plead guilty in infant's death - KOIN

Oregon Court Upholds Convictions of Couple Who Sought 'Faith Healing' Instead of Doctor for Baby

Obviously momma Hickman has no trouble going to the eye doctor for herself!!

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2055855/Faith-healing-couple-Dale-Shannon-Hickman-sentenced-6-years-jail.html

The Oregon Supreme Court has upheld the 2011 manslaughter convictions of a faith-healing couple whose premature baby died after a homebirth when they didn’t seek medical treatment. Dale and Shannon Hickman are members of the Followers of Christ church in Oregon City, which the state said has a long history of children dying from preventable conditions because their parents refused them medical care.

The Hickmans, now both 30 years old, were convicted in 2011. A trial found that when Shannon went into labor two months early in 2009, the couple traveled to her mother’s house instead of a hospital. David Hickman was born weighing three pounds, seven ounces, and lived for less than nine hours. Courthouse News reports those convictions were upheld Thursday after several appeals. 

The Hickmans testified that they “never considered” calling 911, per The Oregonian, and that the infant didn’t start showing signs of distress until about 15 minutes before he died, which state experts said was impossible. David Hickman responded by holding the baby, anointing his head with olive oil, and praying for him, which didn’t work.

Oregon Court Upholds Convictions of Couple Who Sought 'Faith Healing' Instead of Doctor for Baby

Idaho faith-healing bill won't get hearing | Local & Regional | Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Idaho News, Weather, Sports and Breaking News - KBOI 2

Last week, Democratic Rep. John Gannon of Boise put forth a bill to update Idaho's existing faith-healing exemptions for injury-to-a-child crimes. That bill was shot down almost immediately as "there's no room in this Legislature for debate on the measure," according to House Speaker Scott Bedke. In effect, Idaho just sanctioned child abuse.

So, if you live in Idaho, go ahead, kill your child, blame the death on your religion and walk away free. It doesn't matter if the child suffered. It doesn't matter if a simple pill would have "fixed" the problem. All that matters is the religious freedom(s) - liberty seems to be the buzz word on the side of the Reich - of the sadistic parents are protected. According to Rep. Christy Perry:

“This is about religious beliefs, the belief God is in charge of whether they live, and God is in charge of whether they die,,,This is about where they go for eternity,”

The question that should be asked by all, "who are the Reich protecting and why? The "who" is the easy part, Followers of Christ Church, an extremist, fundamental Christian congregation that is prevalent in the upper mountain region and the north west of the country (Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.) The church teaches that modern medicine should be ignored, only prayer.  The consequences 144 graves of innocent children.

The "why," is not so easy to answer, but I have my speculations, members of the Followers of Christ Church are becoming the new "poster group" of the Reich in their fight to stay relevant. The Reich's window to impose their Bronze Age worldview on the populace is shrinking. No longer fringe, the Reich has become the Republican Party. The issue for them, "changing demographics are running against them. While they may believe the earth is a mere few thousand years old, they’re not complete idiots. They can read polls, and the data tells them this: millennials are abandoning religious belief."

Although I feel at times like I (as well as numerous other bloggers) am playing whack-a-mole in regards to the numerous "religious liberty" bills of late. A pattern began to emerge, one that Dean Obeidallah was not afraid to verbalize in his piece "The Conservative Crusade For Christian Sharia Law,"

To some on the right, America is a “Christian nation”—like Saudi Arabia is a Muslim nation—meaning that our nation’s laws should be based on their religious text. These forces aren’t moved by Thomas Jefferson’s famous letter in which he spoke of the need to create, "a wall of separation between church and state.” Nor will they be swayed by citing Ronald Reagan’s words, "Church and state are, and must remain, separate.”

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In upcoming elections, we need to ask any candidate who cites the Bible as the rationale for their political position specifically how far do they intend to take that. At least then we won’t be surprised when they push to pass laws to silence women or stone women to death who aren’t virgins on their wedding night.

Just as the Reich has taken up the cause of Elane Photography in New Mexico, despite the fact they broke the law, the murder of children will be their next cause celebre.

Idaho faith-healing bill won't get hearing | Local & Regional | Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Idaho News, Weather, Sports and Breaking News - KBOI 2

Religious freedom or medical necessity? Idaho rep tackles faith healing after child deaths - Daily Journal

An article that got a we bit lost in the shuffle as I was waiting for more information to possibly come forth. So in the mean time I pondered, and this is what I pondered about,,,

I will be gentle and say most religionists consider themselves to be "pro-life." The idea being that a child has a right to not being aborted; a right to live based on their religious belief system. So why the fuck do these same stupid ass people have the right to kill their children after they are born based on the same religious belief system? How freakin stupid is that? I guess life isn't so precious after all!! (See meme posted earlier on cognitive dissonance,,,)

I also ponder this: If God is the creator of all things then didn't God also "create" the knowledge obtained and used by doctors? So if one ignorantly chooses prayer over medicine, isn't that disobedience to God?

After several recent child deaths, an Idaho lawmaker wants to follow Oregon's lead and require parents to seek medical help for kids suffering from potentially fatal conditions — even if their religion frowns on it.

Since 2009, numerous children of members of the Followers of Christ in Marsing, Idaho, have died of treatable causes, according to their autopsy reports. Many children are buried at a cemetery overlooking the Snake River that is favored by the church.

The church, with locations in Idaho, California and Oregon, relies on faith healing, not medicine, to help sick members.

Democratic Rep. John Gannon of Boise says Idaho's existing faith-healing exemptions for injury-to-a-child crimes should be updated. He has support from Linda Martin, an Oregon woman who left the church in Idaho decades ago and has returned this week to champion the changes.

"These children need a chance to grow up," Martin told The Associated Press Thursday.

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In Idaho, Gannon wants to introduce his bill in the Legislature, but there's already resistance.

Rep. Christy Perry, R-Nampa, said she fears the bill tramples on religious freedoms and parental rights.

"This is about religious beliefs, the belief God is in charge of whether they live, and God is in charge of whether they die," said Perry, whose district is not far from the Followers' Idaho church. "This is about where they go for eternity."

Religious freedom or medical necessity? Idaho rep tackles faith healing after child deaths - Daily Journal