We are more barbaric than we admit to ourselves. Our customs, our ways of life; we are not an advanced people. We still bury people. Let me say that again, we plant our dead, in reserved spots, and mark those spots with stones, which we engrave... That’s pretty darn archaic. That we should set aside land which could be used to improve industry, grow food, harvest renewable energy or house our people; and instead use that land to store pre-prepared, boxed corpses with the intent of prolonging decay.

Also, there is an argument right now, in America, as to whether or not Homosexual Humans should have the same religious freedoms as Heterosexual humans... as though they were a different species. Many harbor the idea that they somehow don't have a right to a God or Gods that might approve of their unions. At the republican/U-tube debate, the bible was involved for several of the questions... the bible. A more than 3 thousand year old recounting of stories originally handed down by word of mouth, was considered by many to be deeply relevant to half the countries choice of who would control one of the most significant arsenals on Earth...

So yes, it is very sad, that modern parents would let their child die because they believed that a special spiritual ritual (prayer), would cause their daughter to be magically healed by their deity of choice; but it is not surprising. The problem is our overestimation of the word "modern". Many countries have no age of consent, many countries have no laws against slavery, many countries have religious requirements attached to how their leaders are selected and if November 2004 is any indication; we are one of those countries. Even basic citizenry rights for humans are still relatively new. Check out the average lifespan of an American and take a look at life at the time of birth for someone who is expected to die tomorrow. That is a single lifetime, 1 generation gone to rest... I think many of us overestimate how far we have come versus how far we have yet to travel. This is not a time that will be judged kindly come the future, and too many of us are too proud of what we have already accomplished to look at what he have yet to do.