TODDLER MURDERED for Not Saying "Amen" ?

To start, I would like to define the word "cult" to the reader.

1: a formal religious veneration : worship
2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
5 a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad
b: the object of such devotion
c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

(Webster.com)

So basically, "cults" are religious groups with a smaller number of followers.

Here's the story:

A toddler's remains were found inside of a suitcase in Philadelphia. According to CNN.com the child, whose name was Javon, "was starved to death by members of a religious cult, including his mother, in part because he refused to say "amen" after meals."

This kid would be 19 months old if he were still alive today. The mother and several of the religious group's members are being charged with murder.

The family of the dead boy said that the mother is not responsible for her son's death.

Her stepfather, Craig Newton said that "She had no control over that situation at all."

The woman's mother, Seeta Khadan-Newton, proclaimed that it was not her daughter's decision not to starve the boy to death:

"My daughter was a victim, just like my grandson," Khadan-Newton said. "Somebody made that decision to not feed that child, and my daughter had to follow instructions."


Some facts about this religious organization:

Group name: 1 Mind Ministries
Attire: All white clothing
They swear off all medical care
Have titles such as queen and princess
Do not allow women to give birth in medical facilities or with help of doctors



The following is directly from CNN.com:


"The documents show police interviewed two school-age children who had been part of the group but were taken away from members by Philadelphia police. The children told investigators that members stopped feeding Javon in December 2006, in part because the boy refused to say "amen" after dinner. Members also viewed Javon as "a demon."

Another unnamed informant told police that after Javon died, Antoinette left the boy's body in a room for more than a week, claiming:

"God was going to raise Javon from the dead," the documents show.

Afterward, Antoinette burned the boy's clothing and a mattress and placed his body in a green suitcase, which she would periodically open and spray with disinfectant to mask the odor, police said in the court documents.