Pastor of Missouri church calls autism ‘demonic,’ says it can be ‘healed’ with prayer by Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, September 13, 2023
Quote:
The pastor of a Baptist church in Missouri has doubled down on comments saying autism is caused by “demonic” forces.
Pastor Rick Morrow of Beulah Church in Richland, Missouri, has received heavy criticism following the comments made during a Wednesday, Sept. 6, sermon.
Morrow claimed autism can be treated if you “just cast the demon out.”
“I know a minister who has seen lots of kids that are autistic, that he cast that demon out, and they were healed, and then he had to pray and their brain was rewired and they were fixed,” Morrow told his congregation.
“If it’s not demonic, then we have to say God made them that way,” he continued. “Like that’s the only other explanation. ’Why does my kid have autism?’ Well, either the devil has attacked them, he’s brought this infirmity upon them, he’s got them where he wants them, and/or God just doesn’t like them very much, and he made them that way. Well my God doesn’t make junk. God doesn’t make mess ups.”
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Some Facebook commenters pointed out Morrow was a member of the Stoutland Schools Board of Education. A Change.org petition was created calling for the removal of Morrow from the board.
Morrow resigned from his Board of Education position on Tuesday, KY3 reported. Stoutland Schools said in a statement to KY3 that Morrow’s comments do “not speak for the Board of Education as a whole, nor the district itself.”
McClatchy News has reached out to the school district and is awaiting a response.
‘THIS IS NOT PREACHING LOVE’
Members of the Missouri community and parents who have children with autism have spoken out against Morrow and his comments.
Samantha Jaramillo, a mother who operates the Autism and You page on Facebook, called Morrow a “false prophet” and said his words were “an attack on the special needs community.”
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