Wall St. Journal Exposes a Kidney Donation Cult

Give a kidney for Christ! Is it a cult? Um yes, by any standards known to me. It crosses way over the line from what could be described and praised as good deeds and altruism to what should be reined in and curtailed as risky actions motivated by compulsion and religious coercion. The Jesus Christians are a publicity-seeking fund-raising sideshow in the world of religious cults.

Here is the top of the story.

For Religious Group, True Charity Begins On Operating Table. Sect's Kidney Donations Pose Dilemma for Doctors; A Member's Mom Objects
By LAURA MECKLER
December 13, 2007; Page A1

Ashwyn Falkingham wanted to donate one of his kidneys but didn't know anyone who needed one. With the help of a Web site, he met a woman in Toronto who was seeking a transplant. The two were a medical match, and he traveled from his home in Sydney, Australia, to Canada for final testing and, he hoped, for the surgery.

It's a "simple thing that can help someone," says Mr. Falkingham, now 23 years old.

But it wasn't simple, largely because Mr. Falkingham is a member of a tiny religious group calling itself the Jesus Christians. The group's 30 members, who eschew many of society's conventions, have embraced kidney donation: More than half have given a kidney.

They describe the act as a gift of love that implements Jesus's teachings. But critics, particularly parents of members, call the group a cult and charge that members are under undue influence of its charismatic leader. more...

I'm not clear on why the WSJ thinks it has a horse in this race. They have no particular expertise or insight into medicine, religion or ethics.