Pastor Rick Morrow infuriated many parents who don't see autism as a problem in need of supernatural intervention

On Wednesday night, Pastor Rick Morrow of Beulah Church in Richland, Missouri said that autism was caused by the devil and prayers alone could heal the developmental disability.

Morrow argued that the only alternative to that theory was that God created children with autism because He “doesn't like ‘em very much.” But he rejected that option because, in his view, “God doesn't make junk,” suggesting that there’s something deeply flawed about children who are on the autism spectrum.

The sermon can still be seen on Facebook (for now) with the relevant bit beginning around the 2:00 mark. The clip below includes enhanced audio for easier listening.

It's very crucial: [If] someone has a physical infirmity and you cast that demon out, you might have to pray for some things to be fixed.

Let's talk about one. Let's talk about autism.

Rick, did you just go there? Yeah. Like, I know a minister who has seen lots of kids that are autistic, that he cast that demon out, and they were healed, and then he had to pray and their brain was rewired and they were fixed.

Yeah, I just went there. I mean, you can get online and see lots of examples of it.

If it's not demonic, then we have to say God made them that way. Like, that's the only other explanation.

Why [does] my kid have autism? Well, either the devil's attacked them, he's brought this infirmity upon them, he's got them where he wants them, and/or God just doesn't like ‘em very much and he made ‘em that way.

Well, my God doesn't make junk.

God doesn't make mess-ups.

God doesn't make people that way.

So let's quit being nice and putting a Band-Aid on stuff and giving it medicine. And this goes so much bigger than autism, people. I just gave you that as an example.

The sermon has infuriated people in the community, some of whom have children with autism and have no trouble reconciling it with their faith. As one mother put it:

[My son’s] autism may have brought a lot of extra challenges to his life and ours, but he is an absolute BLESSING! Autism has increased my faith, brought me so many moments of joy, and has taught me many lessons in patience, hope, etc. [My son] is not “junk” or a “mess up”…his growth and successes are nothing short of proof that God has been at constant work in our family! He was created with a purpose!

That sentiment was shared by many people who commented under the church’s video on Facebook, with responses ranging from “This whole congregation needs to run away” to “I'm embarrassed this is in our community.”

One Missouri mother was so upset about his sermon that she reached out to Morrow personally to tell him how her son, who has autism, is a blessing. She explained that he doesn’t have an “illness.” Rather, he’s a “brilliant child” who simply communicates differently. She also asked Morrow if he felt the same way about children with Down syndrome.

He said that, too, was Satan’s fault.

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For a church whose tagline is “Making Jesus Famous,” I’m guessing this is not what they had in mind.

Making matters worse, Morrow isn’t merely some random ignorant pastor. He’s also a school board member for the Stoutland R-2 School District. This guy oversees education for public school students, at least some of whom we have to assume are on the autism spectrum. That would mean he believes the devil has attacked all of them and the only way to handle those students is with prayer instead of therapy or academic intervention.

If any of this sounds familiar, it may be because Christian hate-preacher Greg Locke said many of the same things before. In January of 2022, Locke claimed in a sermon that people weren’t taking demon possession seriously: “Your kid could be demonized and attacked, but your doctor calls it autism.”

His evidence for that claim? "Ain't no such diagnosis in the Bible."

None of that comports with our scientific understanding of autism, which has been called the “most heritable of neurodevelopmental disorders.” Genetics (not Satan) plays the biggest role in determining whether or not a child will have it. Plenty of people with autism are high-functioning and many are never diagnosed.

Most parents who have raised children with certain neurological or developmental disabilities will tell you that, no matter how difficult it may have been, they wouldn’t trade a thing. Their kids are who they are because of their differences, not in spite of them.

Even Christian parents will say God doesn’t make mistakes. If they have children with autism, it must be for a reason. As one religious parent explained, “My son is not autistic because he is demon possessed; he is autistic so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” They know their kids are gifts, not “mess-ups” whose lives went off-track because of Satan. One pastor put it this way: “Children born with any number of physical, emotional, and learning disabilities have value, dignity, and worth based on their being created in God's image. This is antithetical to the Gospel.”

When Locke made his comments, a number of adults with autism said his kind of thinking harmed them when they were younger. They were subject to exorcisms. They were traumatized because their churches taught them they were responsible for their disorder. They were subject to countless prayers even though there’s no known cure for autism; many parents would tell you there’s nothing that needs to be cured when it comes to kids who are on the spectrum.

But Morrow possesses none of that empathy or understanding. He’s fully convinced that anyone with autism—or any other developmental issue—has a demon problem and the only solution is more Jesus, ignoring the fact that even other Baptist families would tell him he’s got this all wrong.

As of this writing, Morrow hasn’t apologized and video of the sermon remains on Facebook.