The preacher who led the faith healing session that killed the autistic boy in Milwaukee will only face felony child abuse charges. He’ll do no more than five years in prison. Once again, prosecutors will go easy on a killer because of the religious context (see Ron’s “God kills another child” post below):

Critics, including some legal scholars, said the case reflected a general discomfort among prosecutors with trying to draw lines where religion is involved.

“If the child had died in a home, there’d be a whole array of charges, maybe including child abuse but also homicide, or manslaughter,” said Marci A. Hamilton, a professor at the Cardozo School of Law in New York. “When a religious entity enters the picture, prosecutors get very nervous.”

Professor Hamilton described a child abuse charge in such a case as “extraordinarily weak” and said the decision sent a devastating signal.

“It sends a message that if you are doing anything � whether it’s holding down a child or refusing to give them medical treatment, or whatever it is � if it’s religious, then they’re not accountable to the laws,” she said. “And that’s not right.”

The light charges are especially puzzling when you read about the multiple torture sessions this kid was forced to endure before they finally killed him: Faith Healing Gone Wrong Claims Boy’s Life