Recently, parents of a three year old child ill with cancer refused to submit him to standard medical treatment including chemotherapy. The parents chose to treat their son's illness with the use of herbs and prayers in accordance with the religious doctrine which they ascribe. The legal system was employed to force the parents to comply with the physician recommended treatment plan even though it directly contradicted the parents' belief system as to the best approach in caring for their child. It was argued that the parents belonged to a fringe religion and thus were incapable of making a sound decision as to the proper treatment. The parents' exceptional care of their child outside of this specific decision was uncontested. Given the case facts, respond to the following questions and support your answers.
(a). What function(s) do belief systems serve for individuals?
(b). Relying on the case information provided, explain how the deviance calculus was applied to the parents' beliefs about the treatment of their ill child establishing these beliefs as contested (stigmatized) knowledge.