It should not come as a surprise to anyone, certainly in this day and age, that large swathes of people can be firmly entrenched in their beliefs for no other reason than belief itself. Whether it be Mormon or Baptist, or evangelical of any stripe, the story is always the same, echoing the title of the Bob Dylan song “With God on Our Side”. But the vitriol which these religious folks heap upon each other is positively next level. As a secular being myself, I would find laughable the mutual distaste for each others’ irrationality, if the consequences were not so horrendous. Notably, the fact that most of the victims showed little animosity to the doctor, only wishing him to be treated, was viewed by his supporters as evidence of deceit by the victims. So showing grace and forgiveness was not a virtue, but a vice. Hence the sarcasm in the headline of this review.
As for the book itself, it was reasonably compelling, though to be honest, a bit longer than it needed to be. The author did a good job differentiating the players, but yet still at times people ran together through the narrative. The in-depth transcript readings of various legal proceedings dragged a bit, but wasn’t a dealbreaker. What’s left at the end is the frustration that everyone feels, when coming up against opposition that refuses to think logically, or rationally, or even empathetically, but sticks steadfastly to their own dogma. And real people suffer.