Christian Woman Prayed 6 Months for Dead Husband's Resurrection Until His Corpse Had Rotted Beyond Recognition
A Christian woman from Canada who prayed with her children for her dead husband's resurrection for six months after he died was dealt a hard blow when she learned that he failed to rise and his body had rotted beyond recognition inside a bedroom she locked and left behind for Jesus.
According to the Hamilton Spectator, during the six months that the woman, Kaling Wald, 50, kept the body of her husband, Peter Wald, 52, locked in an upstairs bedroom of their home, she would tell curious neighbors that he was "in God's hands now" whenever they inquired about him.
Court documents revealed that Kaling Wald's husband died "probably around March 20" in 2013. He suffered from diabetes but refused to go to the hospital after his left foot became infected, because he believed that God would heal him. The body was only discovered after Wald and her family faced eviction for not paying the mortgage on the home, according to Reuters.
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When the sheriff came to evict the family on Sept. 17, 2013, Peter Wald's belongings had been packed and ready to go.
"That was how strong our faith was," Wald told the Spectator.
When she unlocked the bedroom door where she had left his body for Jesus, however, it was badly decomposed and had attracted rodents. His feet were stuck out from under blankets with gauze still wrapped around the left foot. He could not be identified by photograph.
"He (the sheriff) said 'OK that's enough, close the door," Wald noted.
On Monday, she pleaded guilty to failing to report her husband's death to the police or coroner after criminal charges were withdrawn when assistant crown attorney Janet Booy decided that she meant no ill by her actions and that it was her brand of faith that had "tainted and warped her better judgment."
This is the first known case involving the resurrection belief in Canada.
"We were trusting God … we thought, 'OK Lord, you know better," Kaling told the Spectator Monday.
Wald's defense lawyer Peter Boushy told Reuters: "Just as Jesus raised Lazarus after the fourth day, so too did she believe God would resurrect her husband in due time."
Before the resurrection failure, the family was active in Christian street ministry and outreach in Hamilton, an industrial city about 70 kilometers southwest of Toronto, according to Reuters.
Boushy said Wald now understands what the law requires and has no plans to wait for another resurrection.
"She certainly was remorseful, and definitely was teary-eyed," he said. "Indeed, she noted that she was never actually able to cry over the passing of her husband, but this seemed to have been an emotional breakthrough after the court proceedings yesterday. I think counseling is certainly going to be beneficial for her."
