Val Kilmer refused medical treatment because of religious beliefs

However, the prayers failed, and last week Kilmer was rushed to a hospital after he began bleeding from his throat. According to reports, paramedics rushed to his Malibu home Monday night after someone called 911 and reported the bleeding.

TMZ reports Kilmer’s family believes the actor was killing himself by not dealing with the tumor in his neck because of his religious beliefs. Family sources claim Kilmer has known about the tumor since last Summer. As a result of the tumor he has had trouble speaking, and his neck became so swollen Kilmer  began to cover it up with scarves and other clothing items.

Family members say they urged Kilmer to seek treatment for his neck but he refused because of his Christian Science beliefs. They say he shunned medical treatment and anyone who persisted in pleading with him to seek medical attention was cut out of his life.

Kilmer confirmed on Saturday that he is hospitalized and awaiting medical results, but denies he has a tumor.

Kilmer, a prolific actor, became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! (1984), then the cult classic Real Genius (1985), as well as the blockbuster action film Top Gun (1986). Some of his more notable film roles include Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991), Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993), armed robber Chris Shiherlis in Heat (1995), Bruce Wayne / Batman in Batman Forever (1995),and astronaut Robby Gallagher in Red Planet (2000).

Followers of Christian Science typically shun medical treatment, believing prayer heals, not medical treatment.

Christian Science was developed in 19th-century New England by Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910), who argued in her book Science and Health (1875) that sickness is an illusion that can be corrected by prayer alone. The book became Christian Science’s central text, along with the King James Bible, and by 2001 had sold over nine million copies.