Idaho Faith-Healing Sect Linked to At Least 15 Preventable Child Deaths

A review of death records from five Idaho counties identified at least 15 children in the Followers of Christ faith-healing sect who died from conditions such as pneumonia, bacterial infections and treatable tumors between 2015 and 2025. Pediatricians and birthing specialists who examined the files said the illnesses were readily curable with antibiotics or routine surgery. Idaho’s statutes preserve a religious exemption that shields parents from prosecution for neglect, whereas Oregon eliminated a comparable loophole decades ago, prompting more parents to seek care.

The analysis also uncovered several families experiencing multiple child deaths, a pattern not previously reported. Sect elder Nathan Kangas explained the community’s belief that medical intervention is a sin, while Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue has publicly criticized the state’s legal protections. Retired pediatrician David Peterman, who reviewed the cases, called the preventable nature of the deaths “unthinkable.”